2005 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2005
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac)
The past 5 years have been good for this wine. Much better than previous bottles, now you find more of everything expected from Pichon Lalande. The wine is medium-bodied, lush, round, soft and loaded with ripe, fresh, sweet, dark red fruits, plums, tobacco, spice and earth. The plummy, red berry finish offers alternating notes of sweet red fruits and bright, crisp cranberries coupled with sensual textures. Give this a few more years, or 90 minutes in the decanter. 5,221 Views Tasted May 10, 2020Cedar, tobacco, flowers, blackberry and wet earth on the nose, with a medium body and a lightness in the fruit, the wine lacks the concentration found in the better wines from the vintage. The finish has dusty tannins and plums in the end note. 7,482 Views Tasted Jun 28, 201564% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and a drop of Petit Verdot make up the blend. Floral, earth, cedar and cassis in the nose lead to a medium bodied, fresh, clean wine that lacks the concentration of the top vintages. Round in texture, but lacking the concentration and depth found in the great vintages, the wine end with a black cherry, chocolate and green olive finish. Give this a few more years. I doubt this is going to be one of the longer lived vintages of Pichon Lalande. 9,570 Views Tasted Dec 7, 2012Pichon Lalande seemed to me to be better than Parker rated it. But, it is light in color and depth and does not have all the qualities needed to make this one of the best Pichons. It is not a wine I would buy at current prices because there are much better vintages of Pichon Lalande available for the money in the market today. 6,602 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2007 |
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.