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Pichon Comtesse Reserve 2020

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot

This is the popular second wine of Château Pichon Lalande - previously known as Reserve de la Comtesse. There is always a high percentage of Merlot in the blend here which makes the wine soft and easy to drink when young. One of Bordeaux's most popular second labels and on top form in recent vintages.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Label

Tasting Notes

Love the lead pencil, black berry and graphite aromas and flavors with iron shavings. It’s medium- to full-bodied with very fine and polished tannins, that are poised and balanced. Classy. Almost drinkable but better in four or five years.

95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2023

A blend of 47% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is deep garnet-purple in color. It soars with expressive notes of cassis, wild blueberries, and chocolate-covered cherries with exotic hints of cardamom, cumin seed, and star anise. The medium-bodied palate features fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness to support the elegant fruit layers, finishing spicy.

93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, March 2023

Much like the grand vin, the 2020 Resèrve de la Comtesse is charming and polished, bursting with aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals and mint. Medium to full-bodied, suave and enveloping, it will drink well on release.

91
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2023

(47% M, 43% CS, 10% PV; 40% harvest; 30hl/ha)
Closed to smell, but tight and very mineral; rich, vital, finely tannic, a very fine second-wine constitution, in a slighty more austere register for RC; tasting sweet and juicy, very Cabernet Sauvignon despite the dominance of Merlot, but the flesh of the Merlot also clear; both flesh and complexity here, very long and close-grained to taste, dark and vital, and with lovely fragrant persistence. Some way from the aromatic volume of Pichon itself, but so elegant, so complete. A superb-quality second wine, with almost a “grand vin” character. So supple that it is likely to be drinkable fairly early, but will keep for decades. 2026–40+.

92/93
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine, May 2021

Composed of 47% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Reserve de la Comtesse is redolent of cassis, redcurrant jelly and raspberry coulis, plus suggestions of chocolate box, lilacs and stewed tea, with a waft of unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, juicy black fruits with a soft texture and seamless freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. This is a very different style from the grand vin, possessing a more playful, upfront and effortlessly delicious character that truly draws you in! 2024 - 2041

91/93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, May 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.