Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2018

It has the richness and fire of the vintage, the fruitiness, but also great depth, remarkable precision and endless length; the balance between vintage and style could not be expressed better.

Lovely grilled and graphite notes right off the bat; this is big and muscular, and extremely Pauillac. There is grace here too, with raspberry purée, cassis, fig and blackberry fruits set against charcoal and fine tannins that quickly build up to suggest how well this will age. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak used. 13% press wine. 3.75pH, 88IPT – higher even than the 80IPT in 2016.

The 2018 Pichon-Lalande was given an hour’s decant and then observed over the next 24 hours. It has clearly retained the showstopping nose that I encountered from barrel, those same “gentle waves” of black cherries and blueberry, incense and violets lending it a Margaux-like allure. The palate is vibrant and full of tension from the start, the acidity slicing through layers of fairly plush black fruit, judiciously laced with tobacco and mint. There is a beguiling sense of harmony conveyed by this Pichon-Lalande and although there is clearly plenty of structure, the tannins are so pixelated and pliant that it might well be approachable in 4–5 years’ time. Personally, however, I would prefer to cellar it for 8–10 years (by which time I hope that the new Cure album is finally released). However long you decide to keep it tucked away, this is a quite brilliant Pauillac.

Destined to be one of the great vintages of Pichon Lalande, the wine is opulent, silky, fresh, full-bodied, and vibrant. The layers of perfectly black and dark red fruits coat your palate, ending with waves of sensuously textured fruit. This is going to be approachable in its youth, but it also has the stuff to age for decades. Drink from 2025-2055.

Very dark ruby with an opaque core and purple reflections, brightening at the rim. Inviting black cherry and berry nuances are interwoven with fine oak, delicate candied orange zest, mineral notes, and some liquorice. Complex with pronounced fruit, it has ripe cherry flavours and ripe supporting tannins, with fine sweetness continuing through to the finish. A harmonious and elegant food wine, it has great length and development. Good ageing potential.

Bright dark inky purplish colour. Plenty of depth and layers on the nose with violet, crème de cassis, black cherry, fine tobacco, mocha and dark chocolate. The palate is very dense and concentrated, yet finely tuned with no hard edges, powdery tannin like cocoa powder adding plenty of weight and length. Layers of digest dark fruit with some aromatic herbs like sage and mint, finely tuned oak, a whiff of coffee bean and a tremendously long finish. Incredibly well-built with a huge potential, should open up in the coming 4-5 years and keep forever.

Deep purple with an opaque core and a delicate ruby rim. An intoxicating, head‑turning bouquet, Alpine blueberries and noble cassis spice. On the second approach, blackberry jam, nougat pralines, licorice and a hint of violet. On the layered palate with a silky texture, a magnificent symbiosis of crisp fruit, controlled power and finesse, perfectly supportive tannic framework, magical freshness and ripe extract, densely interwoven in an Adonis‑like body. In the catapulting finish, a firework of blue and black fruits, elderberry jelly and Grethers blackcurrant pastilles – one is tempted to look for a (possible) flaw, but cannot find one, so the only option here is, deservedly, the highest score.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 35 hl/ha, 14% alc. by vol.) Velvety, concentrated, fresh, complex, finely floral bouquet—cassis, black berries, fine plum notes, black olives, slate, graphite, dark pralines, mint, Black Currant. Tightly woven, creamy, powerful, multi-layered, aromatic, finely opulent, elegant palate with dense, dark fruit, plentiful fine tannins, concentrated, powerful, varied, sweet aromatics, concentrated structure, and a very long, aromatic, fresh, powerful finish with persistent aftertaste.

The nose introduces a deep, complex wine. Its precision and clarity are impressive. Pure, refined and taut, it has just the right amount of padding. Its evolution will be fascinating.

The nose is beautifully elegant, radiant, nicely intense, harmonious, offering complexity along with fine-grained finesse and a multilayered character that makes you come back to it regularly to follow its evolution. It reveals notes of crushed blackberry, juicy blackcurrant and, more lightly, juicy strawberry, joined by touches of vanilla blossom, incense, pepper, crushed raspberry, as well as fine hints of caramelization and toasted hazelnut, discreet hints of bourbon vanilla, an imperceptible touch of verbena, and iodized gravel. The palate is elegant, delicate, gourmand, very discreetly tight, and offers precision, lovely definition, a certain richness, roundness, silkiness, as well as fine balance, some density, fine tension, energy, and depth. On the palate, the wine displays notes of fleshy/juicy wild blackcurrant, small black berries and, more lightly, wild raspberry, with touches of tonka bean/moka, incense, black tea, black plum, racy minerality, as well as fine hints of caramelized oak, saffron, bergamot, discreet hints of bourbon vanilla pod, toasted hazelnut, and an imperceptible hint of coffee (in the background). A characterful wine, beautifully powerful, rich yet delicate and precise. Good length. A very fine persistence on notes of roasted almond, hazelnut, and moka.

Logo on the cork: CB Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, refined, fruity, and even very ripe. Dense on the attack, bursting with fruit in the mid-palate, juicy, flavorful, and nuanced in texture, the wine glides into a long finish with no angular tannins.

The nose is fairly deep, characterized by aromas of black berries, cocoa, coffee and pepper. The palate is dense, fleshy and velvety, with a lovely length.

96–98. Barrel Sample. Ripe and stylish, it is elegance personified and will be a very fine wine to age. Its structure and tannins are generous yet gently handled, giving density while preserving the bright dark fruit flavors.