In 2016 Pichon Lalande has built on the success of their 2014 and 2015s with a wonderful wine. It is everything a classical Pichon should be: rich, powerful yet elegant.
The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The estate said that their Cabernet was very well balanced and mouth-filling this year. They can now capitalise fully on each grape variety and individual parcel thanks to their fabulous new vat house where they are able to vinify each of plot separately.
“A deeply emotional, moving wine…simply extraordinary…Readers should do whatever they can to pick up the 2016.” 97-100 points, Antonio Galloni
“One of the wines of the vintage, and I am ready to be seduced.” 98 points, Jane Anson
Nicolas Glumineau and the team have likened 2016 to other great Pichon Lalandes such as 1982, 1989 and 1996. The resulting wine is very plush with fine grained velvety tannins laying the structure for a core of deep, dark fruit. Everything has merged together to create a classically seductive Pichon with incredible length and finish. This is one of the stars of the Left Bank, and a contender for top wine of the vintage.
Ch Pichon Lalande 2ème Cru Pauillac 2016
£710.00 per 6 bottles IB
£720.00 per 3 magnums IB
Nicolas Glumineau took the decision not to include any Petit Verdot in the final blend of his superb 2016 because, he said, despite its superb quality it was too dominant a component and would distract from the extraordinary feminity and refinement of this fine wine. This is reminiscent of the Comtesse de Lalandes of old. Exquisite in its harmony and balance, with rounded mellow, summer berry fruits. The tannins are subtle yet poised and the flavours persist long after tasting. Stunning. Drink 2028-2040. 94-96 points, Goedhuis & Co
It has a very succinct bouquet, one that is almost understated at first, gradually unfolding with blackberry, cedar and graphite scents, in the vein of say the 1986 or 1996 Pichon Lalande of the past. The palate is very well balanced and what I appreciate here is that it is still as much identifiable as Pichon Lalande as it is a Pauillac and a 2016. There is that touch of roundness imparted by the Merlot, even though the Cabernet dominates the blend, surely the terroir sculpting the wine. It gently builds in intensity, maintaining freshness, a gentle but insistent grip towards the finish and a very long aftertaste. This is probably just a notch up on the outstanding 2015 Pichon-Lalande, a Rolls Royce with a purring engine. Drink Date 2025 – 2060. 96-98 points, Neal Martin
A deeply emotional, moving wine, the 2016 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is simply extraordinary. The tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit, while the 100% new oak is remarkably well integrated at this stage. Dark, powerful and brooding, the 2016 possesses remarkable polish for such a big wine. The purity of the flavors is simply captivating. Scents of graphite, smoke, leather, tobacco and menthol soar from the glass, enhancing a core of deep, plush, dark fruit. All the elements fuse together in a wine of nearly unparalleled beauty. Although not inexpensive, Pichon-Lalande is arguably the single finest relative value in ageworthy wine in Bordeaux right now. Readers should do whatever they can to pick up the 2016. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage and potentially a legendary wine in the making. 97-100 points, Antonio Galloni
Beautiful mix of power and restraint that you can almost reach out and touch. The extraction is so silky that the effect is a wine that seems endless, suspended above your palate, caressing it and teasing you to find the tannins that are very much hidden. There are some rich coffee seams that fill out on the mid-palate with cassis and ripe blackberry notes, whipped together with violets and peonies. The juicy, mouthwatering quality just keeps on coming. This is clearly going to age and age. One of the wines of the vintage, and I am ready to be seduced. 98 points, Jane Anson, Decanter
Will this prove to be as great as the legendary 12, albeit in a very different style? It’s certainly in with a chance, because this is a superb wine: rich, dense, scented and refined, with caressing tannins, pithy dark berry fruit and a chalky, mineral-edged freshness. One of the Pauillacs of the vintage. 2024-35. 98 points, Tim Atkin
