Lisa Perrotti-Brown 99 points
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, notes of wild blueberries, red currants, and cassis spring from the glass, opening out to hints of violets, graphite, and fragrant soil. The elegantly played, medium-bodied palate is very finely-knit with silky tannins and a lively line defining the electric floral and black fruit flavors, finishing with epic length and lots of intriguing whispers. A triumph. "It took a while for my team and me to admit that this is the best we've done so far," said winemaker Nicolas Glumineau.
Technical Information
“In Pauillac in 2022, we had this feeling we would make our first Napa wine in Bordeaux, but we did not,” said technical director Nicolas Glumineau. “I think everything we have applied in terms of cover crops and biodynamics helped the vines to find balance. We picked from the 6th of September until the 27th of September. Our yields were 30 hl/ha. In the cellar, as soon as we got 10% alcohol, we decreased the extraction—the number of pump-overs. From the beginning, we had everything in hand to make a monster wine, so let’s avoid it. I'm really happy with the wine, on top of the fact that we are surprised. The wine is very fine, ethereal, very Pauillac, very Comtesse. I think we have our benchmark now in terms of style; it is 2022.”
James Suckling 99 Points
What perfect aromas of blackcurrants, lead pencil, violets, blood oranges and blood. Some iron. Medium- to full-bodied, this has incredible tannins that are completely loaded and integrated, melting into the wine with such a glorious mouthfeel. The finish goes on and on, lightly austere in the most sophisticated way. Racy and rigorously focused. 78% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Try after 2030, but already a new benchmark for this estate.
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Looking at the flagship 2022 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, it's based on 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc that spent 19 months in two-thirds new oak and one-third in once-used barrels. Its similarly deep purple hue is followed by a magical, heavenly 2022 that has a layered, full-bodied profile that brings an incredibly floral character as well as a huge core of darker currant fruits, ripe, polished, velvety tennis, no hard edges, and a thrilling finish. It’s a quintessential Comtesse that brings the forward, supple elegance of the château while still offering plenty of classic Pauillac depth, structure, and character. Give bottles 5-7 years and enjoy over the following 40+.
Vinous 98 Points
The 2022 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a very sensual, perfumed, floral bouquet with crushed violets and licorice infusing the black fruit. It needs time to really open in the glass, manifesting more underlying graphite scents with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins and quicksilver thread of acidity. It offers the sensuality of this Pauillac Classed Growth with structure and poise, just firming up a little with time, which is not a bad thing. This estate has enjoyed a scintillating run of form in recent years, and this latest bottled vintage shows that there is no end in sight.
