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My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 1/9/2009
(search item no. 87626)
collectible wine
The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $199.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2005 Wine Enthusiast rating: 95 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
2005 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2004 Wine Enthusiast rating: 94 points
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
2004 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
2002 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2001 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
2000 The Wine Advocate rating: 98 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
1998 Wine & Spirits rating: 93 points
1990 Wine Spectator rating: 97 points
1989 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
1986 The Wine Advocate rating: 96 points
1985 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 "The brilliant, opulent, fleshy 2003 Pichon Lalande (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) possesses a high pH of 3.8 as well as 13% alcohol. Reminiscent of the 1982 Pichon Lalande (which never shut down and continues to go from strength to strength), the dense plum/purple-colored 2003 offers gorgeous aromas of blackberries, plum liqueur, sweet cherries, smoke, and melted licorice. Fleshy, full-bodied, and intense, displaying a seamless integration of wood, acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 20 years or more."
-Wine Advocate
My Notes:

About Château Pichon-Longueville-Lalande:

 The Pichon Longueville estate goes back to 1688-1689. In 1850, Virginie de Pichon Longueville, Countess de Lalande, and her two sisters inherited three-fifths of the vineyard from their father. This took on the name of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. In 1978, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, daughter of Edouard Miailhe, in turn inherited this beautiful property and devoted herself entirely to continuing the tradition of quality wine.

Just two families have been responsible for maintaining this wine's superb reputation for three centuries. Bordering on Château Latour, Second Growth Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is located in the southern part of Pauillac, near Saint-Julien. The unusual choice of grape varieties (there is a much higher percentage of Merlot than average) is a partial explanation for this wine's outstanding personality, marked by elegance, balance and finesse. Traditional methods and modern technology combine to make the most of the estate's prestigious soil. The international reputation of this "Super Second" Growth can be attributed to unfailing quality and dynamic owners.