Tasting Notes
Vinous 97
The 2016 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has an enthralling bouquet of tobacco-infused black fruit, shaved truffle and pencil shavings; crushed stone emerges with continued aeration. The Cabernet Sauvignon is clearly in the driving seat here, just like the 1996. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, more saline and marine-influenced than Pichon Baron, and a tad spicier toward the finish, which is one of the most impressively persistent I have ever encountered in a Pichon-Lalande, fanning out with gusto and leaving the mouth still tingling 60 seconds after it has departed. This is a benchmark for the estate, the best Nicolas Glumineau has overseen in his tenure… thus far.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2050
Robert Parker 98+
The 2016 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is blended of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc aged for 18 months in 60% new oak. Deep purple-black in color, it is a little mute, slowly unfurling to reveal a core of crushed blackcurrants, blueberry compote and black raspberries with nuances of cinnamon stick, violets, star anise, menthol and pencil shavings plus a waft of fallen leaves. Medium-bodied and super intense in the mouth, the palate bursts with black fruits and savory layers, complemented by red fruit sparks and framed by fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long with a lingering suggestion of minerality.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2058