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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 188 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by djhammond on 5/24/2024 flawed bottle: My last of 4 bottles, of which 1 was fabulous, 2 OK, but unfortunately this was shot. (37 views) | | | Tasted by BellevuePhil on 3/3/2024 & rated 94 points: As a member of upper society, I have had the privilege of tasting some of the finest wines the world has to offer, but none have ever left as indelible a mark upon my soul as the 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. It is a wine that transcends mere taste, elevating the act of drinking into a sublime experience that touches the very essence of what it means to be alive.
I am grateful for grandfather's old cellar, where back in 78 with his small pocket knife and trembling hands he etched into the case of Pichon the inscription: “Open 2024”. How could he know?
As I delve into the sensory journey of the 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, I am immediately greeted by a symphony of aromas that evoke memories of a bygone era. The Bee Gees were screaming “Night Fever” and “Stayin' Alive' ' and Travolta was tapping Olivia Newton John.
Put your nose in the glass…..ahhhhh the first inhalation reveals an enchanting bouquet of blackcurrant, intertwining with subtle hints of cedar and tobacco. Each scent is layered with complexity, inviting me to dive deeper into its depths.
Good lord the cigar takes it to a new level..yes lads the 1978 vintage of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is nothing short of extraordinary, a testament to the unparalleled craftsmanship and dedication of its creators. From the moment it graces the glass with its deep, ruby hue, to the last lingering notes that linger on the tongue like a lover's caress, every aspect of this wine speaks of elegance and refinement.
Upon taking my first sip, the wine caresses my palate with a velvety texture that speaks of age and refinement. The taste of ripe blackcurrants dances gracefully across my tongue, accompanied by nuances of dark chocolate and leather. There is a sense of harmony in every sip, as if each element has been meticulously balanced to perfection.
But it is in the finish that the true magic of this vintage reveals itself. As the flavors linger on the palate, they gradually fade away, leaving behind a long, lingering aftertaste that is both satisfying and contemplative. It is a testament to the wine's pedigree and craftsmanship, a final flourish that lingers in the mind long after the glass is empty.
As I uncorked this legendary vintage, the air itself seemed to shimmer with anticipation, echoing the echoes of a night long past, yet forever etched in the tapestry of my memory.
Picture, if you will, a moonlit evening in 1994, where the stars danced above like diamonds strewn across velvet. It was a night that fate herself had ordained, where a chance encounter with a waitress at Venta Restaurante La Butibamba would ignite a flame that would burn eternally in my heart. Her name was Elena, a vision of grace and beauty whose presence enraptured my soul from the moment our eyes met across the crowded room. We spoke through mutterings from across the dining room, smiles, passings, and a stolen kiss by the bathroom before a word was spoken.
As the sommelier presented the bottle of 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande tonight at Seastar in Bellevue, I couldn't help but be transported back to that fateful night on the beach, where Elena and I shared two bottles of this epic wine, but our deepest hopes, dreams, and desires. The wine flowed like liquid poetry, each sip a symphony of flavors that danced upon my palate, whispering of love and longing, of passion and desire.
As I savored each sip, I couldn't help but be reminded of Elena's lips, their softness yielding to the firmness of the wine's embrace. It was as if each taste carried with it a fragment of that unforgettable night, and that’s what wine is to me….a place where time stands still and the world fades away. Wine is memories and this bottle left only the two of us and the endless expanse of the ocean stretching out before us.
The 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is more than just a wine; it is a symbol of luxury and opulence, a testament to a life lived with gusto and passion. From its complex bouquet of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco, to its velvety texture and long, lingering finish, this wine is a masterpiece of oenological artistry, deserving of its place among the pantheon of greats.
For those who, like myself, are hopeless romantics at heart, the 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a wine that speaks to the deepest chambers of the soul, stirring emotions long thought dormant and igniting a passion that burns brighter than the sun itself. It is a wine that reminds us that love is not just an emotion, but a force of nature, capable of shaping our lives in ways we never thought possible. It’s deep and it hits you hard like an Eagle, but with the butteryness of a Special Selection.
As I raise my glass to toast the memory of that unforgettable night with the Spanish waitress Elena, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude for the gift of this extraordinary wine. For each sip, I am reminded not just of a love lost, but of a love cherished, and though for just one night; a love that will forever live on in the depths of my heart, like a fine wine aging gracefully with each passing year.
Cheers to the 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, a wine truly worthy of its legendary status and my Spanish sand maiden.
NOTE TO SELF: POP AND POUR LITERALLY OPENED UP OVER AN HOUR EVEN MORE THEN QUICK FADE. (832 views) | | | Tasted by Jd6725 on 2/16/2024 & rated 95 points: Started out a little thin and reticent but fairly quickly gained weight, depth and spices with bottle air. A top 5 for me wine of a very impressive lineup. The only wines that clearly edged it were the 1989 montrose and 1990 l'evangile. A lovely example of Pichon Lalande that has held up well, despite not even being a perfect bottle condition wise. (247 views) | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 2/3/2024 & rated 95 points: From magnum. This was so surprisingly good. Dark fruit, earth, green pepper on the nose. So soft and sweet on the palate. It actually competed with the 1982, which was a perfect bottle, we had next to it. (899 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 10/7/2023: Drinking very well and only improving with time and air in the glass. It is interesting to see the style with this because there is just that hint of elegance that they seem to be going for (funny because it’s right next door to Latour). Still it works very well in this wine. Drinking nicely. A lovely evening with friends. (1521 views) | | | Tasted by djhammond on 6/2/2023 & rated 93 points: Third time of tasting, this is proving to be a little unpredictable. This was not up to last bottle, but still an enjoyable mature Bordeaux. Taste profile is as per last note. (1817 views) | | | Tasted by djhammond on 5/7/2023 & rated 95 points: Second bottle of 4 recently purchased, the first a month ago showed over age and was carrying a slight taint. This was completely different and was superb. It still benefits from a couple of hours in the decanter to blow off the barnyard funk. Once it does, it a classic old school mature Bordeaux, fully integrated with secondary and tertiary characteristics. (1753 views) | | | Tasted by djhammond on 4/16/2023 & rated 93 points: This bottle was definitely in the latter stages of its drinking window, but perversely still needed time in the decanter to blow off barnyard funk. I also think that it was carrying a slight taint rather than over age. As you would expect, this is fully developed with secondary and tertiary notes, and is a good mature Bordeaux with excellent depth and balance. I have another 3 bottles, and will be interested how they fair as it is inevitable that bottle variation plays a part in a wine this age. I reiterate the need to allow a couple of hours in the decanter as it started to settle during the evening, but could not unfortunately lose the slight taint. (1548 views) | | | Tasted by red_man on 2/11/2023 & rated 94 points: good lower neck level, cork broke, minor bricking but still very good for age, lovely nose, classic Pichon Lalande, really classy and fine, softer than peers perhaps reflecting the higher Merlot content, perfect for ‘78 which can sometimes tend to hardness, cedar, restrained floral perfume, still very good fruit, perfect aged tertiary Bordeaux on the palate, elegant, fruit perhaps fading in this bottle but still with great flavour and structure, perfect balance and great length, lovely wine but at this stage for those appreciating the attractions of age rather than youth (1569 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 1/21/2023: The 50 Big Bash (Harry's NYC): There were a few bottles of this floating around. One that was sadly corked, but a 5L provided by the hosts of the party that was just awesome. Fresh and pretty and herbal and floral and very well pulled together. Elegant and excellent wine. (1893 views) | | | Tasted by Gunakadeit on 12/10/2022 & rated 89 points: Pleasant, correct, but no real spark. No fruit left, and nothing really to distinguish it. (1182 views) | | | Tasted by brooklynguy on 9/17/2022 flawed bottle: Mildly corked, but enough to make it impossible to enjoy. (1944 views) | | | Tasted by rjt1111 on 8/13/2022 & rated 88 points: Still hanging in there. Required decanting and aerating, and took about another 45 minutes to come around. (1456 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 5/18/2022 & rated 97 points: Lean, cigar, earthy, cedar and layered; nicely matured; elegant; finesse; layered and long; sweet finish. (1806 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/27/2021 & rated 95 points: Earth, leather and cedar with blackberry; sweet balanced fruit; elegant and with depth; long elegant finish. (2264 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/14/2021 & rated 95 points: Leather, tar and manura; sweet rich blackberry with perfect tannic support and long sweet earthy finish. (2070 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 10/9/2021 & rated 92 points: Light with cedar and sweet blackberry; fully integrated; silky finish. (1906 views) | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 7/22/2021 & rated 95 points: Had two bottles of this recently from the same case. They were recorked in 1993. Absolutely sublime. I cannot get over how soft, well balanced and full of flavor this wine was. Classic Pichon. Even stood up well on day two. What a treat and so thrilled I have 10 more. (2272 views) | | | Tasted by dave747400 on 7/11/2021 flawed bottle: Maderised (1822 views) | | | Tasted by Geoff7777 on 3/19/2021: 1978 Bordeaux Lunch (Bel and Brio): This bottle courtesy of RW, decanted early and bracketed with Cos and Ducru. Deep youthful scarlet colour. Nose of old leather, tobacco and chocolate, showing the plump and plummy Merlot fruit in this wine during the '70's. The most balanced of the three wines in this bracket, and a lovely drink. While the finish seemed to become a touch bitter with extended time in the glass, this may have been because of the two wines that followed (Palmer/Margaux). (2115 views) | | | Tasted by Thoughtful on 2/17/2021 & rated 96 points: Stored in a cold cellar since release. Fill just below cork. Cork broke.
Lovely old claret bouquet. Soft gentle beguiling charming. Gained depth with air. A masterpiece. Holding well. Should make 50 years if stored well. (2002 views) | | | Tasted by dchain on 2/5/2021 & rated 93 points: Getting more tobacco and leather flavored with the dark cherry fruit starting to get a bit lighter. Still a wonderful Pichon nose and just fantastic medium bodied fun old school Bordeaux to drink. Not sure I would chase this at current market prices as most of our bottles were picked up years ago and around $100/bt which I think is fair value. Need to drink these up as I think they will be in slow decline and after another 5 years the last of the fruit might be totally gone. Enjoy with confidence now. (2001 views) | | | Tasted by pavel_p on 10/22/2020 flawed bottle: Top shoulder fill but cork sunk in a fair bit. Managed to get cork out with Durand as usual. Very clean color in the glass, transparent garnet, barely any bricking towards the translucent rim. Plenty of sous bois however both on nose and palate, likely picked up from the cork. Gains weight with more and below the sous bois there is a round and smooth Bordeaux with still good weight. NR (2474 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 10/15/2020 & rated 91 points: 2009 Bordeaux Night (plus some nice bonus wines) (A Pristine, COVID-Safe Setting Somewhere in Los Olivos): Adding a truly mature Bordeaux after three flights of 2009s was a good idea, and this wine did not disappoint. Notes of smoke, ash and muted herbs. The fruit was a bit dried out, but still present, and the wine took on weight over time, providing a really instructive and pleasurable experience. (2411 views) | | | Tasted by dave747400 on 9/24/2020 & rated 97 points: VTS fill. Cork coloured the along its whole length, but extracted in one piece. Little sediment. Wide tawny margin on decanting with fabulous, classic Pauillac scents. First sip after decanting, sweet & light, tannins completely subsumed, lovely fresh acidity. Medium length, but that freshness persists wonderfully across the palate. Very classy, but this bottle is in the 'Drink Up' phase of it's life... 93 points.
...Or so I thought.
Two hours in the decanter and everything has been turned up to 11. The previously inconspicuous tannins have firmed up beautifully, complementing the fresh acidity and fabulously intense flavours across the whole palate. Ethereal weightlessness. Tiny sips are enough to fill the senses.
Possibly the most beautiful wine I have ever had. 97 points (1814 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Producer website – Read More about Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande
Vineyard map
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Pauillac Read more detailed information about Pauillac Looking full onto the river from the earliest days, with an important port activity, traces of which go back to ancient times (shipment of bronze as long ago as 2000 B.C.), Pauillac's life has always been intimately linked to the history of wine. Although port activities were at the root of its prosperity, Pauillac had to wait until the eighteenth century when Bordeaux ceased to hold its privileged position to become a wine port. The town then became the natural outlet for the wine production of neighbouring cantons before reaching its zenith in a period when the vineyards were exceptionally prosperous.
The characteristic of the Pauillac terroir is its exceptional relief: the many undulating ridges make it unique morphologically speaking. Highly favourable conditions facilitate the dissection of the layer of gravel. This thin, Garonne gravel from whose very poverty springs great richness, has an extremely effective natural drainage.
With their velvet red colour with a hint of amber, the wines from the Pauillac appellation, full-bodied and rich in tannin, are vigorous. Powerful when young, their aromas of red fruits (black-currant, raspberry) or flowers (violets, roses, irises) melt with the passing of time into a bouquet which is long in the mouth.
Rich and complex, the wines of Pauillac deserve to be laid down for a little longer.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Pauillac appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Pauillac and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cissac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Sauveur, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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