2008 Pichon Comtesse

[AlexR]

My wife teases me by saying I never open up really good bottles of wine when there are just the two of us, preferring instead to impress guests. I thought I would remedy that mistaken idea on Sunday at lunch en tête-à-tête by serving a 2008 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, accompanied by grilled duck breast.

If pushed up against a wall and made to choose between Pichon Baron and Pichon Comtesse, I would probably say the Baron, but there are enough exceptions to discredit such a blanket statement… In fact, it’s about time I once again compared two mature bottles from both estates at the same meal. Stay tuned to this channel.

2008 in Bordeaux usually gets short shrift, although it isn’t generally relegated into the “off vintage” category. It is true that I was never really impressed with many of the wines when tasted young, but thought it was high time I dipped into my reserves and test drove a name wine at age 17.

2008 Pichon Longueville had a fine color with perhaps more of a brownish tinge than expected. The nose certainly had some of the characteristics of great Pauillac (cedar, blackcurrant, fresh earth, dark chocolate), but lacked pizzazz. In short, it was fresh and attractive, but seriously lacking in depth and the sort of complexity a fine Médoc should show at that age.

This somewhat troubling impression was compounded by disappointment on the palate. Starting out rich, the wine went on to seem relatively light, even hollow, and almost inconsequential. There were ferrous and mineral notes from its terroir, so there was no mistaking its origins and no one could say this was a poor wine. But neither was it a memorable one. The aftertaste was non-committal.

I also see this through the quality-price ratio prism, in which case it appears even less worthwhile. This is not to say that I shrug off all but the best vintages. Far from it! In fact, I think a poor vintage like, let’s say a 17 or a 13, drunk very young would probably be a much better deal and possibly even more tasty.

What this experience does make me want to do Is try another 2008 soon.

[Comte Flaneur]

My wife teases me by saying I never open up really good bottles of wine when there are just the two of us, preferring instead to impress guests. I thought I would remedy that mistaken idea on Sunday at lunch en tête-à-tête by serving a 2008 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, accompanied by grilled duck breast.

If pushed up against a wall and made to choose between Pichon Baron and Pichon Comtesse, I would probably say the Baron, but there are enough exceptions to discredit such a blanket statement… In fact, it’s about time I once again compared two mature bottles from both estates at the same meal. Stay tuned to this channel.

2008 in Bordeaux usually gets short shrift, although it isn’t generally relegated into the “off vintage” category. It is true that I was never really impressed with many of the wines when tasted young, but thought it was high time I dipped into my reserves and test drove a name wine at age 17.

2008 Pichon Longueville had a fine color with perhaps more of a brownish tinge than expected. The nose certainly had some of the characteristics of great Pauillac (cedar, blackcurrant, fresh earth, dark chocolate), but lacked pizzazz. In short, it was fresh and attractive, but seriously lacking in depth and the sort of complexity a fine Médoc should show at that age.

This somewhat troubling impression was compounded by disappointment on the palate. Starting out rich, the wine went on to seem relatively light, even hollow, and almost inconsequential. There were ferrous and mineral notes from its terroir, so there was no mistaking its origins and no one could say this was a poor wine. But neither was it a memorable one. The aftertaste was non-committal.

I also see this through the quality-price ratio prism, in which case it appears even less worthwhile. This is not to say that I shrug off all but the best vintages. Far from it! In fact, I think a poor vintage like, let’s say a 17 or a 13, drunk very young would probably be a much better deal and possibly even more tasty.

What this experience does make me want to do Is try another 2008 soon.

Yikes that is disappointing Alex. You sure the bottle was sound?

When I last visited the chateau which was probably around a decade ago, they opened the 1995 and 2008 side by side. They were actually quite similar in some ways and if anything the 2008 was the pick of the two. But not tried it since then and didn’t Pichon Lalande go through a fairly inconsistent phase in the nineties and noughties?

[Nicklasss]

Reading your story Alex, i can just think about one thing : Christine can still consider you don’t open great wines when you’re just the two of you!

[AlexR]

Actually Nic, Christine was mostly teasing me, but there is an element of truth there...
In other words, I tend to bring out my very best bottles when there are, let's say, six or eight of us to share.
So, except on special occasions, just she and I tend to enjoy mid-level rather than hoity-toity wines.

Ian, the old saying "there are no great wines, only great bottles" probably applies here.
I am inclined to think that this is a case of bottle variation. Not that the wine was cooked, oxidized, or corked in any way, just a bit blah.
I checked into Cellartracker, and most people were happy with the wine.
But if you had been there with me on Sunday, I believe you might have concurred with me.

Any feedback out there: Baron versus Countess, who's your champion?
If I were more adept, I'd start a poll. "If you were on a desert island and could only have one..."

All the best,
AR

[greatbxfreak]

One important note,

Before Nicolas Glumineau arrived in 2012, Oichon Comtesse was an inconsistent wine, more successful in the "sunny" vintages. Look how fabulous it is now.

For me, Pichon Comtesse is more graceful and sophisticated than Pichon Baron, with the latter being more modern and flashy. I had a fantastic 1989 Pichon Baron 4 years ago.

But I love wines from both estates.

[Comte Flaneur]

One important note,

Before Nicolas Glumineau arrived in 2012, Oichon Comtesse was an inconsistent wine, more successful in the "sunny" vintages. Look how fabulous it is now.

For me, Pichon Comtesse is more graceful and sophisticated than Pichon Baron, with the latter being more modern and flashy. I had a fantastic 1989 Pichon Baron 4 years ago.

But I love wines from both estates.

I agree Izak the quality really improved after Nicolas Glumineau, who obviously puts as much diligence into making wine as he - alllegedly - does in chasing women, arrived there in 2013.

Up until a decade ago I preferred the Baron. Both of them were a bit mixed in the 90s but the Baron clearly did better in the 00s. But now I think Lalande has pulled ahead again

[stefan]

+1 What Izak said. If I had to choose the better over a 60 year span, I would go with the Comtesse.

There are many reasons that a bottle from 2008 might underperform. One of the most common is that there is low TCA infection that cannot be detected by humans. I bet that there are more instances of this phenomenon as there are cases of obviously corked bottles.

[Nicklasss]

It is the same here Alex, but it is Marie-Claude the problem : when i offer her to open a great wine on our own, she always anseer to wait to have guest.

On the 2008, open a Léoville Barton or La Fleur-Petrus or Lafite Rothschild, with Christine. Ihad the three, all top wines in that vintage.

[DavidG]

I’ll pile on with Izak, Ian, and Stefan. Comtesse over Baron. Despite some inconsistencies at PLL, the highs have been higher (for my palate) and they have been more reliable over the last decade.