Réserve de Pichon Comtesse 2023

Deep nose – lush, ripe fruit, chocolate, blackcurrants; it smells sumptuous and rich yet still with a touch of graphite and cool minerality on the nose. Streamlined and well defined, with lovely energy and focus, all in balance. Fruity with high acidity but not too sharp or angular. You can feel the power underneath and the minerality on top, yet it has good flow. Not very long, but it’s refined and really easy to approach. If anything, it’s a bit quiet right now—subtle and elegant—though it has structure and some firmness. Good quality. 12% press wine. Aged 12 months, 50% new oak and 50% one year. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. pH 3.67.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Delicate blueberry bouquet, violet perfume and a subtle graphite note. On the palate, elegantly juicy with a silky texture, tight-knit tannic frame, supporting verve and layered body. Concentrated, dense and long finish with noble cassis spice and fine-grained extract. Top value from Pauillac.

The success of Pichon in recent years extends to its second wine as well, delivering waves of cassis bud and red roses on the opening beats, followed by vibrant raspberry and blackberry fruits, easier to drink than the powerhouse 2022. A vintage that marks 50 years of Pichon Comtesse Réserve (once known, of course, as Réserve de la Comtesse). 55% of the production, more than usual because they were focusing so much on Cabernet for the main wine. Nicolas Glumineau, director.