Area under vines: 89 hectares
Soils: gravel and clay
Production: 170,000 bottles a year
Ageing: in 50% new oak barrels for 18-22 months
Grape varieties:
Second wine: La Reserve de la Comtesse
Learn more about Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
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The 2009 Reserve de la Comtesse feels unusually primal on the nose with brine-tinged black fruit, touches of graphite but overall it does not come across as particularly finessed. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, a little extracted in style with impressive weight, just lacking a little sophistication towards the finish. That said, it does improve with aeration, gaining necessary clarity after five minutes. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2035
Charry nose. Sweet ripe fruit but no real core. A bit soupy. Astringent finish.
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2024
Made from a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, the second wine, the 2009 Reserve de la Comtesse, exhibits notes of forest floor, white chocolate, licorice, black currants and vanillin-infused black cherries. It possesses a sweet, round, generous style given its high glycerin. Both the Reserve de la Comtesse and Pichon Lalande have about 13% alcohol, slightly lower than most Pauillacs achieved in 2009. Drink it over the next 10 years.
Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022
