2017 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

A prestigious Bordeaux "Super Second" wine, known for its austere character and focus on terroir, offering dark fruit and tannins that age beautifully over decades.

Producer

Château Pichon Longueville

Region

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Country

France

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

Varietal Composition

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot

Specifications

2017

Vintage

2043

Drink By

ABV

Vinification

Aged 18 months in French oak (50%+ new)

Occasional wine note

No lineup is complete with representation from Bordeaux's Left Bank. This is one of the famous "Super Seconds" that refer to the best "2nd Growth" wines from Napoleon III's wine Classification of 1855. The "1st Growth" wines include Châteaus Margaux, Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Haut-Brion, and the 1972 addition of Château Mouton-Rothschild. Anyway, this wine is a great representation of that prestigious group of Super Seconds. For those Napa Cab lovers, Bordeaux Cabs are far less fruit forward. These are more austere with focus on capturing the essence of the "terroir" from which the grapes are grown and the wine made. You will get that dark fruit and those tannins but in a more tightly wound flavor profile. Let this one open if you're going to drink it within the next 5 years. Otherwise, this one will age nicely in your cellar for a couple more decades.

What experts say about this wine

100

Wine Spectator

A sleek, precisely dialed-in Pauillac, with a pure and racy beam of cassis, blackberry and dark plum fruit inlaid with a mouthwatering iron note. A backdrop of singed alder and sweet tobacco waits in reserve, while the finish sails through with great cut. Possesses a regal feel. Best from 2025 through 2040.

100

Wine Advocate

Composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed to begin, soon revealing floral notes of lilacs and lavender over a core of black raspberries, warm blackberries and forest floor plus touches of star anise and stewed black tea. Medium-bodied, the palate is a bundle of energy and tension with softly played tannins and beautiful floral and black fruit layers, finishing with a long-lingering whisper.

pairing recommendation