1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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1986
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac)
Tobacco, cassis, cigar box, truffle, 5 Spice, olives and earthy scents introduce this brawny, old school, masculine styled wine. Robust and powerful, this brawny Pauillac will age for decades, but it's never go to become charming or offer the elegance found in other 80's vintages of Pichon Lalande like 82, 83, 85 or 89. 11,491 Views Tasted May 15, 2011Stylistically, the wine remains brawny displaying an austere personality. Dark in color with aromas of currants, black fruit, wood and damp forests, this wine offers a huge palate presence. This is a very big wine. But, as a matter of style, I prefer vintages like 82, 83, 85 & 89. 86 is a very good wine. However, it will never deliver the elegance I love in most vintages of Pichon Lalande 7,714 Views Tasted Dec 18, 2009Big, beefy, brawny, steely and austere, this lacks Lalande's usual richness and charm The wine is hard in style. That being said, it has ample concentration, the fruit is ripe and the aromatics are there in force. The wine will continue improving, but at close to 23 years of age, this leopard is not changing its spots. 20 more years in the bottle is going to add to the aromatics, but it's always going to be in this style. Lovers of this style will undoubtedly find more to like in it than I did. Still young, it will continue aging for decades. Happily, I only have 2 bottles left. Again, this is not a bad wine. It is just not what I want in my Lalande. 7,727 Views Tasted Oct 1, 2008Branwny, steely and austere in style. This full bodied, tannic wine will always be on the hard side. This old school wine might appeal to others more than it did to me. 7,688 Views Tasted Apr 18, 2005 |
When to Drink Chateau Pichon Lalande, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is not a wine to drink on the young side in most vintages. The wine is soft enough, but you miss out on the sublime secondary characteristics that come with age. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-4 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.
Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Pichon Lalande is usually better with at least 10-12 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Pichon Lalande offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15 and 40 years of age after the vintage.
Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande is the most voluptuous Bordeaux wine produced in the Medoc. Much of the wine's sensuous qualities come from the large portion of Merlot included in the blend. Pichon Lalande offers dark berry flavors, truffle, cassis, and cedar notes. The wine is pure silk and velvet textures.
Due to the softness of the wine, Pichon Lalande is often approachable earlier than other Medoc properties. But don't let that fool you into thinking the wine will not improve with age. It does! Ass it closes in on 40 years of age, the sublime 1982 Pichon Lalande is still going strong.
Serving Chateau Pichon Lalande with Wine and Food Pairings
Chateau Pichon Lalande is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Pichon Lalande is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Pichon Lalande is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.