Château PICHON COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2023

Description

Yves Beck 98-99 points www.yvesbeck.wine

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc

La grandeur est là, d’entrée. Des notes de cassis et d’eucalyptus complétées par des parfums d’iris, de baies noires, de réglisse et bien entendu de graphite soulignent la complexité du bouquet ! Belle densité en bouche où le vin se dévoile progressivement en laissant ses tannins prendre le dessus lentement, sans que ceux-ci soient écrasants. Bien au contraire, ils emmènent tous les éléments avec eux et se veulent structurants ! Que de puissance, d’ampleur, de précision dans cet authentique Pichon Comtesse 2023 à la finale saline, salivante et persistante.  2030-2063

Georgina Hindle 98 points  www.decanter.com
This smells divine, lovely lush blackcurrant and black cherry characters on the nose with pencil led, graphite, liquorice and menthol elements – very Pauillac on the nose. Gorgeous weight, supple and agile, great movement and energy to this. Acidity makes this buzzy, tangy and bright but not over the top, this keeps its structure and retains a serious directness from start to finish. Generous licks of minerality adds some cool classicism to it. Sleek and refined, precise and very drinkable. One of a number of brilliant Pauillac wines in 2023. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau wants it to be racy and it’s certainly racy. 50% grand vin production, 50% second. 3.67pH, 14.7% press wine only Cabernet. Ageing 19 months, 60-65% new oak and then one wine barrels.

William Kelley 97-99 points www.erobertparker.com
The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant wine that will be worth a special effort to track down. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries and cassis mingled with licorice, lilac, iris root, violet, burning embers and pencil shavings, it’s medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with a deep, layered core of cool fruit that largely conceals it’s ultra-refined structuring tannins. At a very measured 13% alcohol and 3.67 pH, it unites all Pichon Comtesse’s sensuality with unimpeachable Pauillac classicism. The 2023 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Jean-Marc Quarin 96 points www.quarin.com
Couleur sombre et intense. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité et subtil. Minutieux en entrée de bouche et de suite très savoureux, le vin se développe avec de la classe dans le toucher, élancé par 80 % de cabernet sauvignon. Délicatement charnu, savoureux, il s’achève long et séveux sur une touche de fleurs dans la persistance. C’est très bon. Assemblage : 80 % cabernet sauvignon, 17 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc. Degré d’alcool : 13° – pH : 3,67. 14,7 % de vin de presse. Rendement : 41 hl/ha.

Neal Martin 96-98 www.vinous.com
The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from September 6 until 29, with some rain on September 20 in the middle of Cabernet picking. But, Nicolas Glumineau remarked that the vineyard/fruit was in good condition; one day of rain did not affect the quality. The 2023 has a quintessential Comtesse bouquet, displaying pure and expressive black fruit laced with violet and graphite, delivered with impressive delineation. The palate is very refined on the entry. This is armed with beguiling symmetry—poised yet intense on the finish. It doesn’t exert huge grip because it knows it doesn’t need to, and it fans out gloriously. Outstanding.

Antonio Galloni 95-98 www.vinous.com
The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande marries elegance, power and sophistication. Soft, ripe tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, licorice, spice, pencil shavings, lavender and menthol. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. In 2023, Pichon Comtesse blends Merlot picked early for freshness and Cabernets picked later for tannin ripeness and flavor complexity. Readers will have to be patient, but the 2023 holds considerable promise for those who can wait. This is another stellar effort from the team led by General Manager Nicolas Glumineau. Tasted three times.