Price: $300 (but this was shared by a good friend). Beautifully balanced and not showing any signs of its age yet. This is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish. Meanwhile on the palate, I get notes of redcurrant, cassis, blackberry, black cherry, cigar box, scorched earth, green underbrush, bell pepper, gravel, and clove. We served this as a pop and pour and let it develop in the glass, with the nose showcasing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil shavings, tobacco, forest floor, cedar, graphite, green pepper, and eucalyptus. There’s absolutely no bricking either, which is fantastic. The 1989 Pichon Lalande is translucent deep ruby in color with deep garnet hues. Today’s Wine: 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de LalandeĤ5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot 12.5% ABV In 2007, however, May-Eliane sold a majority stake of the estate to the Rouzaud family, owners of Roederer Champagne, and management changes as well as renovations took place. One of her major endeavors, and possibly most famous, was growing the size of Pichon Lalande from 40 hectares of vines to 89. Edouard’s daughter, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, took over management in 1978 and became a prominent ambassador for Bordeaux wines while dramatically increasing quality of her estate. With no familial heirs, Edouard Miailhe and Louis Miailhe purchased Pichon Lalande following WWI. In 1850, with his death, the estate split between his two sons and three daughters and ultimately resulted in the division of Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Baron. During the 18th century, the estate was dominated by women (Therese de Rauzan, Germaine de Lajus, and Marie Branda de Terrefort) throughout the winemaking process until Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville took over for his mother. With nothing short of a somewhat tumultuous history, Pichon Lalande’s ownership changed hands over the years and earned its name when the founder’s daughter Therese received it as a dowry for her marriage to Jacques de Pichon Longueville. Pichon Lalande is considered by many to be a classic example of Pauillac, known for its deep, concentrated layers of ripe fruit accompanied by notes of cassis, tobacco, and earth. Though I’ve tasted a number of other vintages including 1979, 1996, 2005, and 2014, the 1989 vintage remained elusive…until today.Ĭhâteau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a Second Growth (Deuxième Cru) estate based on the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. I previously (and somewhat recently) wrote about Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and have reviewed the 1966, 1986, 2003, and 2008 vintages on this blog. Anticipated maturity: Now-2017.Today’s Story: Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Some tannins remain, but this wine has reached its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another 10-15 years. The wine is lush, medium to full-bodied, and layered with texture, low acidity, sweet tannin, and the hallmark purity and elegance this estate routinely produces. The nose offers sweet plums and creme de cassis intermixed with vanilla and graphite. Wines from Comtesse de Lalande are some of the more voluptuous to come from the Médoc due to the high proportion of Merlot in the wine.Īpproaching full maturity, Pichon-Lalande’s 1989 has a deep ruby/plum color with some lightening at the edge. The Saint-Julien holding covers twelve hectares (30 acres) and although the estate has produced a simplified labeled Saint-Julien, this wine is now rarely encountered.įive Bordeaux grapes are grown on the estate’s vineyards, although the grand vin is historically dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot (with Cabernet Sauvignon making up 60 percent of the blend). The Pichon-Lalande estate covers 85 hectares (210 acres) in both Pauillac and Saint-Julien. All three estates share something of a similar terroir and climate, which partly helps to explain the quality of the wine at Comtesse de Lalande – which is sometimes referred to as “nearly first growth”. Pichon-Lalande also neighbors first-growth powerhouse, Château Latour at the southern end of the Pauillac appellation. Often shortened in common parlance to “Pichon-Lalande” or “Pichon Comtesse” (partly to differentiate it from a neighbor, Château Pichon-Longueville Baron), the estate produces a regularly lauded, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant grand vin. of the most significant second growths in Pauillac, Bordeaux. 1989 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Grand Cru ClasseĬhâteau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a highly regarded wine estate in the Pauillac appellation of the Haut-Médoc region of northern Bordeaux.
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