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Wine Description
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 consis...
Wine Information
1988
A richly flavoured wine with considerable freshness, supported by a silky and elegant structure. A classic Pauillac.
Assemblage:
45% Cabernet Sauvignon
35% Merlot
12% Cabernet Franc
8% Petit Verdot
Hiver:
Mild, almost too warm and rainy.
Printemps:
Very rainy. Two enormous storms with hail at the end of June.
Flowering was very drawn out: June 6th to 27th
Été:
August was hot and sunny.
Mid point of changing colour:...
Vintage 1988
The first of a trio of great vintages and which was rather overshadowed by the 89s and 90s. Certainly the most "classic" of the trio, with many wines which are not overtly fruit-focused, but which have levels of extract and concentration which make them perfect candidates for prolonged storage.
The first half of the year was exceptionally cold and wet and the vintage was saved by a long, dry and hot summer. Harvest began in mid-September an...