Critic Notes
The 2015 Pichon Comtesse is a towering wine, as it has always been. Rich, sumptuous and totally hedonistic, the 2015 melds together intense fruit with structure. Far from an easygoing wine, the 2015 is going to need a number of years and will then drink well for several decades. Grilled herbs, smoke, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that are layered into the dark-fleshed fruit for complexity. As good as the 2015 is today, it also has room to grow. Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau has done a tremendous job with the 2015s at Pichon Comtesse. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in oak, 55% new.
Score: 98-/100Antonio GalloniDrinking Window: 2025 - 2055
This is absolutely beautiful with super tannin quality that gives you the most silky texture. Precise. It goes for minutes. Full and concentrated yet all in balance. Mar 2016, JamesSuckling.com
Score: 96-97/100James Suckling
This beauty is hard to resist. Deep, dark ruby in color, this wine opens with licorice, tobacco and cassis dusted with cocoa, herbs, spice and blackberries -- and that’s just the beginning. Pure silk and velvet in texture, this wine feels delightful on your palate and the sensuous experience carries all the way through. With a smattering of dusty tannins, the dark ripe fruits in the finish combine freshness and purity. A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon , 28% Merlot , 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot , this wine reached 13.6% alcohol with a pH of 3.68 and was produced from about 50% of the harvest. 2015 could turn out to be the best vintage of Pichon Lalande in 20 years! Nicolas Glumineau is really starting to get things right at Pichon Lalande. It is going to be great seeing both Pichon's go "Mano a Mano" as to which estate produces the best wine. However, the consumer is the real winner because each property is going to continue upping their game. Apr 2016, www.thewinecellarinsider.com
Score: 96-97/100Jeff Leve
This is a delicious Pichon, showing the château’s classic femininity and poise. The Cabernet is particularly fine and aromatic, providing the core of the wine, and is complemented by the spice, perfume and plushness of the other varieties. Brilliant winemaking. Apr 2016, www.timatkin.com, Drink: 2022-2035
Score: 96-/100Tim AtkinDrinking Window: 2022-2035
The 2015 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that was picked from 10 September with the young Merlot, finishing on 9 October. It includes 12.5% vin de presse (which incidentally was included in the blend). It has a very pure bouquet with expressive Merlot imparting black cherries and wild strawberry aromas that are embroidered with a thread of graphite. I noticed how it errs more towards black fruit with extended aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin on the entry, the Cabernet Sauvignon here in the driving seat despite that level of Merlot trying to get in a look. Together they give a sense of completeness to this Pichon Lalande that has semblances towards the great 1996. Whereas this Pauillac has a tendency to be more approachable than others, in fact, the 2015 has the backbone and substance to suggest that it will require a minimum of ten years' ageing, but patience will be amply rewarded. Nicolas Glumineau has overseen a quite brilliant Pichon Lalande here. Apr 2016, www.eRobertParker.com, Drink: 2027-2060
Score: 95-97/100Neal MartinDrinking Window: 2027-2060
A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aged for 18 months in barrels, 60% new, the 2015 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande displays a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is elegantly fruited with crushed red currants, black raspberries and cassis with touches of lavender, rose hips, tilled soil, fungi and charcuterie. Medium-bodied, finely crafted, remarkably pure and beautifully poised, it has a firm frame of very fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Feb 2018, www.robertparker.com
Score: 96-/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown
This has excellent energy, featuring voluptuous blackberry and black currant fruit lined with cassis bush, bay leaf, wet stone and iron notes, with sweet tobacco filling in the background. The finish is broad and long, with a nice graphite edge. This is Pauillac. Mar 2016, James Molesworth, www.WineSpectator.com
Score: 94-97/100Wine Spectator
This is a surprisingly tender wine with its opulent Merlot filling out the firmer Cabernet. The acidity cuts to the heart while leaving room for a fresher, crisper character that is juicy and delicious. This will be a very fine wine. Apr 2016, Roger Voss, www.wineenthusiast.com
Score: 94-96/100Wine Enthusiast
Fragrance and depth on the nose but a sense of over-ripeness puts it out of step with the vintage at the moment – even with the Comtesse lift and freshness. But time will probably be on its side. Apr 2016, Steven Spurrier, www.Decanter.com, Drink: 2022-2035
Score: 92-/100DecanterDrinking Window: 2022-2035
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 1% Petit Verdot. Very sweet and round and velvety. Lots to treasure here. Especially for those in a hurry! Ripe and rich. Lip smacking. But to be avoided by those who like their Pauillacs to have a hint of austerity. 13.6%. Apr 2016, www.JancisRobinson.com, Drink: 2022-2038
Score: 17-/20Jancis RobinsonDrinking Window: 2022-2038
