Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2021

Paprika, dark fruit, smoky notes, cassis, violet, a perfume. Sensational finesse, gripping tannins, crisp fruit, plenty of breed and energy, long-lasting finish. A highly elegant countess in the style of the 1980s, but with greater precision.

A gorgeous fragrance on the nose, scented and deep with green peppercorns, blackcurrant leaf, cedar, tobacco and sweet cinnamon. Succulent and juicy—the high acidity hits straight away. Lean and direct, but smooth, the tannins have a faint graphite grip. Tangy, almost grapefruit-like on the palate, with red berries and freshness throughout, leading to a long-lasting finish enhanced by salty minerality. A subtle estate magic is on show. Still young and tight, this will need a few years before opening.

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot. Cask sample. Characteristic elegance but the Pauillac character still evident. Fragrant nose with dark-fruit and floral notes and just a hint of chocolate. Persistent fruit through the mid palate with finely edged tannins. Well structured with good energy and drive, the finish persistent. Balanced and harmonious. (JL)

Mint, licorice, cigar box, flowers, cherries, currants, brown sugar, and spice fill the aromatic profile. Silky, fresh, vibrant, and minty, the wine is lively, energetic, crisp, chewy, and chalky. You should give this a few years before pulling a cork to allow the wine to soften and fill out. The wine blends 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot. 12.9% ABV. pH 3.75. This is the second-highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of the estate. The harvest took place from September 22 - October 5. Yields were incredibly low at only 15 hectoliters per hectare, almost 70% below a normal harvest. Drink from 2027-2055.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. A somewhat restrained bouquet with hints of fresh cherry, cassis, tobacco and oak. Juicy with fine fruit expression, ripe tannins, a touch of nougat, mineral, tightly woven and freshly structured. Shows good length, but still overall quite underdeveloped, needs time.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot, that spent 18 months in 60% new oak (there’s also 13% press wine in the blend), the 2021 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande reveals a vivid purple hue to go with beautiful aromatics of pure cassis, violets, spring flowers, spicy oak, and graphite, with a beautiful sense of minerality with time in the glass. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a seamless, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a pure, layered style that shines in the vintage. It's already impossible to resist but I see no reason it shouldn’t evolve for two decades.

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 60% Grand Vin, 15 hl/ha, 12.9% ABV, pH 3.75. Densely woven bouquet, beguiling iris scent, freshly picked Alpine blueberry, chocolate pastilles, light graphite. On a second approach, Pauillac at its best: fresh black mountain pepper, noble cassis spice, Havana and dried rose petals. On the vibrant palate with silky texture, everything in its right place, tight-knit tannin framework, cocoa-like and a perfectly shaped body. In the concentrated, endlessly long finish, Pauillac explodes: wild raspberry, graphite and a majestic astringency. Scores this year with incredible precision and finesse, reminds Nicolas Glumineau of 1996.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (organic, 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 15 hl/ha, 13% vol. alcohol) Concentrated, elegant, fresh, complex bouquet: cassis, black cherries, a touch of plum, delicate bell pepper notes, mint candy, flint. A tightly knit, elegant, fresh, multi-layered palate with powerful, sweet, creamy dark fruit, plenty of very fine tannin, concentrated and diverse aromatics, a very long, dense, full finish with lots of lingering flavors. Has room to improve.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot, the 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a deep garnet-purple color. It gallops out with profound notions of juicy blackberries, freshly crushed blackcurrants, and redcurrant preserves, leading to fragrant wafts of violets, aniseed, and sassafras, with a touch of wild sage. The light to medium-bodied palate is graceful and shimmery, with a lively line and firm, fine-grained tannins framing the energetic black fruits, finishing long with a tingly, minerally lift.

Strongly marked by Cabernet Sauvignon, this Comtesse 2021 is, at this stage, still reserved. You can sense energy, restrained power and sap, but it hasn’t opened up yet. Very long finish with refined tannins. Best forgotten for a few years in the cellar.

The wine was served to me decanted. Dark, purple color. Intense nose, with pure, ripe fruit, a little more oaky when the glass is swirled. Smooth on the attack, juicy through the mid-palate, very Pichon Comtesse in its texture, the wine glides through to the finish. Then it tightens and ends long and creamy. It’s very good!

The nose, with shy yet pure red fruit, gradually reveals different layers of aromas that build in intensity: dark, juicy fruit, flower sap, cassis leaf, then earthy, mossy notes. Supple and assured on the palate, the wine glides in like a hand slipping into a perfectly fitted glove. The flavors are unique: floral, saline, earthy. Iris notes mingle with aromas of salted butter caramel, followed by indulgent hints of chocolate and mocha, and an enticing finish of bitter coffee bean.

95–97. Barrel Sample. The wine's structure is a major factor here. It brings out sumptuous tannins to go with the juicy black fruits and spice tones. Black currants sing from this wine with its dominating Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2021 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande wafts from the glass with aromas of blackberries and minty cassis mingled with notes of violet, lavender, pencil shavings and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished, it's beautifully seamless and complete, with a fleshy core of fruit, ripe acids and sweet, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish. This will offer a broad drinking window. It's one of the vintage's real successes, but it also represents only one-quarter of a "normal" production.