Pichon Lalande 2016 (1.5L)

100 WA / 100 VM / 100 JD / 100 JA / 100 WCI / 99 WI / 98 JS / 97 DE / 97 WS / 97 FS / 18 JR

#97 Wine Spectator Top 100 2019

One of the greatest wines that this estate has produced in the modern era, the 2016 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant classic that no Bordeaux lover is going to want to do without. Mingling aromas of cassis and plums with notions of licorice, sweet tobacco leaf, rich soil tones, licorice, cigar smoke and violets, it's full-bodied, seamless and complete, with huge concentration, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish. Standing out for its unerring precision, impeccable balance and ineffable sense of completeness, it should prove almost immortal. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2016 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is every bit as regal as it has always been. Towering and spectacularly rich in the glass, the 2016 captures every ounce of potential is showed from barrel. The 2016 is a vivid, dramatically sweeping wine that will leave readers week at the knees. Beams of tannin give the 2016 soaring intensity that is matched by a host of aromas and flavors that open up in the glass. Blackberry jam, graphite, spice, menthol, licorice, pencil shavings and spice are all finely sketched in a bold, savory Pauillac that hits all the right notes. The 2016 Pichon Comtesse has been riveting on each of the four occasions I have tasted it from barrel thus far, making it easily one of the wines of the vintage. Nicolas Glumineu and his team turned out an epic Pichon Comtesse in 2016. Don't miss it! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Coming from the genius winemaking talent of Nicolas Glumineau, the 2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande matches the 1982 and is a perfect, legendary wine in the making. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new oak, it's not the most powerful Left Bank but offers perfect balance and thrilling intensity as well as heavenly aromatics of crème de cassis, leafy herbs, jammy blackberries, tobacco leaf, and freshly sharpened lead pencils as well as more violets and minerality with time in the glass. Possessing a deep, full-bodied, singular character, the purity of fruit that's the hallmark of the vintage, building tannins, and a sense of class and elegance that's hard to describe, it's a 50-year-wine. While this cuvée has included a fair chunk of Merlot in the past that gave it more upfront appeal, it's important for readers to know it's much more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated today, and while it is slightly more approachable than some of its neighbors, it shuts down rather quickly with time in the glass. (I followed this wine for multiple days.) I suspect a solid decade of cellaring is warranted. - Jeb Dunnuck

Hard to fault the confident, tightrope-walking balance of muscular tannins, concentrated berry fruit and vibrant acidities. Sings of Pauillac, but a sophisticated, well-finessed version. Still young, but the wall of tannins is bouncy, rippling with silk and satin, along with liqourice, cocoa bean and camp fire smoke. Assume it will close down over the next few years, so make the most of it now with a long carafe, or wait for 5 to 10 years. 40hl/h yield, 60% new oak, and a long, slow harvest from September 20 to October 20.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2016 Pichon Lalande is one of the must-have wines of the year. I felt that way every time I saw it during the spring en primeur tastings. A few more months in bottle has only made that potential even more obvious. At once powerful and yet also delicate, the 2016 is a regal, aristocratic wine endowed with class and pedigree to burn. The crème de cassis, violet, graphite and menthol flavors are finely sketched, sure, but what stands out most is the wine’s extraordinary balance. While the 2015 is a soloist, the 2016 is an orchestra. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media (October 2017)

Saturated with dark currant, fig and blackberry compote flavors, this has a fleshy, nearly glycerin feel at first before stretching out to reveal singed cedar, tobacco leaf, dark earth and cassis bush flavors. A terrific tug of cast iron emerges at the very end. Deliciously juicy dark fruit keeps rolling throughout. Best from 2025 through 2040. 12,000 cases made. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator