Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - Pauillac red Grand Cru Classe 2004

Wine Region: Bordeaux - France (Second Classified Growth)

Grape: Cabernet-Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (12%), Petit Verdot (8%)

Expert Ratings:

94 points Wine Enthusiast

'There is only one question about what is otherwise a magnificent wine—whether the current dominant wood flavors will soften and blend enough. If they do, then the powerful fruit, spice and freshness will all come together in a stellar wine. (RV)' (6/2007)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

'The 2004 Pichon Lalande is a strong effort for the vintage...it exhibits a deep ruby/purple color as well as scents of cocoa, espresso roast, black cherries, and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, opulent, and fleshy, this classic wine cuts a stylistic persona somewhere between the 1995 and 1996. It can be drunk now or cellared for two decades. (RP)'

92 points Wine & Spirits

' The color is deep and concentrated, as is the rich extract that fills the texture of this wine. The aromas hint at currants and violets, though they remain hidden for now. Brisk tannins give it a stony feel. This should develop into a classic. '

90 points James Suckling

'Shows balance and finesse with aromas and flavors of currants and sweet tobacco with fine tannins and a refined, caressing finish. Drink and enjoy. '

About the Winery:

The history of this estate began in 1686, when Pierre de Mazure Rauzan, rich merchant and bourgeois of Bordeaux, bought parcels of vines near the seigniory of Latour and created a vineyard, the Enclos Rauzan. A little later, his daughter receives him as a dowry for his marriage to Jacques François de Pichon Longueville, President of the Parliament of Bordeaux. Thus begins the story of one of the largest vineyards in Bordeaux, kept in the same family for more than 250 years.

In 1855, the quality of the wines was rewarded because the Château reached the rank ofSecond Classified Growth. In those same 1850s, Virginie Comtesse de Lalande took the lead of the estate and asked the Bordeaux architect Duphot for a residence inspired by the Hôtel de Lalande in Bordeaux where her husband had spent his childhood. Her passion for the vineyard as well as the quality of her management make her a remarkable personality who will leave to the domain and style attached to her name.

Unfortunately, after his death, began difficult years marked by a vineyard devastated by powdery mildew, mildew, fraud, then the Great War that dealt a fatal blow to the wine economy. The price of wine is inexorably going down, barely covering operating costs. The heirs of the Countess must then resolve to sell the vineyard and the owners who will follow will thus relentlessly to the revival of the vineyard.

In 2007, it will be the turn of the Champagne House Louis Roederer to ensure the good continuity of this property once again became, since the 1950s, one of the most renowned vintages in the region. In-depth studies of soils and subsoils have resulted in a very precise mapping of the many plots and a better knowledge of the terroir.