The 2014 Reserve de Comtesse de Lalande has a very fresh and vibrant bouquet with lovely cedar-infused black fruit that sings of Pauillac-ness (apologies for the made-up word!). The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and elegant with a keen line of acidity. This feels quite linear at the moment and perhaps the finish could have dealt more complexity commensurate with the aromatics. Yet there is bundles of freshness infused into this Deuxième Vin and there is a palpable salinity on the aftertaste.

– eRobertParker.com, March 2017

The 2014 Reserve de La Comtesse is a delicious second wine. Soft, open-knit and caressing, the 2014 offers striking textural depth to balance its dark red/purplish fruit. Spice, tobacco, menthol and licorice wrap around the juicy, super-expressive finish. A burst of aromatic freshness gives the wine its sense of proportion. The Reserve de La Comtesse is one of Bordeaux's most polished second wines, which, among other things, makes it an ideal red to drink over the next decade or so. The blend is 59 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 41 % Merlot.

Very dark crimson. Perfumed and flattering. Then a tiny bit mean and scrawny on the palate. Chewy finish. Just a tad stodgy with marked acidity on the end. (JR)

Tasted blind. Deep garnet. Black fruit and lots of sweet toasty oak. Tea-leaf scent on the palate, the tannins a little firmer than needed to match the depth of the fruit core but it is just in balance. I think the tannins may outlast the fruit. I marked it down half a point on retasting. (JH)