Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2016

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

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.

James Suckling

Linear and racy with ultra-fine tannins and a gorgeous center palate. Full-bodied, tight and so polished. The classicism and beauty are exceptional. Love the texture. Better than 2015?

Decanter Magazine

Beautiful mix of power and restraint that you can almost reach out and touch. The extraction is so silky that the effect is a wine that seems endless, suspended above your palate, caressing it and teasing you to find the tannins that are very much hidden. There are some rich coffee seams that fill out on the mid-palate with cassis and ripe blackberry notes, whipped together with violets and peonies. The juicy, mouthwatering quality just keeps on coming. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc from yields around 40hl/ha and with an IPT of 82, 10% higher than in 2010 but you simply can't tell. This is clearly going to age and age. One of the wines of the vintage, and I am ready to be seduced.

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

Tim Atkin

Jeannie Cho Lee

Wine Spectator

VertdeVin

The nose is beautifully elegant, well-built, aromatic, delicate, harmonious and offers a good definition, finesse, freshness, a velvety texture as well as a beautiful power (full of finesse). The wine needs to be put in carafe. It reveals notes of blackberry, cassis and small notes of ripe raspberry associated with touches of violet, sweet spices, vanilla, fine toasted hints as well as a subtle hint of Sichuan pepper and roasted almond. The palate is elegant, juicy, fruity and offers a beautiful definition, finesse, a beautiful texture, a beautiful minerality, a good structure, a beautiful finesse of the grain and power (but full of finesse and delicacy). On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy blackberry, fleshy raspberry and small notes of wild berries associated with touches of violet, cassis, toasted, toasted almond, a touch of vanilla as well as slight hints of sweet spice. Tannins are elegant, well-built and very discreetly firm. There is a very discreet chew on the finish.

Falstaff

Wine Enthusiast

This wine is full of freshness and life as well as serious tannins and structure. The two sides complement each other to give a wine that has power as well as delicious black fruits and acidity. With the tannins it will age well. Drink this balanced wine from 2025.

Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch