2012 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2012
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac)
Tobacco leaf, mushroom, cigar wrapper, oyster shell, and currants get this going. On the palate classically-styled, medium-bodied wine is rich, round, and delivers touches of chocolate, black cherry, dusty plum, black currants, and menthol in the finish. This is just starting to open and drink well. Drink from 2022-2040. 3,709 Views Tasted Jul 9, 2022Earthy in character, there is a freshness to fruit, touch of citrus and espresso and truffle. Soft, polished, youthful and bright, there is a freshness and bright quality on the palate. Give this 7-10 more years before popping a cork. Produced from a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, picking took place starting October 1. 5,186 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2017Medium bodied, soft, finesse style, with fresh black cherries, flowers and earthy notes, ends with a dusty, earthy, spicy note in the finish. 3,777 Views Tasted Mar 11, 2015Deep ruby in color, with cocoa, blackberry, dark cherry, herbs and tobacco. Fresh, tannic, medium bodied and soft, this will be better with a few more years of age. 3,884 Views Tasted May 17, 2014Produced from a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13% ABV, with a pH of 3.8. Sporting a deep color, the wine offers dark chocolate, black raspberry, mint and caramel scents. Soft, medium-bodied and silky, the wine ends with black and red berries, cocoa, and fresh herbs in the cherry-dominated finish. 91-93 Pts 5,568 Views Tasted Apr 23, 2013 |
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.