2012 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac

Colour: Red

Vintage: 2012

Region: Bordeaux, Pauillac

Pichon Lalande is often judged on its relationship to its namesake and opposite neighbour, Pichon Baron, and understandably so; what this overlooks (and we use the term carefully) is that Pichon Lalande adjoins the venerable terroir of Chateau Latour, arguably the finest piece of vineyard real estate on the Left Bank. From their stunning new glass-and-steel winery one is afforded a vista that is virtually unmatched in Bordeaux – across several hectares of Cabernet and Merlot vines, straight onto the Gironde, via the hallowed house of Latour and its famous squat stone tower. This is no uneasy neighbour; at its best, Lalande stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the First Growths. If Pichon Baron boasts the power and masculinity of Latour, then Pichon Lalande sports its elegance, perfume, clarity of vineyard and sensual texture. Since Nicolas Glumineau took over the reins the estate has delivered a string of exceptional wines with the run from 2015 to 2019 as good as anything the estate has produced.

Tasting Notes and Scores

93 AG

As it always is, the 2012 Pichon Lalande is a wine of pure and total seduction. The 2012 is neither the biggest nor most complex Pichon Lalande, but it is among the most pleasurable wine in this tasting, especially for near and medium-term drinking. Silky and medium in body, with lovely brightness, the 2012 has so much to offer.

Antonio Galloni

92-94 BI

(59% Cabernet Sauvignon/28% Merlot/8% Cabernet Franc/5% Petit Verdot)
Quite deep blackcurrant and spice notes. Vibrant, tense palate which is quite closed but brooding with deep black fruit and anise. Softly structured, it wears it well. Good expression of the sultry, restrained style of Pichon Lalande but also of this elegant vintage.

Bordeaux Index

92-93 JS

Wonderful nose of wet earth, mushrooms and berries. Full to medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Sleek and polished. Needs two to three years of bottle age to soften. 59% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. – jamessuckling.com, Feb 2015

James Suckling

92 WS

A gutsy, terroir-driven style, with briar-edged grip carrying notes of macerated black currant fruit, fig and plum sauce. This shows lots of dark anise through the finish, along with notes of roasted apple wood and a hint of cassis bush. Delivers excellent range, purity and energy. Best from 2018 through 2027. 10,000 cases made. – James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, March 2015)

Wine Spectator

90-93 MS

[59CS/28M/8CF/5PV] Dense to smell, matter and fruit; a classically fleshy Pichon Lalande; medium full, supple and finely tannic; a deliciously flattering ripeness of fruit, sweet, fresh and long with a sort of hidden power, and yet without being particulary complex, and with good, sweet length. Likely to be almost gulpably good, give a great deal of pleasure young, but keep too. A return here to a more ‘classic’ Pichon Lalande proportions, with nearly 1/3 Merlot, after 2011’s (very fine!) flirtation with 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 8% Merlot. A wonderfully comfortable and silky wine in prospect. 2020-30+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2013]

Michael Schuster

901 WL

Quality 834 | Brand 992 | Economics 894 |
Quality: Predicted life of 15 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2012 vintage, which averages 10 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 36 of the world's top wine lists, including Amber - Mandarin Oriental Economics: Above its peer group average price of £60 for the 2012 vintage Production: Lower production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Wine Lister

90 RP

The grande dame, the 2012 Pichon Lalande represents only 50% of their harvest production. It has soft, round tannins, endearing elegance, and up-front fruit. It is not a blockbuster, but its lush, richly fruity style is charming and seductive, with raspberry, blueberry, mocha and blackcurrant fruit and a deep ruby/purple color. This medium-bodied, supple-textured wine is surprisingly precocious and forward, and therefore best drunk over the next 15 years. The final blend was 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. 90 points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #218, April 2015)

Wine Advocate

88-90 NM

I tasted the Pichon-Lalande three times over two weeks and it pains me to say that in 2012, the Grand Vin is not the success it ought to have been considering the percentage of Merlot in the vineyard. That is not to say that great effort was expended. There were two green harvests during the growing season which means that the yields were just 32hl/ha. The Grand Vin is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot harvested from 1 October until 18th October. They used three sorting: by hand, optical sorting and through the Ocillys de-stemmer The bouquet is a little disjointed and clearly does not possess the fruit intensity of its peers (through numerous comparisons). It just feels a little green and muted, startled by the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with a pointed, slightly harsh tannic opening, then the wine dips where the fruit ought to be and those tannins just dominate and slightly dry out the texture on the finish. It is less Cabernet-driven than the 2011, which was 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, but I feel that had they gone further and reduced the Cabernet Sauvignon further to allow the superior Merlot to shine, it would have made a better Grand Vin. I hope to re-taste this after bottling – sometimes the Comtesse can show awkwardly en primeur and it improves in barrel, so I will bear that in mind. Tasted April 2013. – eRobertParker.com, May 2013

Neal Martin

17.5 JR

Tasted blind. Good energy and lift. Racy and polished. Lift and tea leaves. Slightly jagged tannins. But very long and energetic. Drink: 2023-2038 – jancisrobinson.com, Jan 2016

Jancis Robinson

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac