2018 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Community Tasting Notes (42) Avg Score: 96.1 points

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  5/13/2024 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:

  very dark purple red color, from opening through 3 hours later the nose changes little- dramatically ripe primary cassis, plum and blackberry fruit notes dominate, even so- it is not as overtly sweet as the 2017 La Conseillante sampled a few days ago, oak and bell pepper notes are evident but fully hidden by the fruit, on the palate similarly opulent and dramatic with waves of ripe cassis, remarkably fresh and exuberant, chocolate, cherries, blackberries and with time in glass a good firm chalk and stone streak right down the middle to balance out, fine long finish with classic cassis and shrub notes, substantial tannins largely coated by the fruit, while this is unusually fruit driven it avoids the excesses of some of its peers and is a far cry better suited for long term cellaring than most 2003s, while still largely hidden- the structure and savory elements are all here and in proper balance, this will need some time to fully develop but remains today quite an approachable and fun experience, think of it as a bigger and slightly riper 1989, a top vintage for this storied chateau.
  
  (****)+, possibly ***** in time, 2033++

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  12/8/2023 - Handy1 wrote: 95 Points

  Popped cork in AM and decanted 4 hours and then back in bottle for tasting. On the nose did not get much of any earthiness or typical bordeaux. Cab dominated. The people drinking it blind thought was a Napa cab.
  Modern wine making in hot vintage with dark ripe fruit, smooth almost glossy no obtrusive tannins. Overall good wine but not for bordeaux purists!

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  11/28/2023 - richshoes Likes this wine: 94 Points

  finding more recent tastings of this to be a little bit too sweet and too much plum...still young and dense though

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  11/7/2023 - ayalao3 wrote: 98 Points

  Tasted alongside chateau margaux, palmer, and haut brion. This one came in in third place but was in par with the two 1st growths.

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  9/3/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points

  Bordeaux 2018 - 5 Years On - 7 Reds: Time to check in on some top 2018s, and the initial observations were all confirmed: A) This is obviously the ripest, sweetest Bordeaux vintage in the last decade. While only one wine (Cos d'Estournel, 88pts) was overripe and overdone, two others (Calon Segur - 94pts, Grand Puy Lacoste - 91pts) are not for purists and are quite sweet - at least this young. B) Despite the ripeness, the wines are generally very balanced and harmonious, not as extracted or thick as many 2009/2010s. C) The structural frames are of high quality with ultra-fine tannins and good acid backbones. However, with so many other great vintages produced in recent years, this is not the vintage to chase - especially for purists. The group winner was the highly elegant, seductive yet aristocratic Pichon Lalande (rated 95pts), just ahead of my WOTN, the floral, perfumed, airy Canon (96pts).
  
  TN: Medium expressive nose with intriguing coffee notes, dark and red berries, some herbs. Wow, an amazing Pauillac with that Mouton burnt sugar notes to die for. Seamless on the palate with so much coffee, herbs, fresh strawberries, some dark red berries, herbs, graphite. This reminded me very much of a young-ish magnum of the legendary 1982 we had some years ago. The structure is quite perfect: the wine is so round and smooth with a wall of fine tannins, no excess weight, superb freshness. This is a fantastic, hedonistic yet elegant and sophisticated Cabernet which proves again that PLL is among the very best wines today in Bordeaux.
  
  Decanting: Quickly double decanted three hours before consumption, no extensive decanting necessary.

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