2016 Réserve de la Comtesse, Pauillac, Bordeaux
Description
Cabernet Sauvignon 54%, Merlot 37%, Petit Verdot 5%, Cabernet Franc 4%.
The second wine of Ch. Pichon Longueville has great energy and lift this year. Dark ruby in hue, the nose has notes of spice and dark fruits. The palate is suave and sensual. Incredibly well balanced, it has a velvet-like texture, then – bang! – it hits you with a burst of concentration and fine tannins.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
-
Colour
Red -
Sweetness
Dry -
Vintage
2016 -
Alcohol
13% -
Grape
Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (21%), Cabernet Franc (4%) -
Body
Full Bodied -
Producer
Château Pichon-Longueville Lalande
Critics reviews
Sensual, racy and inviting, the Réserve de la Comtesse is one of the very finest wines readers will find in its peer group. Sweet dark plum, rose petal, spice, and chocolate notes build into the silky, beautifully resonant finish. The 2016 has so much to offer. Moreover, it is flat-out delicious. Don't miss it!
Drink 2021 - 2036
The stunning, ripe dark berries and plums on the nose are attractively dressed and deliver a wealth of assertively rich and juicy dark-fruit flavours on the palate, in balanced and elegant yet powerful style. The best Réserve de la Comtesse for some time. Second wine of Château Pichon-Lalande.
Try from 2023
Very attractive silkiness on the nose with real perfume of maturing claret. Lift and freshness. A tribute to Pichon Lalande grand vin. Could be relatively good value for a mature Claret.
Drink 2020 - 2030
The blend here is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.
An incredibly luscious, gorgeously balanced and rich Réserve de la Comtesse. They picked right up until the light October rain, waiting until it had passed before continuing. Those extra few days have contributed to the particularly soft and silky quality of the tannins in the Cabernet Sauvignon, which have a gorgeous density to them. This is a serious wine that could stand up against many Médoc grand vins.
Drink 2027 - 2050
From a vintage compared to 1996 and 2009, both terrific yet different vintages, the 2016 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is a beauty with a classic Cabernet nose of blackcurrants, graphite, lead pencil, and flowers. It's medium-bodied, supple, incredibly elegant, and seamless on the palate, with loads of charm and character. It's another second wine that delivers the goods.
The 2016 Reserve de la Comtesse is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with beautiful kirsch, cassis and redcurrants with hints of red roses, black tea, black pepper, chocolate box and cloves. The palate is medium-bodied, very elegant and fresh with gorgeous silken tannins and loads of bright fruit, finishing spicy.
Drink 2020 - 2036
The 2016 Réserve de la Comtesse has a delightful bouquet of black fruit infused with sous-bois and pencil shavings – classic Claret through and through. The medium-bodied palate delivers crunchy black fruit laced with tobacco and cedar. This is a correct, quite “linear” wine, but one that I find well balanced, with a welcome pepperiness that emerges toward the grippy finish. It might not warrant superlatives, but it is clearly well crafted and endowed with understated nobility. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.
Drink 2021 - 2040