Home > Producer Profiles > Bordeaux Profiles > Château Pichon-Lalande

Château Pichon-Lalande

The early history of Château Pichon-Lalande naturally matches that of its twin sibling, Pichon-Baron, the two having both been created from the great Pichon estate. The estate as a whole dates back to the time of Bernard de Longueville, the son of François de Pichon and Catherine de Bavolier. The family assumed the Barony of Longueville when Bernard married Anne Daffis de Longueville in 1646. Together they had two sons; the first was François, who by marriage took on the Barony of Parempuyre, followed by Jacques, the second son, who married Thérèse de Rauzan, daughter of Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan. It was the line of descendents from Jacques and Thérèse that are most relevant to the history of Pichon-Lalande.

Pichon-Lalande: An Early History

As I describe in my profile of Pichon-Baron, the Rauzan family were not newcomers to viticulture, being well established in Margaux. Thérèse's father, Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan, gave his name a grand estate which, through division under Napoleonic laws of inheritance, has yielded two classed growth châteaux of modern times, Rauzan-Ségla and Rauzan-Gassies. Nevertheless, in 1689 Pierre branched out, casting his gaze northwards to the commune of Pauillac, where he purchased several plots. These vineyards became a dowry for Thérèse, who thus brought them to the Pichon-Longueville family when she married Jacques, and they formed the foundation of the Pichon vineyard. In later years these vineyards were augmented by the exchange of plots of vines with neighbouring Latour, and the wines of the estate quickly developed an excellent reputation second only, at least within the boundaries of the commune, to its more illustrious neighbour.

Jacques died in 1731 and the property was inherited by his son, also named Jacques, and it then passed through two more generations of the Pichon family, Jean-Pierre and then Joseph. Born in 1755, it was Joseph who held tenure during the French Revolution, an upheaval which saw him incarcerated for a short period of time. He was also the last member of the Pichon family who held sway over all the vines, as upon his death the estate was divided between his children, creating the Pichon faux jumeaux that we know today.

Joseph had five children, two sons and three daughters. Of these five offspring, only one of the sons was still alive; this was Raoul, who therefore assumed the title of Baron, and if the practice of primogeniture were still permitted he would have been the natural heir to the entire estate. Under the aforementioned Napoleonic laws, however, the estate could not pass intact to a sole recipient, but instead had to be divided between all possible heirs. And so two shares, including that which would have passed to their late son Louis, came to Raoul, and thus the Pichon-Baron die was cast. The remaining three shares passed to the daughters, these vineyards forming the nexus of Château Pichon-Lalande.

For some time the estate was still managed as a single entity, although following the death of Raoul in 1860 the portion that came to the sisters became increasingly independent, under the direction of one daughter in particular, Marie-Laure-Virginie. Marie-Laure had married Comte Henri de Lalande in 1818, and had thus taken the title of Comtesse de Lalande. No doubt they resided in the recently constructed château (shown above), an attractive design by the celebrated architect Duphot, erected in 1840, which comfortably matches that found at Pichon-Baron in terms of beauty and architectural appeal, even if the overall effect is rather understated in comparison. The property was erected on land purchased from Comte de Beaumont of neighbouring Château Latour, and today it affords a fine view across the vines to its illustrious neighbour, and to the Gironde beyond (as shown further down this page). With the death of her two sisters, Sophie (a nun) and Gabrielle (who married Comte de Laveur), both of whom were childless, Marie-Laure gained exclusive tenure over the whole estate, which was classed as a deuxième cru in the 1855 classification. When she died in 1882, also without an heir, Pichon-Lalande was bequeathed to her niece, Elizabeth de Narbonne-Pelet, who was wedded to another Lalande, Comte Charles. From her it passed into the joint ownership of two daughters, Sophie and Henriette, and on Sophie's death her portion was inherited by her own offspring, of which there were five. Eventually Henriette and Elizabeth's grandchildren subsequently sold the estate, the new owners being a consortium led by Louis and Edouard Miailhe.

Miailhe, Lencquesaing & Rouzaud

The Miailhe family started out as brokers and négociants, having arrived in the region in the 18th century. In the early 20th century, however, they branched out to purchase properties of their own, starting with Coufran in 1924. Subsequently they acquired Siran, Verdignan, Citran (subsequently sold on to the Merlaut-Villars family) and Soudars, but their greatest acquisition was without doubt Pichon-Lalande. As part of the consortium they owned 55% of the estate. Following the death of Edouard in 1959 these properties were distributed amongst his descendents, the Miailhe section of the Pichon-Lalande vineyard being managed initially by William-Alain Miailhe. He resigned in 1972 following what can only be described as irreconcilable differences with some of the minor shareholders controlling the other 45%, and from 1975 to 1978 the estate was managed by Michel-Delon of Léoville-Las-Cases. It was only in 1978 that the estate passed to Edouard's youngest daughter, May-Eliane. May-Eliane had been married to the late General Hervé de Lencquesaing, and had as a consequence been away from Bordeaux for many years. As a result she had paid scant attention to the property. Nevertheless, upon taking control, she acted quickly; her first act was to buy out four of the other associates, thus acquiring 84% of the stock in the property. She was also responsible for a great number of new developments at the estate, starting with new staff, bringing in nephew Gildas d'Ollone to manage the estate, and Thomas Dô Chi Nam to make the wine. The cellars were extended and filled with new stainless steel equipment, before entirely new facilities were added to the estate in 1986. That they could make these changes was down to May-Eliane's majority ownership, and this position of authority was maintained until very recently. And in the decades that have passed since May-Eliane assumed control the quality of the wines has rocketed, and these wines are testament to the time and effort she invested in the estate.

Nevertheless time waits for no man (or woman) and with her advancing age, and the lack of an obvious single heir, it was perhaps natural that Madame de Lencquesaing should look for outside investment in Pichon-Lalande. Under current legislation, inheritance taxes - which like the abolition of primogeniture date back to the time of Napoleon - could easily force the family into selling the estate if it were to be divided between the numerous members of the next generation. The frontrunner throughout the negotiations appeared to be the Hermès family, who still owned the Parisian fashion house of the same name. But then in a surprise announcement in 2007 it was revealed that Pichon-Lalande had been acquired by none other than the Rouzaud family of Roederer, the family acquiring a majority share of the estate, as well as ownership of Château Bernadotte, another property owned by the Lencquesaing family. Despite this change of ownership May-Eliane's legacy did live on at Pichon-Lalande for some time in the shape of her nephew, Gildas d'Ollone. With new investment from the Rouzauds Gildas, a warm and approachable individual who I had the pleasure of meeting in early 2009, was able to deploy more of his team in the vineyard, paying greater attention to the detail of the vines.

There was no great upheaval with the arrival of the Rouzauds, not like that seen with the arrival of May-Eliane. Nevertheless changes have been made. Another visit to the property in early 2011 showed some small-scale renovation was underway, although nothing on the scale of that seen up and down the Médoc as the profits of recent vintages - sold at the highest prices ever seen in Bordeaux - were ploughed back into local infrastructure. Perhaps the biggest development was the appointment of Sylvie Cazes as director of the estate, replacing Gildas d'Ollone. Sylvie, younger sister to Jean-Michel Cazes who once managed Pichon-Baron just across the road, has an impressive curriculum vitae which more than qualifies her for the job. She may have started out as an English teacher, but after joining her brother at Lynch-Bages, ultimately taking up a position on the board of directors, she also sits on the Bordeaux City Council and in 2008 she was also elected the first female president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. In taking on the role of director at Pichon-Lalande she also assumed responsibility for the entire Rouzaud portfolio in Bordeaux, encompassing not only the aforementioned Bernadotte, but also Château de Pez, Château Haut-Beauséjour and the little known Château Réaut la Gravière. Somehow I think she will take all this in her stride.

The Pichon Vineyard and Wines

Sylvie Cazes has control over 89 hectares of vines, mostly in the commune of Pauillac although there are also some in St Julien, and as recently as 1959 there were some bottles labelled as AC Pauillac and others AC St Julien (the wine, apparently, was the same regardless). During May-Eliane's tenure the vineyard expanded considerably, from an area of about 40 hectares as she took control to the size it is today. A major acquisition was made in the late 1960s with the purchase of 10 hectares of Pauillac vines situated between Pichon-Baron, Latour, Batailley and Haut-Bages-Libéral, whereas another 5 hectares came to the estate when they were purchased by Delon during his relatively brief stewardship.

The major part of the vineyard, a not-quite-unbroken 65-hectare block, is situated to the west and south of Pichon-Baron, on the opposite side of the D2 which runs through the village. This plot includes 11 hectares of vines which cross the communal boundary and thus lie within the St Julien appellation. What happens to the fruit from these vines is unclear; accepted wisdom seems to be that they are blended into the wines of Pichon-Lalande, contributing to some extent to the style of the grand vin. Nevertheless, that conclusion isn't borne out by wines such as the St Julien de Pichon-Lalande which would suggest they are bottled as a distinct cuvée; my tasting note on the 2003 is further down the page. As for the vines which surround the château and run down to the Gironde, as shown in the image above, these almost all belong to Latour rather than Pichon-Lalande. There are several other more distantly located vineyards which contribute to the Pichon-Lalande total though, including a 12-hectare plot close to that owned by Pichon-Baron to the west at Ste-Anne; as is the case with Pichon-Baron these wines are usually destined for the second wine. There are also 9 hectares further north which were acquired when May-Eliane purchased Château Bernadotte.

With particular reference to the central core of vineyards which constitutes the greatest part of the grand vin, underfoot the soils are typical Gunzian gravels over a deeper clay and some very deep limestone and sandstone. The vines are 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, an impressive 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. This rather hearty contribution from Merlot is down to the Miailhe brothers who planted this variety in abundance. Today though, with more reliable warmth and better ripening conditions through the growing season in most vintages, Cabernet Sauvignon is fairing better (and Merlot worse), and the wine of Pichon-Lalande tends to feature a much higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than the 45% found in the vineyard.

The fruit is harvested by hand usually by a team of workers who travel over from Andalusia every year, before being destemmed and crushed, and then fermented in a selection of 33 temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, with a cuvaison usually lasting between 18 and 24 days during which the cap is submerged by pumping over. As the year draws to a close, the Pichon team including consulting oenologists Jacques Boissenot and Hubert de Boüard (the latter best known for his extended and highly successful tenure of Angélus) earmark the wines for the grand vin, Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande (to give it its full title), or the second wine, Réserve de la Comtesse. The latter may account typically for 20-50% of the entire production, and in addition some wines, particularly those from young vines, are excluded completely. The grand vin goes into Allier and Nièvre oak, 50% new each vintage, for a period of up to 18 months, the second wine sees 25% new oak. There is a racking every three months, and a fining with egg white prior to bottling usually during the month of June two years after the harvest.

Now it would not be true to say that I have acquaintances that would sell their a kidney for a case of Pichon-Lalande (although sometimes I have wondered whether they might), but certainly I have met many who hold the wines of this particular Pichon in very high regard. And rightly so. For the last few decades the wines have been some of the most consistent in Bordeaux, with only the occasional blip, although admittedly that can sometimes be in a perfectly adequate vintage when one might have expected better. Equally, however, there are lesser vintages when the team at Pichon-Lalande have turned out an excellent wine against the odds, with the 1991 being a prime example. Certainly the wines are distinctive, sometimes exotic, and very frequently of high quality. They can on occasion be spotted in blind tastings based on these characteristics. More importantly, they are fabulous to savour at home, with food, when they shine. Pichon-Lalande has long held a valid claim for the title of super-second, alongside the likes of Léoville-Las-Cases and Ducru-Beaucaillou. Very recent vintages, tasted en primeur or at two years just after bottling, show that this level of quality has been maintained. The 1996 is wonderful, a majestic example of what is a great vintage for the left bank. And with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon it was a herald for great vintages to come, richer in this variety than those vintages that had gone before. This is a property where, if your wallet can take the strain, you may usually - aside from one or two notable failures in vintages where this estate could have done much better, such as 1990 and perhaps also 2005 based on my experiences, reported below - buy with confidence. (6/3/07, updated 23/9/09, 8/6/11)

Contact details:
Address: 33250 Pauillac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 59 19 40
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 59 29 78
Internet: www.pichon-lalande.com
GPS: 45.175784, -0.749484

Château Pichon-Lalande - Tasting Notes

Click to locate stockists.

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2010: The harvest here brought in 40 hl/ha overall, and the final blend for the grand vin is Cabernet Sauvignon 66%, Merlot 24%, Cabernet Franc 7% and Petit Verdot 3%. The alcohol is 13.6%, the pH 3.7 and IPT 73. The wine has a vibrant purple hue with a crimson rim. A seductive red fruit aroma here, tinged with a little black plum and damson. Quite feminine in style, aromatic, beautifully perfumed. A very restrained style in the mouth, showing a stony definition at first, not as seductive as the nose perhaps suggested, here showing a gentle and harmonious style with perfumed red fruits sitting over fine-grained tannins. Very attractive and composed, elegant, but with an appealing if rather linear style here. Very polished in the end, entrancing and composed. And a good grip to the finish too. Lots of finesse here. Maybe I should score this a little higher? From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 17.5-18.5/20 (April 2011)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2009: An exotic, lightly spiced nose that is redolent of the Pichon vintages of old that I loved. It has fruit freshness and perfume, but also suggests a certain spice and substance and depth. A supple start on the palate, and then the fruit is lifted by a balanced texture and gentle substance coming in underneath, showing a fine grip. And then, in the finish, the tannins finally show their face, ripe and fine-grained, with a long, spicy finish. A very restrained and elegant, dare I say feminine character here. This is a great Pichon-Lalande. From a tasting of 2009 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5/20 (October 2011)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2009: A good vibrant hue here, with a bluish tinge at the rim. Dark, concentrated, spicy fruit with a nice, gritty style. There is both purity and depth here, but also fruit complexity. The composition on entry is quite fine, and underneath there is a velvety coat of tannins, big and ripe. Quite harmonious though, elegantly composed, with a good spark of acidity too. Pichon-Lalande is sometimes accused of missing the boat on great vintages - as with 1990 and 2005 - but on the basis of this wine - admittedly nothing more than an early barrel sample - that doesn't appear to be the case in 2009. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (March 2010)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2008: A softer nose than the Pichon-Baron, a more feminine style I think, perhaps suggesting a more silky quality to the fruit. It does seem to come across a little hot on the nose though. Rather boldly structured on the palate as well, the wine presenting a really hard outer shell to penetrate here. There are some interesting elements of perfume to it but they seem hidden behind a sooty structure and a big wall of tannin at the moment. It does seem rather austere for the château on the palate in contrast to the seductive elements found on the nose. I don't find this as convincing as I did en primeur when I thought it showed very well. It may just not be showing so well today; I will leave a note of uncertainty in my score and I will reassess in the future. From a tasting of 2008 Bordeaux at two years of age. 15.5-16.5+?/20 (October 2010)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2008: Harvest here began on September 29th, and the wine is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Dense and perfumed aromas here, evocative, suggestive of dark, almost crystalline cherry fruit. Pure and elegant to start, linear and softly perfumed, clearly very primary but will substance and an elegant, supple composition. An impressive wine with good extract and balance. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (April 2009)

Reserve de la Comtesse (Pauillac) 2008: The second wine of Pichon-Lalande, this is 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Nicely perfumed, this is elegant and open, with warm dark fruit and a little smoke. Cool and reserved on the palate, with good backbone. Rounded, polished, slightly reserved texture, with good, crisp fruit character. Midpalate grip too, and a nice vibrancy. A good second wine. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2009)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2007: An appealing depth of fruit on the nose, slightly sandy at the edges, but the overall style is one of fresh, bright, lightly perfumed red fruits, with cedary overtones, elegant but convincing. The palate is rather cold and solid, than it relaxes a little in the middle, where it feels broad and lightly stony, with a supple but tense composition. Rather grippy and lightly chewy in the finish, features which certainly suggest some potential. Overall, elegant but with a solid and stony foundation. This will be very pretty with time I think. From a 2007 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 16/20 (November 2011)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2007: Quite a pure set of aromas on the nose here, stylishly poised, with a little nutty oak. A moderate texture on the palate, with some substance to it. Moderate extract and acidity, fresh, with black cherry fruit. This certainly has some appeal, and may benefit from a short time in the cellar. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16+/20 (October 2009)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2006: Dense and quite rich crimson. Bright and expressive in the nose, a hot and dense concentration of flavour to it, suggestions of roasted fruits. The palate has a very welcome substance, a sweet and concentrated core of polished but warm and comely fruit at the core, around that an elegant drapery of texture with a lightly gritty substance, with a well-formed tannic backbone and fine acidity. The nose really is enticing. A really strong effort from Pichon-Lalande with all the polish you would expect from such an estate. Very impressive. From a 2006 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17.5+/20 (November 2010)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2006: A reserved, subtle, well judged nose, although with a wealth of fruit hiding within. Plums, blackberries and more to be found here. Very elegant, supple, well composed, with a creamy texture. The tannins build through the palate although it maintains its elegant composition. Lovely forest fruit flavours. An elegant wine. From a tasting of 2006 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17.5+/20 (October 2008)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2005: A slightly sweet, toasty, marshmallow element to the nose here, with an element of cooked fruit here too. Rather leaner than expected on the palate, rather stony too. There is a nice substance, a slightly chewy-juicy feel, although it has rather a confected, sweet fruit character which is certainly less appealing. Quite firmly composed in terms of structure, and very dominated by tannins on the second taste. I find this tasting disappointing - I have previously been impressed by this wine at two years of age. What's happened here? Is this wine just having a bad day, or is it something more than that? In view of these concerns I returned to the wine later in the day, in order to taste from a fresh bottle. My opinion, however, was unchanged. I can only hope that this is an awkward moment for this wine, otherwise Bordeaux savants with cases of Pichon-Lalande in their cellar might well be disappointed. A conservative ranged score here. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 15.5-16.5+?/20 (November 2009)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2005: A beautifully pure, dense, summer fruit nose here, elegant, but showing vigour. This is a real delight on the palate; harmonious, elegant and composed, showing a lot of vigour, direction and elegance, There is a slight fleshiness to the texture, with fresh, lifting acidity and beautifully hidden tannins. This is very fine indeed and has superb potential. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 19+/20 (October 2007)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2004: This has a very flash character on the nose, with dense, claretty, damsony fruit very nicely integrated with almost creamy oak. This is exotic and very appealing. The palate is creamy, gently composed, nicely integrated, fine, broad and supple. Notes of spiced oak can be seen beneath the brightly defined fruit. This is a gorgeous and very flattering style of wine, which has a long, fading finish. This is great. From a 2004 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17.5+/20 (November 2008)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2004: A delightfully seductive nose, enticing with a sensual fruit quality. Textured, silkily composed, seamless in style, this is lovely. It shows more substance and grip through the midpalate. Fine depth on the whole. This is beautifully composed and it holds plenty of potential. This could be excellent with time. 17.5+/20 (February 2008)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2004: A dark, youthful claret hue with a vibrant pink rim. The nose is dripping with fruit, fruit and fruit. Certainly just as appealing as in October, although with more cherry and less raspberry. Very pure, with a good presence. Not over fleshy or flashy. Vigorous, with a good tannic backbone. Flavoursome, grippy, classically composed. An under-rated vintage, this wine needs ten years, perhaps fifteen, in order to show its best. 17.5+/20 (February 2007)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2004: Oh my - this has a wonderfully expressive nose, full of perfumed fruit, highly spiced raspberry and blackberry aromas presented in a sexy, seductive fashion. Beautifully balanced, with a firm presence of nicely poised tannins, well coated with fruit and an elegant, gliding texture. Fresh and flavoursome, this is a wine with a very admirable style. From a Bordeaux 2004 UGC tasting. 17.5+/20 (October 2006)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2003: A great nose here, of intense, dark fruits swirled with raspberry compote, tinged with cashew nuts. But it is seductive and restrained rather than slutty. Lovely, creamy, raspberry scented fruit, fine elegance and texture. Beautifully structured, supple and well put together. Nut and toffee influenced finish. In parts, quite gorgeous. A success! From a Bordeaux 2003 UGC tasting. 18+/20 (October 2005)

Réserve de la Comtesse (Pauillac) 2003: A little glossy, not so deeply coloured as you might expect. It still shows rather a lot of oak, and it has a slightly meaty spice, but with a nice, plummy, confit cherry fruit complexity. On the palate it is moderately rich, a touch flashy, but not over the top. It has a quite supple and soft texture, although it is fairly well defined. A well composed, ripe, peppery style with a creamy midpalate. This is well knit together with a nice little grip on the finish. Approachable now, but will improve. 16.5+/20 (February 2007)

St Julien de Château Pichon-Lalande (St Julien) 2003: A wine made from the 11 hectares of vines which stray over the communal boundary into St Julien. The wine has a very dark colour, with a glossy concentration right out to the rim, showing the deep, matt shades of a wine in very early maturity, but without any real move away from its red-black hue. The nose is very seductive, a theme which can be found running throughout this wine, with plenty of dark and toasty black cherry fruit along with elements of fresh coffee grounds. Despite its warm and ripe character (reflecting the vintage) there is still a fine, green peppercorn edge to it as well. On the palate a very welcoming texture, plush and svelte although still with an elegant poise. The tannins are ripe and fine-grained, and provide a subtle backbone, well-hidden behind the plush fruit. There is depth and complexity of flavour laid on top, an element of roasted fruit in keeping with the vintage, but also more savoury elements, spiced and grilled meats. The finish is caressing, the character slightly sweet but still well poised, and it is very long. Approachable now with a decant, although it is very primary at present, and it is certainly still on the way up. The only truly negative element - accepting that some will find the fruit character and texture displeasing, although I don't - is the low level of soft acidity, giving this a very fleshy, flashy rather than direct or defined style. That's just 2003, of course. Still delicious though! For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (June 2010)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 2002: A remarkably dark hue in the decanter, deep and claretty, certainly no suggestion of maturity from the colour at least. And this first impression translates through onto the nose and palate, which is also painfully youthful. On the nose it is tight and rather ungiving, showing a rather distant pencil-lead fruit with the suggestion of a stony, violet perfume. Although the wine 'feels' very dark, like peering into a gloomy cave, what nuances of fruit it has does possess a rather lifted and chalky red-fruit character which certainly holds some promise. But the palate is really where it slaps you in the face. Moderate in body at best, coffee-tinged, with bright and acidic fruit, this is a wine that looks upon you with disdain for even to daring to approach it so soon. It will be very enjoyable one day I think, but for now this is one to leave well alone to slumber in the cellar, for five years at least. And sadly it took two bottles to discover this; the first was corked (and seemed rather more open and advanced than this one behind the taint). Fine potential. From a tasting of 2002 Bordeaux. 16-17/20 (February 2011)

Réserve de la Comtesse (Pauillac) 2001: A fairly deep hue for a 'lesser' vintage. The fruit has subsided here, this wine now being six years old. There are emerging secondary characteristics, with some gentle sandalwood and a little tobacco, edging towards a little green peppercorn. It starts off lean on the palate, but develops a nice flesh through the midpalate, and there is a little grip behind it. Nice, fading fruit. Balanced and elegant, and attractive with it. Perhaps missing a little concentration, but still eminently drinkable. 16+/20 (February 2007)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1996: A fine concentration of colour here, right out to the rim. A very fine nose. The fine, pure Cabernet fruit that makes this such a great vintage for the left bank is still showing a little primary character, but less so now, with more secondary elements coming through. It is still pure, though, and vigorous with some smoky, iron and cedar notes. Slightly aloof at first on the palate, showing a lot of structure through the midpalate, although it does flesh out. A touch creamy, with grip aplenty. This is very stylish, and brimming with great promise. Right now it can be appreciated for this, but it will be an immensely greater wine in ten years time. 18.5+/20 (February 2007)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1994: Dark, deeply coloured, mature. An impressive nose, loaded with a super-sweet depth of smoky, meaty, blackcurrant nose. The palate keeps up appearances, with a wealth of big, sweet, glossy, creamy and textured fruit. Very accessible, voluptuous, although with a tannic backbone. Exotic. Balanced. Absolutely gorgeous wine. Approachable now, but with a little tannin still showing in the finish as well this has room for improvement yet. From a Bordeaux 1994 tasting. 18+/20 (July 2004)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1993: This has much more colour than the last wine. A lovely nose - pencil lead, cedar and spice-edged black fruits. Very dry on the palate, very savoury, a wonderful foil for the food. Aromatic. Full, elegant rather than opulent or creamy, with integrated tannins. Very classic. From a 1993 vintage tasting, ten years on. 16.5/20 (December 2003)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1991: Here's a beautifully coloured dark, mahogany red wine, with a nose redolent of smoke, cedar, pencil-lead - a classic Pauillac nose. The palate is elegant and structured, with wonderful tannins, balanced acidity, and superbly restrained berry fruit. This is brilliant stuff, with great quality and character of fruit. From a 1991 vintage tasting, ten years on. 18/20 (December 2001)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1990: A fascinating wine to taste in view of the drubbing this received from Parker. From a magnum, opened and decanted, and then tasted during the course of one evening. Still plenty of red pigment to this wine, no real convincing sign of maturity here, although there is a little dustiness to it. The nose has some fruit elements still, so this doesn't seem advanced (as the colour suggested), and of course the format may have had some impact on that. What non-fruit elements there are here include a blend of classic Bordeaux tea leaf and rust, but also some less common gamey, roast-meat characteristics. Good substance on the palate, full and with a little sweetness to it, certainly a very appealing texture, this is a maturing wine that has not lost its substance. Good structure here in fact, slightly gritty tannins, fresh acids, although the flavours within are tinged with little elements of roast ham and bacon which were suggested on the nose, dusted with cherries and cranberries. They're not actually unattractive, just not what I was expecting. In terms of presence I like this - there is texture, sappy acidity and tannins with a lightly chewy edge. But there is also a sense that it is a little stripped out; where is the exuberant and exotic character that we should expect from a wine produced by a second-growth Pauillac estate, in a great vintage, from a well-stored magnum at twenty years? It isn't here. Fortunately I think the structure is so convincing I do think there is more to come from this wine yet, in this format at least. Having said that, with roasted beef it showed more classic style, the tea leaf and rusty iron more prominent. Overall it drank really rather well. It is remarkable to think, however, that I have previously scored the 1991 higher than this. From a 1990 vintage twenty years on tasting. 16.5/20 (December 2010)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1988: It's stretching a point to list Mme Lencquesaing as winemaker, but do we really need an excuse to drink Pichon? Obviously much more mature than the other wines here. Mature aromas, meaty, inky, slightly vegetal. Seductive. Medium bodied, more vegetal-meaty fruit. Fully integrated, ready now, and very fine balance with it. Gorgeous.  From a Female Winemakers tasting. 17/20 (January 2005)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1987: Just a little sediment despite decanting. This obviously mature wine now displays a fading, mature hue. The nose is not particularly open or expressive despite having been decanted. It has a gentle meatiness, with a stony-seashell crispness and a touch of iron. The palate has some appeal, although it lacks finesse and never really flatters the taster with anything of substance. A touch lean, acidic, almost disappearing on the midpalate, and rather short on the finish. To be honest it is rather short on pleasure too. From the 2007 CIVB tasting. 13.5/20 (October 2007)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1983: Mature hue. Smoky, meaty, coffee-toffee nose. Ripe, intriguing, superb. What a seductive and sexy palate; luscious plumpness, with spice and fruitcake and chocolate-smothered plums. Ripe, full, and so drinkable. This is gorgeous - it has Pichon written all over it. Should drink well for another five or six years at least. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 18/20 (February 2005)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1983: Another darkly coloured wine. A wonderful nose, which is intense and powerful, inviting one to taste. Aromas of dark fruit and minerals, with chocolate, mocha and even a touch of toffee. Powerful, rich and sweetly textured on the palate, but still with fine, crisp, mineral-edged fruit. Again, wonderfully balanced acidity. Fantastic stuff. From a 1983 vintage tasting, twenty years on. 18.5/20 (April 2003)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1983: A moderately intense mahogany-purple hue. A superb, classic, smoky, pencil lead mature claret nose that sings Pichon-Lalande. The palate is fruit-laden, with toffee notes and a superbly textured, creamy body. The tannins are integrating and there is lovely, balanced acidity. Finishes beautifully, with length. Absolutely lovely wine. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 18/20 (November 2000)

Château Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1975: An obviously mature hue. Amusingly the Pichon-Lalande website suggests this should have been drunk up by 1998. Mature and macerated fruit, with a slightly meaty character, iron-like notes, but fresh, with some tobacco and garden mint greenness. This is holding up well on the palate, whereas I think many wines of this vintage are now dried out, tannic ghosts of their former selves. This still has some flesh, with an impressive creamy roundness to the midpalate. Delicious, and still with a little lick of tannin on the finish. À pointe. 18/20 (February 2007)