Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande 2000

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, 2eme Grand Cru Classé Pauillac, Bordeaux, 2000 

Grapes: A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc & 10% Petit Verdot, gravel over clay soil, aged 20 months in French oak barrels

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Sitting next to my former colleague, Pierre Antoine Rovani, at one of the tastings, he commented that he didn’t like the striking green note in the aromatics of this wine, which I didn’t detect at all, and a subsequent bottle at another tasting did not reveal it either. I do think there is a hint of bay leaf and a meatiness to it. In short, I find this to be a spectacular Pichon Lalande. Dense purple in color, with loads of coffee, mocha, creme de cassis, and chocolate notes, this is a somewhat unusual blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and a whooping 10% Petit Verdot, with a little bit of Cabernet Franc. The Petit Verdot certainly gives the wine more of a tapenade, floral note, which I think can be interpreted by some as herbal. This is a rich, opulent, stunning Pichon Lalande that is beginning to drink beautifully, yet should continue to improve for at least another 10-15 years and last 30 or more years."

96/100 points, Robert Parker, WINE ADVOCATE, June 2010

"Splash decanted, it took only 20 minutes before all the gorgeous, black currants, chocolate mint, cigar wrapper, tobacco, spice box and cassis to shine through on the nose and palate. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, some tannin remains. The wine finishes with spice, fruit, olives, pepper and herbs. Drink now or wait a decade."

95/100 points, Jeff Leve, THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER, August 2021