Winemaker Notes
The nose is refined, classy and complex, offering delicious aromas of licorice and blackcurrant, as well as floral nuances of red roses and peony. It goes on to reveal more mineral notes of earth and roots, with nuances reminiscent of Virginia tobacco. Starts out remarkably straightforward on the palate, becoming full-bodied, with controlled power and well-balanced extraction mid-palate. The delicious and flavorsome finish is underpinned by polished and precise tannins. Pastry, juicy and fruity notes (blue and black fruit) combine with cedar aromas, adding finesse and complexity.
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Comtesse de Lalande defines Pauillac at its most complete. Focused and impeccably precise, it delivers layers of red and black fruits with confident drive, carrying seamlessly into a long, elegant finish marked by refined nuance rather than force. I still recall walking the gravel paths of the estate at dawn, the air cool and scented with the Gironde, a moment that mirrors the wine’s quiet confidence and sense of place. Having visited the château on many occasions, I can say this wine never fails to deliver on its promise. Give it time in the cellar, then serve it alongside a well-marbled, grilled entrecôte for a pairing that honors both tradition and terroir. (Tasted: January 22, 2026, San Francico, CA)
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James Suckling
A racy and focused red with black currant, blackberry and black cherry aromas and flavors. Hints of licorice Medium to full-bodied with tight and solid tannins that are polished and beautiful. Black currant, chocolate and walnut flavors, with a hint of spices at the end. Decanted, it shows such class and beauty. Stunning is the word. So refined and graceful with silky tannin backbone. From organic and biodynamically grown grapes. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 3% cabernet franc.
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Decanter
This smells divine, lovely lush blackcurrant and black cherry characters on the nose with pencil led, graphite, liquorice and menthol elements - very Pauillac on the nose. Gorgeous weight, supple and agile, great movement and energy to this. Acidity makes this buzzy, tangy and bright but not over the top, this keeps its structure and retains a serious directness from start to finish. Generous licks of minerality adds some cool classicism to it. Sleek and refined, precise and very drinkable. One of a number of brilliant Pauillac wines in 2023. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau wants it to be racy and it’s certainly racy. 50% grand vin production, 50% second. 3.67pH, 14.7% press wine only Cabernet. Ageing 19 months, 60-65% new oak and then one wine barrels.
Barrel Sample: 98 -
Vinous
The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from September 6 until 29, with some rain on September 20 in the middle of Cabernet picking. But, Nicolas Glumineau remarked that the vineyard/fruit was in good condition; one day of rain did not affect the quality. The 2023 has a quintessential Comtesse bouquet, displaying pure and expressive black fruit laced with violet and graphite, delivered with impressive delineation. The palate is very refined on the entry. This is armed with beguiling symmetry—poised yet intense on the finish. It doesn’t exert huge grip because it knows it doesn't need to, and it fans out gloriously. Outstanding. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 96-98 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc and aged in 60% new French oak, the saturated purple-hued 2023 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande offers darker currants, violet, smoky tobacco, lead pencil, and graphite on the nose, all intermixed with the classic Comtesse floral and violet nuances. It's medium to full-bodied and has a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, polished yet building tannins, and outstanding length. It's going to be an absolutely classic wine from this address that will have 40 years of prime drinking. Drink 2027-2067.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is showing a more brooding, serious profile in bottle than it did from cask, unwinding in the glass with notes of blueberries, blackberries and plums mingled with hints of pencil shavings, violet and crushed mint. Medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense, with a nicely integrated chassis of sweet structuring tannin, it's classically proportioned, with a long, penetrating finish. This blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc checks in at 13% alcohol.
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Wine Spectator
There’s warmth to this red’s cassis, plum and cherry reduction notes, as a hint of wet earth tugs from underneath. The grip is juicy-edged and well-buried, while ink and iris notes run along the edges, ending with a fresh cedar backdrop on the finish. Solidly built throughout. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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.