March 7, 2024 - Decanted 90 minutes. Quite a tight nose but showing black cherries and a back note of cedar. Palate is more upfront - big, deep - medium+ integrated tannins with good fresh acidity and intense black cherries, rosemary and some savouryness. Feels like this needs a longer decant / more years to develop fully. Very good but not really singing as yet. Drink 2026-35.
February 3, 2024 - Bright, light red color with no apparent age. With only 20 minute decant this had a gorgeous dark cherry smell. Earthy to start and then the cherry enters, paired with a faint menthol and licorice. Some faint tannins still evident, but otherwise this is fully open and drinking beautifully right now. I can see a couple more years of improvement, perhaps, and then many years at this level. Lovely.
January 5, 2024 - Medium+ nose intensity with notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, spices, toast. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin.
January 2, 2024 - Day 2. Warm black fruits and smoke continue to slowly unfurl. Broody and more concentrated today. This wine has and will likely continue to improve.
January 1, 2024 - 2 hour decant. Not giving away much on the nose. Firm structure with elegant red and black fruit. Some iodine, truffle and a hint of saline. Probably still early for this one.
December 27, 2023 - Dark berries and bell pepper in the bouquet. On the palate concentrated with a firm amount of oak and acidity. The wine is not a 100% fresh, so I hope this is an off bottle, because I have a few. No score for today.
October 15, 2023 - From magnum, the 2008 Pichon Comtesse is drinking well though it feels like optimal ripeness was not easy to attain. There's a relatively prominent herbal edge to this, but alongside cassis, tobacco, and pencil it doesn't feel overwhelming. Good presence in the mouth, but not likely to be mistaken for a great vintage. Tasted at a wedding, so just a snapshot, but ~92 points.
March 26, 2023 - My first Comtesse and what a damn fine wine! Real depth of (dark berry) fruit, with graphite, tobacco, and a beguiling, subtle floral note….Effortless stature, elegant, supple, generous, fresh, with hidden corners of complexity and reserves of power. Even better the second night.
In a good place, with a long life ahead.
March 18, 2023 - Smooth and elegant. Drinking so well today, but will certainly will be great for an other 5 to 10 years
February 18, 2023 - Expecting a bit more