Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2010

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Wine Enthusiast

With signs of new wood on the palate, this is a wine that maintains the polished feel of the wines from Pichon Lalande. It has a stronger presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than in the past, making it more structured than its predecessors, with a dominance of black currant flavor. It shows the soft side of the vintage, but is also meant for aging.
.

VertdeVin

The nose is fruity, racy, beautifully built, aromatic and offers a beautiful control of the power, a fine grain, deepness, a fine intensity as well as a frank/energetic side. It reveals notes of pulpy wild blackberry, crushed cassis and small notes of violet associated with touches of quite ripe raspberry, small ripe wild red berries, lily, Sichuan pepper as well as a hint of fleshy blue plum, flint/racy minerality, a fine hint of sweet spices, nutmeg, almond and very discreet hints of toasted. The palate is fruity, all in control, racy, well-balanced and offers an acidulous frame, juiciness, a good definition, precision, a small tension as well as a beautiful finesse of the grain, energy, concentration, a fine straightness, a fine/acidulous frame and power (in delicacy). On the palate this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry, fleshy cassis and small notes of sour cherry associated with touches of blueberry, small crushed red berries, violet as well as hints of mild tobacco, nutmeg, sweet spices and a subtle hint of clove (in the background). Tannins are elegant, precise and integrated. Fine hints of vanilla, tonka bean and an imperceptible hint of underwood (in the background) on the finish/persistence.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years.

James Suckling

This reminds me of the excellent 1996 or 1986 PL. There's a velvety and firm texture to this with a bright, citrus acidity and dark fruits. Full and super velvety and long. Racy and very pretty. Such power and clarity that shows the power and tenderness of PL. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.