Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2016
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's 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.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the genius winemaking talent of Nicolas Glumineau, the 2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande matches the 1982 and is a perfect, legendary wine in the making. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new oak, it's not the most powerful Left Bank but offers perfect balance and thrilling intensity as well as heavenly aromatics of crème de cassis, leafy herbs, jammy blackberries, tobacco leaf, and freshly sharpened lead pencils as well as more violets and minerality with time in the glass. Possessing a deep, full-bodied, singular character, the purity of fruit that's the hallmark of the vintage, building tannins, and a sense of class and elegance that's hard to describe, it's a 50-year-wine. While this cuvée has included a fair chunk of Merlot in the past that gave it more upfront appeal, it's important for readers to know it's much more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated today, and while it is slightly more approachable than some of its neighbors, it shuts down rather quickly with time in the glass. (I followed this wine for multiple days.) I suspect a solid decade of cellaring is warranted.
-
James Suckling
Glorious aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries and flowers, from violets to roses. Iron and rust undertones. Full-bodied, dense and very layered with loads of richness. It goes on for minutes. Reminds me of the 1986. Best in decades? Take a first look at it in 2025.
-
Decanter
They practice biodynamic methods across 6ha of the total 76ha in production here.Cabernet dominant, it's very Pauillac in style and totally lives up to its en primeur promise. The tannins deepen and tighten and here we are, smack-bang in the northern Médoc. This is youthful, rich, powerful and intense; very good quality. It gets better and better as you return to it, and I'm really impressed with the texture and depth of the silky-smooth palate: pure cassis notes alongside hawthorn, hedgerow and liquorice. Matured in 60% new oak.
-
Wine Spectator
Saturated with dark currant, fig and blackberry compote flavors, this has a fleshy, nearly glycerin feel at first before stretching out to reveal singed cedar, tobacco leaf, dark earth and cassis bush flavors. A terrific tug of cast iron emerges at the very end. Deliciously juicy dark fruit keeps rolling throughout. Best from 2025 through 2040.
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
As powerful and potent as one could possibly wish, yet a wine of extraordinary poise and composition, the 2016 Lalande delivers an absolute wealth of concise and beautifully focused, ripe currant fruit with layer upon layer of savory pencil-lead spice, creamy oak, minerals and tobacco-leaf extras. It is a profound and authoritative Pauillac by any and all measures, and it has tremendously long life ahead. That it will age effortlessly for at least another ten to twenty years is without question, and it, in truth, has the look of a benchmark claret that, with proper cellaring, will continue to beguile well into its third decade and beyond.
-
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.
Cellar Selection
Other Vintages
2022-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
- Vinous
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
- Vinous
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Just two families have been responsible for maintaining this wine's superb reputation for three centuries. Bordering on Chateau 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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.