2015 Château Pichon Lalande

Description

98    Antonio Galloni for Vinous
“The 2015 Pichon Comtesse is a towering wine, as it has always been. Rich, sumptuous and totally hedonistic, the 2015 melds together intense fruit with structure. Far from an easygoing wine, the 2015 is going to need a number of years and will then drink well for several decades. Grilled herbs, smoke, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that are layered into the dark-fleshed fruit for complexity. As good as the 2015 is today, it also has room to grow. Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau has done a tremendous job with the 2015s at Pichon Comtesse. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in oak, 55% new.” (2/2018)

97    Jeb Dunnuck
“I tasted the 2015 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande on three separate occasions rating it 97 twice and 98 once. Checking in as a final blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this is a nuanced style of wine that grows on you with time in the glass, and the larger Merlot component always gives it a more supple, seductive texture. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, leafy herbs and lead pencil notes all flow to a full-bodied, ultra-pure, seamless beauty that builds on the palate, has fine tannin and a great, great finish. As classy as they come, it will continue to impress for two to three decades.” (11/2017)

97    James Suckling
“This shows spices, pepper, blueberries and blackcurrants on the nose. Full body, very polished tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Shows such gorgeous texture. Precise and transparent. Try in 2022.” (2/2018)

96    Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2015 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a beautiful bouquet that soars from the glass: blackberry, bilberry, potent graphite scents that lend it an air of Pauillac. I love the precision here and the manner in which it builds and gains momentum with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, good depth and delineation, layers of black fruit infused with graphite. There are certainly semblances to the great 1996 here, the Cabernet Sauvignon remaining in the driver’s seat and lending structure and a sense of aristocracy on the finish. This is a serious Pichon Lalande for long-term aging. Anticipated maturity: 2021 – 2045.” (02/2018)

96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aged for 18 months in barrels, 60% new, the 2015 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande displays a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is elegantly fruited with crushed red currants, black raspberries and cassis with touches of lavender, rose hips, tilled soil, fungi and charcuterie. Medium-bodied, finely crafted, remarkably pure and beautifully poised, it has a firm frame of very fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note.” (2/2018)

96    Roger Voss for Wine Enthusiast
“This is the new taste for this estate: richly endowed while remaining elegant and suave. Certainly, there is great concentration here as well as rich black fruits. But they are given a sense of style and poise that will remain with this wine as it ages. Drink from 2026.” *Cellar Selection* (12/2017)

95    Jane Anson for Decanter
“I love the burnished damson fruit on the nose. This has that sexy, charred damson and charcoal thing going on, with smooth silky tannins and real impact. Great Pauillac typicity with a floral flourish. It turns up the dial fairly high and has real impact, but just manages to err on the right side of restraint, with savoury herb notes bringing elegance. It has a juicy, creamy texture, which is not true in all Pauillacs in 2015.” (11/2017)

95    James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“A fresh and focused style, with a terrific beam of black cherry and black currant compote flavors. Strong graphite and black tea notes harness the finish, ending with alder and tobacco echoes. This has serious length without losing any drive along the way. Best from 2022 through 2038.” (3/2018)