Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2021

- 98 Punkte, VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (02/2024): „The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a towering wine.Just as it did en primeur, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. The Cabernets are very high in the blend, and that comes through in a Saint-Julien endowed with ton of explosive vertical lift. Lavender, dried herbs, mit, spice, rose petal and a kick of orange peel are some of the notes that run through this striking Pichon Comtesse. The aromatics alone are compelling, but everything about the 2021 speaks to personified. Bright saline notes extgend tghe finish. In a word: sublime. Drinking Window: 2031-2064“

- 19/20 Punkte WEINWISSER: „88 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernet Franc. 60 % Grand Vin, 15 hl/ ha, 12.9 Vol.-%, pH 3.75. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, betörender Iris-Duft, frischgepflückte Alpenheidelbeere, Schokopastillen, helles Graphit. Im zweiten Ansatz Pauillac at its best: frischer schwarzer Bergpfeffer, edle Cassiswürze, Havanna und getrocknete Rosenblätter. Am vibrierenden Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, alles am richtigen Platz, engmaschiges Tanningerüst, kakaoartig und perfekt geformter Körper. Im konzentrierten, ewig langen Finale explodiert der Pauillac, Waldhimbeere, Graphit und erhabene Adstringenz. Punktet dieses Jahr mit unglaublicher Präzision und Finesse, erinnert Nicolas Glumineau an 1996. 2028-2052“

- 97 Punkte James Suckling (07/2024): “Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and graphite. Metal shavings. It's medium-bodied, with a classy center-palate of fruit and fine, velvety tannins leading to an almost endless finish. This has so much class, especially for the vintage. Very low production. Drink after 2028.“

- 96-98 Punkte, Adrian van Velsen – vvWine.ch: „Sensationeller Duft, klar und rein wie ein Bergbach, dunkle Beeren, Cassis, Brombeere, darüber florale Noten und deutlich grüne Paprika, das ist eine dieser Nase, die man eigentlich in ein Parfüm verwandeln möchte, ein Hit. Im Gaumen cremig und weich im Auftakt, packt dann zu, die Frucht ist knackig, Säure und feinmaschiges Tannin verleihen viel Struktur, lebhaft, hochelegant und wiederum mit diesem grünen Paprika-Aroma im Retrofinale erinnert mich der Wein an die grossen Jahrgänge der 80er, einfach noch viel besser. Ausgezeichnet. 2028-2050+“

- 96 Punkte, Wine Enthusiast, Roger Voss (07/2024): “Black-currant fruit aromas are also backed by a powerfully tannic wine. It is both elegant and concentrated, and its refined character comes from the stylish structure. The wine also has enormous potential. Drink from 2028.“

- 96 Punkte DECANTER, Georgina Hindle: „Cocoa powder, iris notes, pink roses and black fruits - so fragrant - you just want to smell the wines in 2021 for hours. This is a seriously impressive Comtesse and stands out as one of my favourite wines of the vintage with real promise. Power and depth from the get go, tannins are massy, softly fleshy but also provide support and structure, giving layers to the fruit and savoury elements that combine clove, cedar, cola, vanilla and cinnamon with teeth-coating liquorice and graphite too - the soft salinity entering towards the finish. It's concentrated and serious with a tightly knitted core, a consequence of the tiny yields and strict selection as well as the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since 2013. I love the terroir signature on show in the glass as well as an overall sense of retaining elegance and finesse. A top buy for me! 3.76pH, 75IPT. 18-19 months ageing. Tasted twice.“

- 95 Punkte, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (07/2024): “ Mint, licorice, cigar box, flowers, cherries, currants, brown sugar, and spice fill the aromatic profile. Silky, fresh, vibrant, and minty, the wine is lively, energetic, crisp, chewy, and chalky. You should give this a few years before pulling a cork to allow the wine to soften and fill out. The wine blends 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot. 12.9% ABV. pH 3.75. This is the second-highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of the estate. The harvest took place from September 22 - October 5. Yields were incredibly low at only 15 hectoliters per hectare, almost 70% below a normal harvest. Drink from 2027-2055.“

- 95 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley 02/2024): „„The 2021 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande wafts from the glass with aromas of blackberries and minty cassis mingled with notes of violet, lavender, pencil shavings and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished, it's beautifully seamless and complete, with a fleshy core of fruit, ripe acids and sweet, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish. This will offer a broad drinking window. It's one of the vintage's real successes, but it also represents only one-quarter of a "normal" production. 2027-2045“

- 95 Punkte, JANE ANSON, Inside Bordeaux: „Concentrated, with mint leaf, black chocolate, cassis and blueberry, spice, and clear tannic hold. This is the highest level of Cabernet Sauvignon in Comtesse since 2013 when it was 100% Cabernet (and 13hl/h yield) and you feel it in the character of the fruit, and the tension through the core. A more serious Comtesse than we have got used to in recent years, without sacrificing the signature finesse and elegance. IPT 76. Tasted twice. Harvest September 22 through to October 6. First year of organic conversion, 60% of production in 1st wine, 15hl/h yield, 3.76ph. 65% new oak for ageing. 

- 94 Punkte JEB DUNNUCK: „A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot, that spent 18 months in 60% new oak (there’s also 13% press wine in the blend), the 2021 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande reveals a vivid purple hue to go with beautiful aromatics of pure cassis, violets, spring flowers, spicy oak, and graphite, with a beautiful sense of minerality with time in the glass. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a seamless, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a pure, layered style that shines in the vintage. It's already impossible to resist but I see no reason it shouldn’t evolve for two decades. 2024-2044“

- 94 Punkte Falstaff, Peter Moser: „Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholznuancen, ein Hauch von Nougat und Kardamom, mit kandierten Orangenzesten unterlegt. Komplex, stoffig, Brombeernuancen, gut integrierte, tragende Tannine, schokoladiger Touch im Abgang, sicheres Reifepotenzial. Stilistisch so nahe an Latour wie selten.“

- 17 Punkte JANCIS ROBINSON: „88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot. Cask sample.
Characteristic elegance but the Pauillac character still evident. Fragrant nose with dark-fruit and floral notes and just a hint of chocolate. Persistent fruit through the mid palate with finely edged tannins. Well structured with good energy and drive, the finish persistent. Balanced and harmonious.“