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Pichon-Comtesse’s Singular Identity DNA Like No Other Pauillac – A Strut Through Two Decades (2000 to 2019)

‘When you’re number two, you try harder.’

Had the phrase not already been copyrighted by Avis in 1962, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande might well be using it for their tag line today. Under the 1855 Classification, which Napoleon III requested for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, Pichon-Comtesse fell under the Deuxièmes Grands Crus Classés, or Second Classified Growths. But between the years 1978 and 2007, under the ownership of May Eliane de Lencquesaing, so consistent did the quality prove (including the 100-point 1982) that the estate earned a reputation as a ‘Super Second’—a status that is unofficial if undisputable and may credibly be applied to only a select few of the original fourteen Second Growths.

In 2007, May Eliane de Lencquesaing sold the property to the Rouzaud family, owners and descendants of Louis Roederer, who have approached the property and its heralded terroir with the philosophy that auspicious geology may earn you a nineteenth century classification, but the ‘je ne sais quoi’ of producing consistently spectacular wine is as closely aligned with land stewardship as land itself and with technique as much as with perfect fruit.

This remains an ongoing pursuit that suffers no second-class efforts.

Pauillac: Cabernet Sauvignon’s Holy Land

For an appellation slightly under 3000 acres—only nine square miles—Pauillac, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary—boasts a surprisingly varied terroir. Top estates, including three of the five First Growth châteaux in the 1855 Classification, are located near the river, and each has built a reputation on emphasizing their differences rather than their similarities. A practiced oenophile can tell them apart by a whiff from the glass. And beyond the wine, that whiff also provides a vision into Bordeaux’s family history.

The single factor that all classified Pauillacs have in common is that their cuvées are built around a primary grape variety, Cabernet Sauvignon. Most Pauillac is comprised of at least 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, which struts its stuff amid the maritime climate and gravelly soil of southwest France better than anywhere else on earth. The irony, of course, is that what it brings to the table is enhanced, rather than masked, by the addition of complementary grapes. As such Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Malbec are also permitted under the Pauillac appellation laws. It is the art of the blend that creates the uniqueness in Pauillac wines; the hallmark of the individuality that is the Holy Grail of the appellation’s winemakers.

‘Wine Is a Civilization’

Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande

According to the French poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, ‘Civilization is a heritage of beliefs, customs and knowledge slowly accumulated in the course of centuries, elements difficult at the times to justify by logic, but justifying themselves as paths when they lead somewhere, since they open up for man his inner distance.”

At Pichon-Comtesse, bordering on Château Latour, two families have been responsible for maintaining this wine’s superb reputation for more three centuries. Today, the caretakers of the estate view wine itself as a form of civilization, relying on six defining cultural features to illustrate the concept:

First, language, which transcends time and actions and kindles emotions. It is the instrument of destiny. At Pichon-Comtesse, wine is a living language, with roots that have grown deeper over the centuries, learned and passed on to revealing the nuance of its unique linguistic landscape.

Next, the land, where the French way of life is established. In Pauillac, notably poor soils comprised of gravel over clay provide an ideal foundation for Cabernet Sauvignon to grow, while the unique microclimate of the Left Bank offers a protective influence that allows it to thrive.

Third, the architecture: the neoclassical style of Château Pichon-Comtesse expresses in stone, wood and glass the harmony and understated elegance that is mirrored in the Grand Vin.

Then, the values that underscore the centuries-old fundamentals of a flourishing culture, Civilizations, as diverse as they are, share their own sense of justice. The château cultivates and honors three values above all—expertise handed down through the ages, preserving environmental heritage and maintaining lasting ties with the Bordeaux wine community.

Fifth, the technical mastery that underscores the evolution of any society. The skillset required to make a fine wine are complex and multifaceted, combining expertise and precision. Knowing when to intervene and when to sit back are crucial as a winemaker accompanies the product throughout its journey as a messenger of the terroir.

Lastly, art; the cultural cornerstone of any civilization. Pichon-Comtesse views art and wine as products of the same intention: the infinitely variable interplay of structure, harmony, and balance. Wine is both the catalyst of civilization and its most beautiful artistic expression.

In Praise of Finesse

Finesse is the objective, the mission statement and the specific pursuit that underwrites all enological efforts at Pichon-Comtesse. In this quest, the château believes that they enjoy a head-start, since finesse springs naturally from the deepest parts of its gravelly terroir, offering a dazzling minerality to the raw juice. But it still needs magnifying, and this involves adhering to a set of unwaveringly high standards to which patience and gentleness form the core.

Above all, the phenolic ripeness of the grapes is paramount; pick too soon and the sugars are not sufficiently developed to achieve the requisite alcohol levels; pick too late and acids fade, leaving flabby fruit. Understanding the Goldilocks moment of optimal ripeness is the result of three key factors: Experience, experience and experience.

The Technique

Again, without proper technique, the fruit of a vineyard manager’s most painstaking work in the field goes to naught. Pichon-Comtesse describes the post-harvest milestones like this: In the vat room, the gravity flow process is revolutionary. Thanks to the disappearance of pumps and pipes, the integrity of the berries is preserved, while the juices are fruitier, softer and more balanced. The abandonment of pigeage techniques (punching down the cap of skins) together with more moderate pump-overs produces the same desired effects. Choosing to ferment at reasonable temperatures and optimizing the length of maceration have led to fresh, silky wines and more sensitive handling of the raw material. By exercising great rigor in the selection of press wines, oak barrels and their degree of char, elegance in the wines has also been enhanced. Throughout the 20 months of ageing in barrels, the wine is left alone so that time can perform its natural work.

The Second Wine: ‘Pichon-Comtesse Réserve’

The tradition of ‘second’ wines in Bordeaux predates the Classified Growths by at least a century. The innovation is credited to Château Margaux, who first released a wine labeled ‘2eme vin’ in the seventeenth century to indicate that the wine, while produced on the estate, came from vines considered unsuited for inclusion in the Grand Vin. In Pauillac, the first estate to make use of a second wine was Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, who debuted La Réserve de la Comtesse in 1874.

Beyond being simply a marketing tool to get the famous château name in front of consumers at a more affordable price, this second wine also serves an outlet to bottle wines from grapes from younger vines and declassified lots—a system that undoubtedly serves to improve the quality of the property’s Grand Vin. Also, a growing tradition among top estates where the selection process is most rigorous, likewise serve to improve the quality of the second wines. It must be emphasized that the primary difference between these strata of releases is the quality of the grapes used, and that the same winemaking team that creates the first label is also responsible for the others, so that the resemblance to the Grand Vin is often striking.

The Grand Vin: Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande

All five Bordeaux grapes are grown on the château’s two hundred acres, and the wines are considered among the most voluptuous wines in the Médoc due to the high proportion of Merlot used in the final blend; the increasing proportion of Cabernet used in modern cuvées to add structure does not diminish the amount of Merlot used; it means less of the other varieties.

The current cépage reflects the vineyard plantings, roughly 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The heart of these plantings is a 150-acre parcel of vines situated southwest of Pichon Baron, close to the manor. The best parcels overlook the river and are filled with vines with an average age of 40 years, although the oldest vines are nearly 90, having been planted in the 1930s.

Winemaking techniques reflect both tradition and innovation. Winemaker and general manager at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (and Château de Pez in Saint-Estèphe) is Nicolas Glumineau. Born in 1974, he studied at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux with Professor Denis Dubourdieu and obtained a Master of Genetics applied to oenology. He furthered his studies at the National Agronomic School of Montpellier, beginning his career at Château Haut-Brion in 2005 and Château Margaux in 2006. He describes the innovations that Pichon Lalande offers: “A new triple-tiered cellar moves everything by gravity and double-skinned vats allow us to vinify on a parcel-by-parcel basis, helping with softer, gentler extractions and providing the wines with its legendary sensuousness, replete with concentrated layers of ripe berries and perfumed with fresh violet blossoms, tobacco leaves, earth and truffles.”

Every Vintage Tells a Story

In particularly poor vintages, vignerons may wish for a more even-keel climate, but in fact, for wine, homogeneity is the enemy of expression. Vive la différence; experiencing a variety of vintages allows you to learn about the process and decide which styles you prefer. You might find lighter wines from cooler vintages more to your liking than robust wines from warmer vintages. In general, Bordeaux is blessed with a mild climate that avoids extreme temperatures; moderated by its location next to the Atlantic Ocean, the vineyards benefit from warm summers and plentiful sun. Bordeaux is also the wettest wine-growing region in France, and the arrival of springtime rains may affect flowering, reduce yield, encourage vine disease and delay harvest. This frequently-shifting balance between sun and rain results in significant differences between wines from year to year, both in flavor profile and ageing potential.

2019 VINTAGE

Overall, the 2019 vintage for Pauillac delivered excellent wines across the board, making it one of the most consistent of all Bordeaux appellations. The growing season began with a mild, if lackluster spring with cool temperatures and uneven rainfall. A warm, dry summer followed to ensure that the grapes reached phenolic ripeness and conditions remained smooth and easy for a seamless harvest. The resulting fruit was extremely healthy, and this translated naturally to the wines.

2019 Pichon-Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac ($55)
Well-structured and completely approachable now, there is sufficient tannin and acidity to cellar it for a while, but like most second wines, it will develop rather quickly.

2019 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($255)
Having spent 18 months in cask, 60% new French oak, the blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Unerring symmetry and poise, it offers an array of warm cassis and wild blueberries scents with underlying hints of Morello cherries, redcurrant jelly, pencil shavings, menthol and aniseed with a touch of charcoal.

2018 VINTAGE

2018 came in as a lion, but left as a lamb, producing a stunning vintage throughout most of Pauillac, with the best wines able to improve in the cellar for many years and the rest quite amenable to luscious early-drinking. Torrential rains in the spring on a scale seldom seen before in Bordeaux took place, but when the skies cleared, the water-logged soils proved beneficial in sustaining the vines throughout an arid summer. Although some of the younger vines suffered from dehydration, the majority of well-established vines successfully pulled through and the good weather remained in place over the harvest.

2018 Pichon-Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac ($68)
The wine exhibits cassis, blackberry, pepper and tobacco notes behind aromas of dried violets, blackcurrants, oyster shells, ink and bitter chocolate. It’s medium-bodied, with firm, tight-grained tannins and a nicely austere finish.

2018 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($315)
A massive wine that lends credence to the château’s ‘Super Second’ status. First Growth intensity with both stature and structure, offering deep undertones of blackcurrants, crushed stone, scorched earth, lead pencil shavings, and tobacco leaf and finishing on a lingering, fragrant-earth note.

2018 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($630) – en magnum
What is twice better than a bottle of Pichon-Comtesse 2018? A magnum of the same.

2016 VINTAGE

2016 provided a very wet spring throughout much of Bordeaux, but the free-draining soils of Pauillac were able to weather it without incident. Water reserves were built, and the hot, dry summer that followed drew upon them to keep vines healthy. Cool nights, consistent throughout the late summer, helped to preserve the acidities and aromatics in the grapes. The steady nature of the summer allowed for a long, luxurious growing season and, when the harvest finally arrived, producers could pick at their leisure.

These are marvelous wines with backbone for aging or suppleness for early enjoyment.

2016 Pichon-Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac ($82)
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc. The luscious ripe berries and plums on the nose are attractively dressed with rose-petal and violet notes to provide fullness on the palate. Balanced and elegant with a hint of pastis at the end.

2015 VINTAGE

Decanter editor Steven Spurrier referred to 2015 as “A very modern Bordeaux vintage—not like Bordeaux 10 years ago, when tannins could be hard as nails. In 2015, the fruit dominates the tannins and the acidity.”

A mild winter preceded a benign spring, ensuring both a successful budburst and flowering. The summer months were exceedingly hot and dry, but older vines with well-established roots did not suffer. August delivered much-needed rain, while cooler nights helped retain both acidity and fresh aromatics in the grapes. Good conditions then ensued making for an easy and relaxed harvest. Château Latour’s Frederic Engerer, Pichon-Comtesse’s neighbor, goes further, comparing 2015 with 2005 and 1982. “Our ‘15 has a touch of the ‘82’s creamy caress,” he notes. “But I also think it is better than 2005. The ‘15 Latour has even more elegance and precision. 2005 might have been an easier vintage to make than 2015, but this is a better vintage.”

2015 Pichon-Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac ($76)
A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot with the balance in Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; it reveals a deep purple color as well as medium to full-bodied notes of cassis, plums, garrigue herbs and spring flowers. This is a ripe, sexy, opulent second wine that’s ideal for drinking tonight or over the coming decade.

2014 VINTAGE

After three less-than-stellar vintages (2011, 2012 and 2013), 2014 managed to produce many excellent wines, some—from Pauillac especially—verging on the superb, with quality reaching deep into the unclassified estates. A cool, rainy summer threatened to make the vintage a repeat of the dismal year before, but a remarkable Indian summer in September, where the weather grew freakishly warm, saved the harvest. (By all accounts, it was one of the warmest and driest Septembers ever recorded).

As a whole, the 2014s are not universally exceptional, but the Classified Growths produced wines that are consumer friendly in profile (also in price), with concentrated, pure fruit, good acidity and silky tannins.

2014 Pichon-Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac ($79)
59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot, offering a classic Pauillac profile of cassis, iron and graphite with layers of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry washing over the tannic grip; suave and concentrated, but equally robust and structured.

2014 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($221)
This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits, providing an immaculately pure wine packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years.

2010 VINTAGE

Considered a legendary year nearly across the board, 2010 was another ‘vintage of the century’, following closely on the heels of 2009, which was referred to in the same glowing terms. The high gravel content in vineyards nearer the Gironde provided wine with more elegance while the inland communes with more clay created wines that are proving to be more robust. Of all the communes, Pauillac—the most Cabernet-orientated—played this card to perfection and produced very great, almost unsurpassable wines with very good quality overall.

2010 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($382)
A showstopper that offers first impressions of explosive power, but with aeration, a delicate, floral profile that emerges replete with violet, graphite, crème de cassis, licorice and menthol. A wine as big as those from 1996, but with the tannic backbone softer, sweeter and more polished.

2009 VINTAGE

A decade ago, the vintages 2009 and 2010 were often spoken of in tandem; they were said to resemble 1989 and 1990 in that the older vintage was riper, with richly-textured fruit while the second was firmer and drier with grippier tannins—in other words, 2010 were considered more classical in style and perhaps, more authentic.

This is, like all things vintage, the result of nuances in generally favorable weather. 2009 offered gentle, progressive conditions, with gradual concentration in the juice coming from perfect summer ripening and a picture-perfect autumn. 2010 produced bolder wines from more aggressive and extreme weather, thanks in part to El Niño, and much of the concentration comes from dehydration rather than a long stretch of steady ripening.

Overall, Cabernet-based reds from the Left Bank are superb and deliver more consistently than the Merlot-heavy wines of the Right, which suffered devastating hail earlier in the year.

2009 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($314)
The wine shows cassis, plums, cedar, lead pencil, fennel, coffee, and the elegantly textured palate is filled with intense fruit and, pure, supple tannins, finishing with exotic plum compote and chocolate-covered cherries.

2005 VINTAGE

If you believed the media hype at the time, 2005 produced the greatest Bordeaux of all time, and in keeping with that, prices skyrocketed. Beyond the press, 2005 was a spectacular, but hardly flawless vintage.

The greatest years in the appellation have shared characteristics. 2000, 1990, 1982, 1961, 1959, 1949, 1947 and 1945 all boasted remarkably long, torrid summers that remained dry all the way through the October harvest with only a scattering of sprinkles to keep drought at bay. 2005 did not see such extremes, and the wines—however superb—were among the most tannic in modern-day Bordeaux, requiring many years of softening before they become truly approachable. In Pauillac, the tannins were especially pronounced.

Fortunately, those years have now passed and the 2005s have come into their own, although they probably have a shelf-life that can last another fifty years or more.

2005 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($320)
A wonderfully extracted effort that captures the complexity and rich brambly fruit for which the Pauillac appellation is justly revered, and does so with a remarkable sense of balance and composition. The ample tannins have mellowed, but the wine retains the depth of its juicy substance.

2000 VINTAGE

Certainly, 2000 was a spectacular way to begin a wine millennium, with Bordeaux producing some of the best wines in its history. The season got off to a rocky start with a steamy, rain-drenched spring producing waterlogged soils and mildew, but by mid-July, the sun was consistent and temperatures above normal. There was no rain until the third week of September, falling heavier in the Médoc than the Graves, but it was short-lived and harvest took place under ideal conditions. The quality of the individual wines was often in the hands of producers; those who picked too early and may show unripe tannins; another handful picked rather late and may exhibit overripe jammy flavors. But overall, this is an outstanding vintage; arguably the best since 1990.

2000 Château Pichon Longueville – Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac ($390)
The wine’s spicy, meaty nose is lovely and robust with plum and berry fruits. The palate is showing wonderful evolution: elegant berry fruits, hints of spice, earth and roast coffee.

Pichon-Comtesse Masterclass With The Château’s Director Charles Fournier

As a special expression of thanks to valued patrons who have purchased Château Pichon over the years, Elie Wine Company is proud to extend an invitation to a special tasting and dinner on March 29, 2022. Hosted by Charles Fournier, Commercial and Marketing Director at Château Pichon-Comtesse, we will make a vinous trail through a decade of Pichon wines, both the Pichon-Comtesse Réserve and the Grand Vin. Fournier will taste and discuss the following vintages: Pichon Comtesse Réserve’s 2018, 2015, 2014 and Grand Vin’s 2014, 2010, 2009. The tasting will be followed by a special dinner.

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Posted on 2022.03.21 in Pauillac, France, Bordeaux

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