Réserve de Pichon Comtesse 2022

Readers shouldn't overlook the 2022 Resèrve de la Comtesse, a lovely wine that's one of the most accomplished second wines of Bordeaux. Offering up aromas of sweet minty berries, burning embers, pencil shavings and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, lavish and aromatic, with an almost exotic core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating finish.

Laden with warmed cassis and dark plum notes, this moves slowly as bittersweet cocoa, espresso crema and dark tobacco accents fill in along the way. Cedar and savory hints add range and cut to the finish, and there's ample latent depth. A touch old school and can handle some cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2038.

Gorgeous aromatics, vibrant but deep too. Tannins make the impact straight away, there’s good density here, clear concentration; this is carrying some heft in the really quite potent dark fruit flavors, spiced edges, and a sense of heat that comes through underneath. Broad but focused, definitely more streamlined than wide and plush, with almost chewy tannins that have a pure cool blue-fruit, licorice, and slate grip to them, giving edges and creating linear focus. Feels well constructed, still on the tense, nervous side, but it has an appealing juicy grip too. pH 3.8. 50% grand vin, 50% second wine. pH 3.8. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

The al dente fruit is so attractive with blackcurrants, dark plums and orange peel. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with tannins that start slowly, building at the end to a crescendo of intensity and power. It’s muscular and chewy but not overdone. A great second wine of Pichon Lalande. Needs time to soften and come together. Best after 2029.

The 2022 Réserve de la Comtesse is a seductive wine. Plush contours wrap around a core of black cherry, plum, graphite and dried flowers. The 2022 is unusual in that it includes all the Petit Verdot produced at the property. That’s a decision that paid off handsomely.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Ripe dark forest berry fruit, nuances of plums, some nougat, candied orange zest, fine tobacco nuances. Juicy, good complexity, fine acidity, ripe tannins, salty minerality, already accessible, shows charm and good length. (1/25, +25).

Deep purple-hued, the 2022 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is based on 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, raised 14 months in 50% new barrels. It's beautifully done and has a ripe, layered, yet still classic style in its ripe black and blue fruits, graphite, and floral notes. It's medium to full-bodied and has a round, layered mouthfeel and ripe tannins. I’d be thrilled to drink a bottle any time over the coming 15+ years.

54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Delicate bouquet, ripe blueberry, beguiling violet perfume, liquorice and perfumed pipe tobacco. A complex palate with silky texture, supportive freshness and medium body. In the focused, finely aromatic finish, a full basket of blue berries, vervain and bright minerality.

What a burst of fruit in the bouquet of Réserve de Pichon Comtesse. Beyond notes of blackcurrant and raspberry, it shows freshness with hints of eucalyptus and peppermint. On the palate, the wine takes on a more restrained, less assertive profile, focused on elegance. It is slightly creamy, driven by smooth, perfectly integrated tannins that provide solid support and confer respectable power. The finish, lively and even energetic, underscores the wine’s tannic ambitions. A precise, detailed wine that seems to struggle to manage its power mid-palate, yet concludes with confidence!

The nose is fruity, bright and concentrated, with a certain power, purity and an elegantly dark edge. It reveals notes of boysenberry, bright red berries, and, more lightly, lily and iris, joined by touches of crushed cherry, as well as fine almost-cola hints, cherry pit and a subtle hint of licorice stick. The palate is nicely guided—supple, elegant, airy, delicate, juicy and gourmand—with lovely fruit expression and purity, a certain airy silkiness, brightness, and lovely complexity. It shows notes of Morello cherry, blackberry and, more lightly, small bright fruits, allied to touches of licorice stick, salinity/iodine, smoke, crushed cardamom and, more lightly, toast, a subtle hint of roasting, a very fine length and superb purity.

Black and purple color. Intense, fruity and subtle nose. Hints of blackberry jelly. Supple on the attack, very flavorful mid-palate, juicy and fragrant, the wine unfolds at length with a mix of sun-kissed and fresh nuances. Blend: 54% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 10% petit verdot, 2% cabernet franc. Alcohol: 13.8% - pH: 3.75. IPT: 80 (medium-plus, plus). Yield: 30 hl/ha.

Beautiful depth of colour, enticing aromatics, holds your interest, dark chocolate block, slate and firm tannins, luscious fruit, clearly ripe, but it keeps the Pauillac signature, getting a shot of espresso and pure bilberry as it opens, super enjoyable, not quite as persistent perhaps as the very best years, but this is good. Nicolas Glumineau director, Eric Boissenot consultant. Harvest September 8, lasting for three weeks.