Practically perfect in every way. It could have had more weight, but it was absolutely gorgeous. It is elegant and balanced. Each glass was better than the former. It is classic Pauillac. I would like to point out that this a 30+ year old wine from an unheralded vintage that showed no fatigue whatsoever. If you should have the good fortune to taste this wine, remember that it is a relic. It is a wine from a time when global warming was not considered an issue, but obtaining adequate ripeness for quality wine every year could be. Also consider that it is a mere 12.5% alcohol, spot on for classic claret. It is a wine from a bygone era.
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Ruby red, and still quite youthful color with a purplish tint. Very good rim density.
This wine has a wonderful bouquet. Excellent and deep nose offering up the smell of cassis and a bit of raspberry fruits. The fruit gets some nice backing by the earthy elements as well. Leather and touch of chocolate most present, but a dash of cigar box and tobacco presents itself as well. It seems that this wine has a floral element (not sure what) yielding a wine with a slightly more feminine touch.
On the palate this wine is very smooth. Quite mellow and “sweet” with good fruit and fully resolved tannins. Very well balanced wine. Good length and a fair amount of complexity, but lacking some for those higher scores.
Not sure why some critics would say drink up in 09, but I believe I would have disagreed respectfully. Must say this was a positive surprise (did expect more 89/90p), and I believe this was an exceptionally good bottle of ‘91 Lalande (prestine condition). This bottle drank beautifully now and is somewhere in its prime drinking window.
Compared my my recent tastings of 1981, 1984, and 1987, this is a much more robust wine.
Med red core with bricking -- but still looking quite youthful if not young. Nose showing nice black fruit, graphite, cigar box complexity with a purity. Palate shows nice balance with fully mature slightly gritty tannin. Finish is a bit short. Quite pleasant wine to drink now. By no means a blockbuster but also not dead yet.
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mellowed excellent. deep, profound notes. the berries are present - blackberry and raspberry fruits, earthy leather and tobacco / tea leaf notes. happy to have drunk it now as it has earned its time to be enjoyed.
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OTBN 2015 - mini vertical of the 91, 92 and 97 vintages.
All three exhibited classic Pichon terroir characteristics - full elegant floral, dark blackberry and raspberry fruits, earthy leather and tobacco / tea leaf notes, while each showed vintage effects from the three disparate vintages.
Consistent with earlier tasting five years ago, the '91 vintage initially showed greater complexity, bigger floral, more concentrated fruit, and the most sophistication and balance of the three vintages. The next day, the '92 and '91 seemed to trade places, overtaking the 91 with greater concentration, structure and backbone, however the '91 retained the most polish and greatest balance.
Pichon's tend to be long lived and hang on much longer than one might expect, so don't rush to clear this out just yet.
Add me to the list of people surprised by this wine. My first 1991 Bordeaux. Classic Pichon nose of soft black and red fruit, lots of herbs and a slight green pepper note. Wonderfully fresh and silky on the palate. Perfect balance. What at treat.
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What a different bottle. 2nd bottle of the '91 Pichon that I've had. While the first bottle felt light and had some unpleasant green notes, this bottle was what I hoped for. Slow ox over about 2-3 hours. About an hour in this win had a wonderful richness and depth. Very Pichon and I wouldn't have guessed it was from an "off" vintage (personally I very much enjoy the '91s). Not a stunner, but definitely a winner.
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Very expressive and beautiful nose. Rose petals, dark cherry, truffle. Unfortunately the wine itself was extremely thin on the palate, almost watery. Double decanted two hours before pouring. It did put on weight as the evening progressed and went well with the food.
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To avoid the 91 Lalande is a mistake. It is a fabulous wine, maybe a little bit less profound than most of its siblings, but of tremendous tastiness. My impression is that it is not better but more palatable than the 82 I drunk in 2010. And there is also a large price difference to that and to other vintages. Don`t be anxious, 91 is a top-notch success - now and in 5 years for sure.
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Despite the modest vintage year 1991, the Pichon Lalande stands out with a nicely polished symphony of bright floral violets, red and black berry fruits, subtle accent tones of of spice, tobacco and cassis on a smooth finely integrated tannin finish.
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From memory. Deep garnet color. Notes of roasted red bell pepper, tobacco, spice and forest floor. Well-balanced, with red currant, spice, cedar and tobacco tones on the palate. Nice medium-length finish. At its peak, drink now-2010.
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A bit thin and tannic, watery, but still an enjoyable wine nonetheless in my opinion. Absolutely nothing wrong with this wine, very easy to drink, not mouthpuckering at all.
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The surprise of the year. This wine absolutely rocks. Nice bricking - mature color. Nose is alive with cassis fruit, a mild herb component and a wonderful sweetness. On the palate, I am simply stunned. This wine has classic, velvety sweet fruit, a long finish and the kind of depth and refinement that simply can’t be from 1991. A total sleeper. (94)
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1/13/2024 - Oilvalley Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank together with 07. Excellent and seems as in its prime.
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1/23/2023 - Beaunedoc Likes this wine: 96 Points
Practically perfect in every way. It could have had more weight, but it was absolutely gorgeous. It is elegant and balanced. Each glass was better than the former. It is classic Pauillac. I would like to point out that this a 30+ year old wine from an unheralded vintage that showed no fatigue whatsoever. If you should have the good fortune to taste this wine, remember that it is a relic. It is a wine from a time when global warming was not considered an issue, but obtaining adequate ripeness for quality wine every year could be. Also consider that it is a mere 12.5% alcohol, spot on for classic claret. It is a wine from a bygone era.
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11/27/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pronounced nose with spices, herbal, rustic, forest floor, sandal wood. Medium acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is smooth.
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6/27/2020 - doug374 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A goood wine from an average vintage. Well made and aging gracefully. Ready to drink, with 10+years ahead.
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7/17/2019 - evold89 wrote: 92 Points
Ruby red, and still quite youthful color with a purplish tint. Very good rim density.
This wine has a wonderful bouquet. Excellent and deep nose offering up the smell of cassis and a bit of raspberry fruits. The fruit gets some nice backing by the earthy elements as well. Leather and touch of chocolate most present, but a dash of cigar box and tobacco presents itself as well. It seems that this wine has a floral element (not sure what) yielding a wine with a slightly more feminine touch.
On the palate this wine is very smooth. Quite mellow and “sweet” with good fruit and fully resolved tannins. Very well balanced wine. Good length and a fair amount of complexity, but lacking some for those higher scores.
Not sure why some critics would say drink up in 09, but I believe I would have disagreed respectfully. Must say this was a positive surprise (did expect more 89/90p), and I believe this was an exceptionally good bottle of ‘91 Lalande (prestine condition). This bottle drank beautifully now and is somewhere in its prime drinking window.
Read more:
https://www.instagram.com/wine_quaffer/
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1/26/2019 - Matthesen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Compared my my recent tastings of 1981, 1984, and 1987, this is a much more robust wine.
Med red core with bricking -- but still looking quite youthful if not young. Nose showing nice black fruit, graphite, cigar box complexity with a purity. Palate shows nice balance with fully mature slightly gritty tannin. Finish is a bit short. Quite pleasant wine to drink now. By no means a blockbuster but also not dead yet.
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4/19/2016 - LWI wrote: flawed
Pichon Lalande Tasting: Corcked
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1/31/2016 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine far and away exceeded written reviews that would portray it as over the hill.
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12/24/2015 - christ80 wrote: 91 Points
mellowed excellent. deep, profound notes. the berries are present - blackberry and raspberry fruits, earthy leather and tobacco / tea leaf notes. happy to have drunk it now as it has earned its time to be enjoyed.
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2/28/2015 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 92 Points
OTBN 2015 - mini vertical of the 91, 92 and 97 vintages.
All three exhibited classic Pichon terroir characteristics - full elegant floral, dark blackberry and raspberry fruits, earthy leather and tobacco / tea leaf notes, while each showed vintage effects from the three disparate vintages.
Consistent with earlier tasting five years ago, the '91 vintage initially showed greater complexity, bigger floral, more concentrated fruit, and the most sophistication and balance of the three vintages. The next day, the '92 and '91 seemed to trade places, overtaking the 91 with greater concentration, structure and backbone, however the '91 retained the most polish and greatest balance.
Pichon's tend to be long lived and hang on much longer than one might expect, so don't rush to clear this out just yet.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/02/bordeaux-anchors-otbn-2015.html
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11/7/2014 - Spl232 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of life ahead. Not the blockbuster of a more robust vintage, but elegant and refined
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6/8/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Add me to the list of people surprised by this wine. My first 1991 Bordeaux. Classic Pichon nose of soft black and red fruit, lots of herbs and a slight green pepper note. Wonderfully fresh and silky on the palate. Perfect balance. What at treat.
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3/24/2014 - Spl232 wrote: 93 Points
What a different bottle. 2nd bottle of the '91 Pichon that I've had. While the first bottle felt light and had some unpleasant green notes, this bottle was what I hoped for. Slow ox over about 2-3 hours. About an hour in this win had a wonderful richness and depth. Very Pichon and I wouldn't have guessed it was from an "off" vintage (personally I very much enjoy the '91s). Not a stunner, but definitely a winner.
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11/23/2013 - Spl232 wrote: 89 Points
Very expressive and beautiful nose. Rose petals, dark cherry, truffle. Unfortunately the wine itself was extremely thin on the palate, almost watery. Double decanted two hours before pouring. It did put on weight as the evening progressed and went well with the food.
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3/22/2013 - BillyT wrote:
Bottle opened at 3:00 for dinner around 7:00. Notes to come
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2/8/2012 - tennis wrote: 93 Points
To avoid the 91 Lalande is a mistake. It is a fabulous wine, maybe a little bit less profound than most of its
siblings, but of tremendous tastiness. My impression is that it is not better but more palatable than the 82
I drunk in 2010. And there is also a large price difference to that and to other vintages. Don`t be anxious,
91 is a top-notch success - now and in 5 years for sure.
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12/17/2010 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
18-bottle Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Vertical (1976-2007) (Jeff & Chuck's, Mountain View, California): Great showing despite the challenging conditions of the vintage. Plums, cassis, olive, leather. Soft tannins. Starting to show sign of age.
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11/7/2010 - rmcnees wrote: 91 Points
Despite the modest vintage year 1991, the Pichon Lalande stands out with a nicely polished symphony of bright floral violets, red and black berry fruits, subtle accent tones of of spice, tobacco and cassis on a smooth finely integrated tannin finish.
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11/7/2009 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
From memory. Deep garnet color. Notes of roasted red bell pepper, tobacco, spice and forest floor. Well-balanced, with red currant, spice, cedar and tobacco tones on the palate. Nice medium-length finish. At its peak, drink now-2010.
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6/22/2009 - JimHow wrote: 85 Points
A bit thin and tannic, watery, but still an enjoyable wine nonetheless in my opinion. Absolutely nothing wrong with this wine, very easy to drink, not mouthpuckering at all.
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6/28/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
The surprise of the year. This wine absolutely rocks. Nice bricking - mature color. Nose is alive with cassis fruit, a mild herb component and a wonderful sweetness. On the palate, I am simply stunned. This wine has classic, velvety sweet fruit, a long finish and the kind of depth and refinement that simply can’t be from 1991. A total sleeper. (94)
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7/14/2006 - nob8dnkr wrote: 90 Points
good stuff, typical bordeaux, smooth and balanced.
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9/29/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
6 1991 Bordeaux and a 1990 Beringer Private Reserve. (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Beefy, meaty nose with licorice and saddle leather, medium/big body, medium/long finish, My #2.
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