2017 Pichon Comtesse

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.

The Grand Vin 2017 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande checks in as a rough blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, with yields a modest 36 hectoliters per hectare. Still again in 60% new French oak, it sports a deep ruby color as well as textbook Cabernet flair in its black and blue fruits, leafy herbs, violets, and building minerality. Hitting 13.1% alcohol, it’s medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless on the palate. It doesn’t have the weight of the 2015 but shines for its incredible purity and precision.

This is a wonderful second wine, and a real success in a vintage where second wines are often punching below their weight. It's rich, plump, floral-edged and above all extremely drinkable. It has a juicy frame and it delivers. A 2% pinch of Petit Verdot adds spice (and is added only after the press wine, the absolute final step to add depth, if needed). They used no secondary fruit at all. This should be good to go in five to six years. Tasted several times.