Pichon Lalande 2023 (750ML)

98-99 JS / 97-99 WA / 98 DE / 98 JA / 96-98 VM / 95-97+ WI / 95-97+ JD

#17 Jeb Dunnuck Top 25 2023 Bordeaux En Primeur

Wow. This is really excellent, with superb finesse and focus. It has tight density that is almost diamond-like in its brilliance. Medium to full body, with a quality of tannin that is incredibly seamless. Like silk in texture. A top Pichon Lalande. From organic and biodynamically grown grapes. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. May be better than 2022. - James Suckling

The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant wine that will be worth a special effort to track down. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries and cassis mingled with licorice, lilac, iris root, violet, burning embers and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with a deep, layered core of cool fruit that largely conceals it's ultra-refined structuring tannins. At a very measured 13% alcohol and 3.67 pH, it unites all Pichon Comtesse's sensuality with unimpeachable Pauillac classicism. The 2023 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. - Wine Advocate, William Kelley

This smells divine, lovely lush blackcurrant and black cherry characters on the nose with pencil led, graphite, liquorice and menthol elements - very Pauillac on the nose. Gorgeous weight, supple and agile, great movement and energy to this. Acidity makes this buzzy, tangy and bright but not over the top, this keeps its structure and retains a serious directness from start to finish. Generous licks of minerality adds some cool classicism to it. Sleek and refined, precise and very drinkable. One of a number of brilliant Pauillac wines in 2023. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau wants it to be racy and it’s certainly racy. 50% grand vin production, 50% second. 3.67pH, 14.7% press wine only Cabernet. Ageing 19 months, 60-65% new oak and then one wine barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Intense and luxurious, with wonderful balance and grip, has the old school feel of a powerful, structured but effortlessly drinkable Pauillac with the precison and sculpted fruit quality of recent vintages at this exceptional estate. A gorgeous mix of cassis, cocoa bean, espresso, squid ink, graphite, pencil lead and gunsmoke. A wine you will want to drink and share, and one that is fully at the top of the vintage. 14.7% press wine, 60% new oak, final year of conversion to organics. Nicolas Glumineau director. Tasted twice. - Jane Anson, Decanter

The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from September 6 until 29, with some rain on September 20 in the middle of Cabernet picking. But, Nicolas Glumineau remarked that the vineyard/fruit was in good condition; one day of rain did not affect the quality. The 2023 has a quintessential Comtesse bouquet, displaying pure and expressive black fruit laced with violet and graphite, delivered with impressive delineation. The palate is very refined on the entry. This is armed with beguiling symmetry—poised yet intense on the finish. It doesn’t exert huge grip because it knows it doesn't need to, and it fans out gloriously. Outstanding. -- Neal Martin, Vinous Media

The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly emerges from the glass with compelling restraint, offering glimpses at scents of cassis, kirsch, and fresh blackberries followed by nuances of violets, graphite, and cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound and energetic, with a firm frame of grainy tannins and beautifully knit freshness, finishing long and earthy. This is a classic. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, Wine Independent

The Grand Vin 2023 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a beautiful, elegant wine offering incredible finesse and elegance in its darker, almost blue fruits as well as graphite, violets, and crushed stone-like minerality. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, with silky tannins, as well as outstanding length, it brings that classic Comtesse round, seductive, sexy style and is another gorgeous wine from this remarkable team. - Jeb Dunnuck