1996 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 1×1.5L

Robert Parker 97

The 1996 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is really beginning to drink with style, wafting from the glass with an inviting nose of blackberries, cassis, cherries, rich soil tones, Cuban cigar and subtle hints of mint and bergamot. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with an expansive, sumptuous core of fruit that’s underpinned by ripe acids and ripe, powdery virile tannins, it concludes with a long, penetrating and sapid finish. This unusually Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated vintage was tightly wound for its first two decades, but as time passes it’s the chateau signature that’s dominating the cepagement. It’s one of the wines of the vintage in 1996. [William Kelley, 27/12/2021]

Anticipated maturity: 2016-2056