Pichon Lalande vertical

[Comte Flaneur]

On May 9 2015 I attended a Pichon Lalande "masterclass" in London hosted by Nicolas Glumineau the general manager of the estate.

Pichon Lalande typically has around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, with 30% merlot and the rest Cabernet franc and petit Verdot, but it varies from vintage to vintage. While other neighbouring estates have moved to higher proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pichon Lalande wants to keep a significant proportion of merlot in the blend to preserve its distinctive more luscious style, and the merlot adapts well to the 'beautiful' clay at the estate.

The neighbouring estates are Latour and Leoville Lascases and Pichon Lalande straddles the Pauillac St Julien border but the great vintages are 'more Pauillac than St-Julien. NG says the estate aims for elegance and above all balance in the wines. Of the 89 hectare estate ten are given over to experimentation especially in organic and biodynamic techniques. In 2006 the estate was sold to Roederer. He said they are good friends with Pichon Baron but nevertheless competitors.

Reserve De La Comtesse 2010 - quite sweet, oaky and accessible. A good wine otherwise but not interesting. 88

Reserve De La Comtesse 2009 - also very sweet and over oaked, it lacks the balance and freshness of the 2010. 85

Pichon Lalande 2010. Now that's more like it. Huge gulf in glass between the GV and the second wine. Not at all closed down. Fresh, vibrant, sophisticated, multi-faceted, complex, cerebral and complete. Third time I have tried this. A great 2010. 96

Pichon Lalande 2009

Somewhat over oaked, over ripe, lacks the freshness and balance of the 2010, but is rich and long. A dead ringer for a Napa Cabernet merlot, as others have noted. Not a disaster but a disappointment in the context of the vintage, but it could redeem itself in ten years. For now 90

Pichon Lalande 2008

A fine attack of red and back fruits, graphite, minerals and iodine. On the palate it is very poised, sumptuous and tannins are very refined. The ripe merlot shines through, but it has fine balancing acidity. This is most accessible and has not closed down. A fabulous wine from start to finish with more gravitas than the 2009. A notable and great success in this overlooked vintage. 94

Pichon Lalande 2005

This is just beginning to come out of its shell. It is not an exuberant wine, but it has freshness and power and an inner density. Should develop well as it starts to take on tertiary characteristics. There are more profound 05s out there (including Pichon Baron), but this should provide a decent amount of pleasure over the coming 30 years. 93

Pichon Lalande 2004

This has a distinctive peppery nose thanks to the high proportion of petit Verdot (7%). It is also has graphite on the nose and is starting to drink well with some pleasing cedar and minerals notes to go along side the dark fruits in a more easy going style, and medium-bodied framework. It doesn't have the power and density of the 2005, but it is a better option for early mid term drinking. 91

Pichon Lalande 2003

This wine appears to be fully resolved. It does not show evidence of being cooked, and is quite pleasant. At the same time innocuous and simple. It is superficially attractive but leaves the taster intellectually unchallenged. A wine that is going nowhere. Avoid or drink up. 89

Pichon Lalande 2001

This wine has developed alluring woodsy spicey tertiary notes. This has a lot going on with herbs, minerals and underbrush on a dense and expansive mid palate and a very lovely finish too. Better than the 2004. 93

Pichon Lalande 1996

Wonderful aromas of cedar and perfume, with cool fruits and dense, fresh and racy on the palate. Cool, refined, sophisticated, complex, powerful, exotic, perfectly balanced, effortlessly classy wine. The best showing yet, but still scope to improve. 97

Pichon Lalande 1995

More exuberant nose than the 1996 and perfumed like Chanel No. 5; more cedar and graphite. On the palate it was more angular, edgy, sweaty and chewy and less seamless, but still a joy to drink. This nervosity and tension made it a thrilling wine to behold. 95

[DavidG]

Nice report Ian. I am always rooting for Pichon Lalande since the 1982 was one of my wine epiphanies. They've had some excellent years but none approaching the '82, and in many years not up to par with their friendly competitors Pichon Baron.

[AKR]

Nice notes. Looks like they covered many of the important recent years.

[stefan]

Good notes, Ian.

I just looked at CT ratings on the 2003. They are all over the map. Leve gives it 95; you give it 89. I am in between at 91, closer to you than Leve, but differ with you in that I really like the wine even if it is not, as you say, "intellectually challenging". While I find the wind very enjoyable now, I see no need to drink it up.

[JimHow]

Pichon Lalande is an enigma wrapped in a mystery etc. etc.

[Nicklasss]

Thanks Comte.

The 2001: ready to go, or wait a few more years?

Nic

[Blanquito]

Great stuff, Ian. A few questions: when will the 95 and 96 be at their peaks? Has the style changed since the sale of the chateau?

I recall how tremendous that bottle of the 95 PLL was at that BWE Paulliac night in the blazing summer heat of NYC in 2006 or 2007... I just won a bottle of the 02 PLL for $90... Prices for the 96 have really gone up in the last few years.

While I wholeheartedly agree that the 82 has not been replicated by PLL since (though maybe the 96 is close in quality if not style), I can't think of a single vintage that I prefer the Purple Baron to la Comtesse (up through the 2002 vintage, I haven't tried either from more recent years). There are a few instances where the Baron has a better rep, namely the 1990 and 1989, but each time I've had the Baron in those years, the bottle seriously underwhelmed whereas the 89 PLL has been stellar (and young).

Definitely not a knock on the Baron of which I am a huge fan (and since 2003, Baron appears to have overtaken PLL at least based on what I read), it's just that for my money PLL might be the best wine in the world I get to try with some regularity.

[Comte Flaneur]

Nic – judging by the bottle we had the 2001 is already in a great place, and is showing quite a bit of secondary/tertiary development. It really was a revelation. A really outstanding and interesting wine. There is no hurry to drink it, but I don't think holding it will necessarily reap significant dividends.

Btw the 2002, which I tried in June, is a completely different kettle of fish to the 01, 03 and 04. It is tough as old boots, and needs quite a bit of time to soften. I would have loved to have tried the 2006, which Parker rates above the 2005.

Bill – those were the notes I wrote at the time – and never got around to publishing anywhere given the excitement in store for the following two weeks. To say the 2003 PLL is not intellectually challenging sounds high handed, but if you had it next to the 2004, and especially the 2001, you would see what I mean, because the four and one are much more interesting and complex wines. It certainly did come across as simple by comparison.

Blanquito – the 1995 and 1996 provide enormous pleasure now, so if you like them on the young side there is no reason to hold back. However I do think that both of them will become even better with a few more years of aging. The 1996 will be a legendary wine in 20 years from now, of that I have little doubt. Will it challenge the 1982’s mantle of greatest ever? Maybe not but it might be longer lived.

Has the style changed since the change of ownership? I don’t think so no, and this is not just based on the narrative from Nicolas Guimeneau, conveyed above. The 2008 is an absolute belter of a wine. It is similar to the 1995 actually but has much more refined tannins, which makes it perfectly accessible now. The 2010 really is a Tour de Force, with so many moving parts, and possibly destined for greatness like the 1996. The 2010 more than any of those showed is an intellectually challenging wine.

When it comes to which is better, if you start at say 1978 I don’t think there is any question that the Comtessa ran rings around the Baron up to 1986 or 1987, but after that it is much more evenly matched. It would be great to do an offline on the topic. How about NYC in spring of 2016?

This is my take from 1988 on:

1988 – They are both outstanding for the vintage and quite evenly matched
1989 – Likewise both outstanding but Baron edges it
1990 – No contest, the Baron by a country mile over the thin Comtessa
1991-94 – Don’t know
1995 – Comtessa comfortably
1996 - Comtessa by a long way, though 1996 Baron is no slouch
1997 – Baron easily – great wine for the vintage
1998-99 – no view
2000 – Baron by a significant margin, though Comtessa is v good if a bit quirky
2001 – Both outstanding, but Comtessa wins
2002 – The Baron is magnificent and wins by a significant margin over the tough and out of sorts Comtessa.
2003 – Baron wins – it seemed good at the Chateau on the Friday night but I don’t really remember it very clearly!
2004 – I would say a tie, both v good
2005 – Baron wins by a significant margin, but Comtessa is better than Parker says
2006 – Comtessa wins – but this is based purely on reputation: Baron is good but not as good as the 2001/02 Barons.
2007 – No view
2008 – Comtessa wins
2009 – Baron wins comfortably
2010 – Both magnificent but Baron edges it
2011 – Don’t know
2012 - Both excellent, tied

[DavidG]

The 1995 and 1996 Pichon Lalande are wonderful wines. The best since 1982. Will they surpass1982? Possible, but I don't think so. The 1982 at 10, 15 and 20 years of age was better, at least in my memory, than the 1995 or 1996 at similar ages. Part of my preference for the 1982 may also be the burnishing of quality in my memory as time passes, and the fact that it was such an eye-opener for a relatively new Bordeaux enthusiast. There's just no way to do a direct comparison without a time machine. It's like asking who's better, Serena Williams or Steffi Graff?

[Blanquito]

When it comes to which is better [Baron vs Comtessa], if you start at say 1978 I don’t think there is any question that the Comtessa ran rings around the Baron up to 1986 or 1987, but after that it is much more evenly matched. It would be great to do an offline on the topic. How about NYC in spring of 2016?

Count me in for a Baron v Comtessa throw-down in NYC, Spring 2016!

[jckba]

Count me in as well for a battle of the Pichon's in NYC in the spring of 2016.