Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2025 Pauillac 2e Grand Cru Classé - OWC6

The Wine Cellar Insider
98-100 punten
The intense floral bouquet kicks off the nose before getting to all of its cigar wrappers, blackberries, cocoa, cassis, chocolate, black cherries, and gentle spices in the aromas. As good as that is, the palate steals the show with its opulent, showy display of sweet, silky, perfectly ripe berries, with touches of cocoa, and sea salt. The intense finish is long, velvety, and vibrant. In short, everything is exactly where it should be. Due to its creamy nature, the wine can be enjoyed young. But it can age for 30-40 years easily. With 2025, the top three things to keep track of was staying focused and ready to pick once the grapes achieved their ideal ripeness was imperative. Picking the Merlot al dente was another key factor. Lastly, being patient for the Cabernet Sauvignon to achieve full, phenolic ripeness sealed the deal. In the cellars, less pump overs early in the fermentation, followed by an infusion of the berries was another key point. The wine blends 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. 13% ABV. 3.7 pH. The harvest took place August 28 - September 24. This is the earliest start to a harvest in the history of Pichon Lalande. Yields were a paltry 24 hectoliters per hectare. Only 55% of the harvest went into the Grand Vin. The wine is aging in 65% new, French oak barrels. Drink from 2032-2070.

Falstaff
99 punten
Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate spicy notes, dark cherries, ripe blackberry confit, some nougat, fine precious wood spice. Juicy, complex, fine extract sweetness, ripe tannins, shows great charm, freshly structured, heart cherries, lingers for a long time, sure maturity potential, very seductive style.

Jeb Dunnuck
97-99 punten
Pure cassis, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and graphite all emerge from the 2025 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, has a flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and an incredible finish. The balance, length, complexity, and pure class here are exceptional. It hit 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.7 and an IPT of 73. Hats off to director Nicolas Glumineau for another absolutely sensational Comtesse!

James Suckling
97-98 punten
A bight and vivid red with so much perfume. Aromas of black currants and violets that follow through to a medium body with fine, linear tannins that are long and very refined. Tannin-driven but caressing. Racy and elegant, with structure. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 4% cabernet franc.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous
96-98 punten
The 2025 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a total stunner. A wine of depth and intensity, it soars out of the glass with layers of nuance and complexity. The 2025 has it all: aromatics, fruit density and structure to match. Pichon Comtesse is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage.

Decanter
97 punten
What a stunning Pichon Comtesse. A salty element on the nose, fragrant blackcurrant. Ripe and softly fleshy, this fills the mouth straight away with the most gorgeous juicy, rich and also cool tannins that are so comforting. Accomplished winemaking where every element adds to the overall impression. Long, muscular but sinewy too. Just a simply gorgeous wine. Almost lightly framed, saline-edged tannins, a grip to the liquorice, cola, mint and crushed stones. Pauillac through and through but with energy, focus and clear detail. Ageing will surely elongate the expression and give depth. A yield of 24hl/ha.

Neal Martin, Vinous
95-97 punten
The 2025 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from August 28, the earliest ever, finishing on September 23, matured in 66% new oak, the rest one-year-old. It has a taut and linear nose, very classic in style, graphite/pencil lead scents that permeate the black fruit. Beautiful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. A little more structured and austere than the more Merlot-driven vintages of old. Yet as it unfurls in the glass, it reveals the level of sophistication and precision you now come to expect from this Pauillac Second Growth. At 13.1% alcohol, this is lower than other recent vintages.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown
96 punten
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande strides confidently out of the glass with classic notes of cassis, ripe, fresh plums, and wild blueberries, followed by hints of lilacs, pencil shavings, and tilled soil with a touch of crushed rocks. The palate is wonderfully graceful with tight-knit black fruit and floral layers, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It has a pH of 3.7 with a TPI of 73 and the alcohol is 13%.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
96 punten
Expands through the palate from beginning to end, raspberry puree, blackberry, loganberry, crushed rocks and bitter black chocolate, wrapped up in smoky coffee beans. Excellent build and architecture, has tension and grip, with a mouthwatering finish, and delivers a joyful expression of the vintage. 73 IPT. Cabernet Sauvignon only for the press wine. Harvest began August 28 (earliest on record) until September 24. 52% 1st wine, 48% Réserve. 3.7 pH. Harvest August 28 to September 24.

Wine Advocate
94-96 punten
The 2025 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is showing well, opening in the glass with notes of cassis, blackberries, cigar wrapper and iris, becoming more fragrant with aeration. Medium- to full-bodied, deep and layered, with plenty of powdery tannin that asserts itself on the youthfully structured finish, it's a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Jancis Robinson
17/20 punten
Deep crimson. Extremely refined aroma of black fruit and lead pencils, pure blackcurrant and a nicely dusty-stony overlay, like crushed stones. Elegant, chalky-fine tannins. This has great finesse and could be approached in relative youth. It doesn’t seem to be particularly powerful but I think it is there behind the beguiling finesse.