Pichon Lalande 1993

robert_parker89

Reviewed by: William Kelley

Drunk from magnum, the 1993 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is in its prime today, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet red berry fruit, cigar box, loamy soil and orange rind. Medium-bodied, supple and satiny, with melted tannins, lively acids and fine mid-palate amplitude, it's an immensely charming, judiciously chaptalized middleweight that has aged with grace—and better than anyone could have anticipated. In the sense that this wine was austere when young but also won't be immensely long lived, timing when to open bottles is unusually critical, and readers with the 1993 Pichon Lalande in their cellars should make hay while the sun shines.

robert_parker85

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Dark garnet core with deep brick rim. It has a very earthy, leathery nose with touches of damp moss, wild mushroom and smoke. It certainly lacks fruit intensity but it certainly has a precision to it. The palate is medium-bodied, sharp entry, disjointed with the oak separated from the fabric of the wine. Rather sour on the finish but not as dry as other ’93 clarets have become. It would complement a dinner no doubt, but it is likely to decay over the next 4-5 years. Drink now-2011 Tasted July 2008.

robert_parker85

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Pichon-Lalande's 1993 is not as fruity and soft as I expected. The wine exhibits light to medium body, an herbal, sweet, curranty nose, disjointed, awkward flavors, and an evolved personality with a pervasive greenness to its aromas and flavors. The wine is soft, and thus best consumed over the next 5-6 years.

robert_parker90

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

How good it is to see significant improvement in Pichon-Lalande's 1993 over the unusual, disjointed 1992. Atypically for Pichon, the 1993 does not exhibit any of the fat, fleshy, succulent Merlot character normally found in this wine's personality. The wine appears to be dominated more by Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot. Have the vintage's characteristics made the Merlot component less noticeable? Pichon-Lalande, traditionally among the softest, most seductive, and hedonistic wines from St.-Julien, St.-Estephe, and Pauillac, has taken on more structure, as well as a more classic Pauillac aromatic and flavor profile. I hope it is not trying to emulate the style of its across-the-street neighbor and rival, Pichon-Longueville-Baron. The 1993 Pichon-Lalande is a high class, rich, medium to full-bodied Pauillac with firm structure and a well-delineated personality. It should age well for 12-15+ years.

vinous85

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 1993 Pichon-Lalande is a vintage that I have not tasted for a long time, and this bottle suggests that I haven’t been missing much. It has a raw, rather lean bouquet that feels green, the Cabernet Sauvignon probably not having reached full ripeness. The palate is typical of many Left Bank 1993s, dominated by hard tannin and a hole in the middle where the fruit should be. It is not a terrible wine by a long shot, but it contracts severely toward the finish and leaves a bitter aftertaste. Not this Pauillac Second Growth’s finest hour. Tasted at Noble Rot restaurant in London.