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  • Country ranking ?

    1 259
  • Producer ranking ?

    37
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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The Story

Château Pichon Longueville de Lalande is ideally situated between the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The variety of parcels of land, due to the elements of the earth and their encepagement explains the complexity of the personality of the wines of Pichon. Since the end of the 1970's, the reputation of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has acquired the status of a "super second" and a "nearly first", in light of the consistency of its quality.

The unique encepagement and the twelve hectares of vines situated on the soils of St Julien endow the wines of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande with an exceptional personality compared with the other crus of the Pauillac appellation. Complexity, elegance and longevity are the hallmarks of this race, they are found every year during the creation of the vintages..

The nose is distinguished by a bouquet of aromas, mixing blackcurrant and violet, vanilla and cinnamon. In the palate, the tannins appear mature and melted, revealing a strong and affirmed structure, a surprising suppleness, perfect harmony and long persistency. The wine is seductive when young without prejudicing its longevity. James Laubé of the Wine Spectator baptised Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, "A First Class Second Cru", a most fitting tribute...

 

Pichon-Longueville Lalande is a 75-hectare property that produces on average 36,000 cases per year. Located in the east of the Pauillac appellation, the vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 45%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 12%, Petit Verdot 8%) lie on deep gravel beds underpinned by clay and then sandstone and limestone (part of these vineyards actually reside in the St-Julien appellation). The wine is fermented in stainless steel cuvées and then matured in oak barriques (50% new) for 18 months.

Pichon-Longueville Lalande is not as powerful or as tannic as some its Pauillac neighbours and this is mainly because of its relatively high Merlot content. In the best years, it is one of the most exotic and voluptuously scented wines of the Médoc. At least a decade of cellaring is required before the wines should be approached.

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Wine Information

2003 Good deep red. Flamboyantly expressive aromas of raspberry, currant, earth, smoked meat, chocolate and pepper. Fat, full and voluptuous yet somehow light on its feet.
Assemblage:

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon
31 % Merlot
4 % Petit Verdot
Hiver:

A sufficiently wet winter to replenish the water table.
Printemps:

A mild spring enabled the budding period in the vineyard to take place in a homogeneous way. Flowering was spread over a warm, windy period from May 12th to the end of the month. Some flower abortion (coulure) was noted which contributed to a diminution in the harvest (by comparison with the 2002 vintage). Mid flowering May 25th to May 28th
Été:

The heatwave during the months of July and August led to a slow maturation ; the clayey subsoil and the deep-rootedness of the old vines played an important role in the success of this vintage : the three stormy cloudbursts during July and August enabled the vine to struggle against the heat wave. During the month of September, the variation between the day and night temperatures privileged the accumulation of large quantities of phenolic compounds. The 2003 vintage is marked by the heat wave conditions of the summer.
Mid-veraison from July 30th to August 3rd
Automne:

Picking started on September 10th for the merlots and on 18th September for the cabernets sauvignons. Picking finished on September 26th.

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Vintage 2003

2003 was the hottest vintage ever seen in Bordeaux. The most successful châteaux have passed their exceptional 2000s and some claim to have made their greatest wines in living memory.

Very dry and extremely hot summer days and nights (16 days > 95°F compared to 2 in 2000, 6 in 2005, 4 in 2009). Need to eliminate the superscript here. I can't figure out how to do it.) The deeply colored reds, low acidities and high tannins are a departure from the classic Left Bank profile. St.-Estèphe and Pauillac are the most successful. The reds have largely reached their peak. It remains a controversial vintage, with opinions sharply divided as to its intrinsic quality. The white grape harvest began in mid-August. Rich, fatty whites, some acidified, not for long storage.

The extreme summer heat presented winemakers with a significant challenge. Sugar levels increased dramatically in late summer as some growers took the plunge and harvested early to preserve acidity. However, winemakers who waited until their grapes were fully ripe were rewarded with rich, concentrated, dark-colored wines displaying astonishing depth of fruit and plenty of complexity.

Generally speaking, the great wines of 2003 come from the northernmost communes of the Médoc: and in particular from Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. Highlights include Lafite, Latour, Pichon Baron, Montrose and Cos d’Estournel. Quality was more uneven in the south of the Médoc although Château Margaux, true to form, produced one of the wines of the vintage.

The right bank properties of St Emilion and Pomerol, where temperatures were even warmer, produced inconsistent wines and volumes were massively reduced. Vieux Château Certan, which usually produces 4,000 cases per year, only produced 800 last year. Estates that have resisted this model and produced exceptional wines include Figeac, Ausone, Fetyit Clinet and Angelus.

Graves and Pessac-Lèognan fared better, but many châteaux produced wines that were alcoholic and expansive, but lacked the fresh, linear fruit core that distinguished the best of 2003. The exceptions are Haut-Bailly, the powerful and concentrated Domaine de Chevalier, and of course the thoroughbred stable of wines from Haut-Brion and La Misson Haut-Brion.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

Tasted in February 2018.  Sun dried raisins on the nose and palate. Not a trace of overripeness, marmelade or stewed fruit here. Sappy and well-proportioned wine with plenty of tannin, fine balance and firm aftertaste. Great success for the vintage.

  • 92p
Ruby. Scented, fruity, leather, cassis, floral, yet again a nuanced 03 bottle. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, tighter palate than last bottle, surprisingly fresh for the vintage, nuanced, ripe and long. 93
  • 93p
Deep colour. I'm not sure about this wine. It has a good nose, concentrated fruit but also a dry tannic finish. I fear that it won't improve with Age, but I may be wrong.
  • 85p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux
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