May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, whom Stephen Brook aptly describes as warm-hearted but imperious, presided over Pichon Lalande for many years after the death of her husband and had a reputation for acting like Chelsea and sacking managers she felt to be underperforming. Under pressure from other shareholders to sell, she finally passed the reins to Champagne Roederer in 2006. But there is continuity. May-Eliane`s nephew, the splendidly named Comte Gildas d`Ollone remains in overall charge of the estate and the wines remain splendid too. Under the new owners, Reserve de la Comtesse looks set to become a permanent addition to that rare group which are not so much second wines as worthy wines in their own right - like Forts de Latour and Clos du Marquis. Indeed, at Pichon, as at Latour and Leoville-Las Cases, there is a third wine, but 2009 is the first vintage where Gildas has found the wine strong enough to release en primeur.
- Origin
- Pauillac, Medoc, Bordeaux FRANCE
- Colour
- red
- Wine Style
- dry
- Dominant Grape
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Closure Style
- cork
- Maturity
- ready
- Bottle Size
- 75cl
- Case Quantity
- 12
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Wine Score
- 90 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, May 2022
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Media Reviews
Neal Martin
The 2009 Reserve de la Comtesse feels unusually primal on the nose with brine-tinged black fruit, touches of graphite but overall it does not come across as particularly finessed. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, a little extracted in style with impressive weight, just lacking a little sophistication towards the finish. That said, it does improve with aeration, gaining necessary clarity after five minutes. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. 90 points
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