2017 Chateau Pichon-Comtesse de Lalande - 2ème Cru Classé Pauillac

Decanter.com – 94 pts – SA: *Smooth textured with fine-grained tannins, ripe cassis, silky red berry and cherry fruit and creamy oak. This is charming and quite forward, with graphite, toast, chocolate and inky unfolding layers. Elegant, tending towards mid-weight, it is a seductive Pauillac; lithe yet with backbone.* - 11/2022

Falstaff Magazin - 92 pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, ein Hauch wie von amerikanischem Holz, zart nach Dill, schwarze Beerenfrucht, feines Rioja-Bukett. Straff, gute Komplexität, dunkle Beerenfrucht, extraktsüßer Kern, integrierte Tannine, gute Länge, salzige Nuancen im Finale, gutes Entwicklungspotenzial, etwas monolithisch.* - 05/2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 94-96pts - LPB: *This barrel sample is 100% new oak, whereas the final blend will be only 60% new oak. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is very deep garnet-purple color with an incredibly fragrant nose of roses, lavender and baking spices over a core of crushed blackcurrants, wild blueberries and fresh plums plus touches of iron ore and underbrush. Medium-bodied and elegant with firm, grainy tannins, it’s quite taut and muscular, with lots of perfumed and mineral layers and a long finish with lingering cinnamon and anise notes.* -04/2018

Vinum Magazin – 18,5/20 pts: *Ein Paradebespiel an Sinnlichkeit, Raffinesse, Kraft und Fülle; erstklassiges Tannine, grosse Länge; (noch) ein hervorragend gelungener, durch und durch verführerischer Klassiker.*

Weinwisser - 19,5/20 pts - GL, TW: *Undurchsichtiges Purpur. Was für ein royales Bouquet nach frisch gepflückten Alpenheidelbeeren, betörende rote Rosen, Cassis satt gepaart mit dunklen Schokotrüffeln. Im zweiten Ansatz Lakritze, Schattenmorellen und Rosmarin. Am eleganten Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, kakaoartige perfekt stützende Tannine und reifer Extraktsüsse. Im gebündelten Finale ein Feuerwerk mit Brombeeren, exotischen Hölzern und Holundergelee. Die grandiose Präzision und der unbändige Ehrgeiz von Nicolas Glumineau ist hier von Anfang bis zum Ende zu spüren und zeigt deutlich, wie gut ein 2017er sein kann. Chapeau!* - 04/2020

Wine Spectator - 92-95pts - JM: *The 2017 Pichon Lalande grand vin is a beauty in the making, with layersof dark fig, currant and blackberry fruit that arelush in feel, backed by a serious graphite spine that adds an authoritative feel through the finish. Lovely black tea, sweet tobacco and tar nuances fill in throughout. There’s serious range and drive here.* -03/2018

JancisRobinson.com - 18+/20 pts - JR: *70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in oak (60% new). Deep, blackish garnet. Quite intriguing minerally nose. Neat, well-balanced, confident, quite dry wine. Fine tannins much in evidence. Light char with some sweetness. Relatively light-bodied. Quite subtle and fresh. Improved in the glass. Subtle and saline. Is this the Léoville Barton?* -11/2022

JamesSuckling.com - 95-96pts - JS: *This is a really fascinating young Pichon Lalande with a dense center palate of currants, crushed stones, salt and seashells. Really long and intense. Wonderful energy. Showing character of some of the top years of the 1980s. *-04/2018

Vinous.com – 94 pts – AG: *The 2017 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a dark, powerful, somber Pauillac. Dark fruit, grilled herbs, smoke and licorice add to its distinctly brooding personality. In multiple tastings the 2017 has been incredibly tight and shut down. Readers will have to be especially patient. Estate Director Nicolas Glumineau has overseen a number of showy, majestic wines since he arrived at Pichon Comtesse in 2013. The 2017 appears to be cut from a different cloth, as it is incredibly reticent in the early going.* - 12/2019

WineEnthusiast - 95-97pts - RV: *Certainly a fine wine, this has ripe tannins that are balanced by the fine, black fruits. With its smoky and black currant character, it has the structure for aging, as well as the attractive fruitiness of the vintage. Drink from 2024.* -04/2018

Vinous.com - 94 pts - NM: *The 2017 Pichon-Lalande has closed down a little on the nose since it was bottled late June. But it is still very well defined, quite Cabernet-influenced with cedar and graphite aromas emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It is a very lithe Pichon-Lalande that in some ways harks back to the fleshier vintages of the past. There is something "sedate" and self-effacing about this 2017, and that is meant in a good way. Harmonious, refined, almost effortless and probably medium rather than long-term drinking.* - 02/2020

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 97 pts – JL: *Showing a virtuous depth of color, the wine opens with notes of lead pencil, truffle, smoke, tobacco leaf, vanilla and dark red fruits. The tannins are silky, polished, salty and creamy. The wine is full bodied, velvety and long, delivering complexity, sweetness and length. This a very sensuous wine that comes from blending 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine reached 13.1% ABV with a pH of 3.78. The harvest took place from September 7, ending October 1.* - 04/2018