Wine Advisor
Pichon Lalande 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2005 Pichon Lalande, with its aromatics of cassis, forest floor and earth are followed by a medium-bodied wine that doesn’t have quite the length and richness the aromatics suggest. Nevertheless, it is medium-bodied, elegant, and pure, and a classic example for this château. Drink it now as well as over the next 15 or so years. It is showing better than my earlier notes suggest.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This estate has been sold to the Louis Roederer/Deutz champagne firm, but it appears the winemaking team will largely remain intact. Only 50% of the production made it into the 2005, a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. While not in the same league as Pichon Lalande’s greatest efforts (2003, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1986, 1983, and 1982), it is a lighter-styled, more linear, slightly herbaceous yet impeccably elegant wine offering notes of cedar, black currants, and plums. Medium-bodied and fresh, with moderately high tannin, it seems to be an improved version of the estate’s 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted twice in a week, the Pichon-Lalande 2005 is a lovely, ripe wine that might not possess the thrust or the structure of its peers and yet it is just a delicious wine. The nose here is still young, almost nubile, perhaps with a New World sheen that will ebb away with time. Precocious wild strawberry, plum and raspberry notes gather pace with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and perhaps a little glossier than I recall. It is very well balanced with supple red berry fruit, quite succulent and very pure on the fleshy finish that displays ample length. Lovely. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted February 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A deep garnet hue. It has a very seductive nose, quite intense with blackberries, raspberry, limestone and just a hint of oyster shells. Kinda like a Left Bank Angelus (!) Exceptional definition. The palate is full-bodied with an immense structure and power, quite masculine for Pichon Lalande with the Cabernet showing more of its austere, cedar-infused character than out of barrel. It has entrancing length and precision. Off-dry, quite “classic” on the finish but this is only a puppy. This very pure, wonderfully balanced wine lingers seductively in the mouth. Drink 2010-2035. Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Fine Wine Experience’s Pichon-Lalande vertical in London. A deep garnet core, very clear. It still has that lovely pure nose of blueberry, cassis, boysenberry and here, even a touch of honey. Superb definition, overtly modern in style. This bottle is not quite showing the same razor-sharp level of tension as it was in Bordeaux the previous September, but with rigorous swirling it coalesces beautifully. The palate is very concentrated with ripe blueberry and boysenberry, very taut but backward. Firm tannins, very good weight towards the finish that is layered in puppy fat. After an hour, it’s bloody gorgeous in the glass. Tasted December 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Deep black purple hue. Opaque. Like the Reserve de la Comtesse, a exceptionally fine nose of cedar, hawthorn, ripe blackberry fruit (not leaf like some other 2005's) cassis and strawberry. Superb definition. Medium bodied, beautifully balanced with a firm mid-palate. Tannic but balanced with layers of blackcurrant, raspberry, cedar and tobacco. The Cabernet is more dominant this year. Firm grip on the finish, I wine that does not want to let go (and why would you want it to?) A vin de garde Pichon Lalande. At the Farr tasting. A deep purple hue, virtually opaque. A very intense, supremely focused nose of blackberry, cedar and violets. Much more cohesive than in Bordeaux. A very intense, deceptively powerful palate, less extraction than Pichon Baron but grips the palate like few other Pichon Lalande's. An awesome wine. Tasted May 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Only 50% of the production made it into this blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The Merlot harvest began on September 20, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was brought in in early October. Deep ruby-hued with purple highlights, the lighter-styled 2005 Pichon-Lalande (reminiscent of Pinot Noir) is a racy, elegant, finesse-filled Pauillac without the power, flesh, and substance of previous vintages. Its delicacy and vibrancy have resulted in a singularly styled effort for this impeccably run estate. I would not be surprised to see the 2005 put on more weight after 4-5 years of bottle age; it should keep for two decades.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The disappointing 2005 Pichon Lalande reveals a much lighter style than one expects from this estate. However, the new owners, the Louis Roederer/Deutz champagne firm, have recently brought in Hubert de Bouard (from St.-Emilion) as a consultant, and the 2006 appears to be a dramatic improvement over the 2005. For all its greatness, Pichon Lalande previously experienced hiccups in superb vintages, 1990 being a prime example. While good, in the context of the vintage, the 2005 is unimpressive. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this deep ruby-colored effort exhibits a slightly herbaceous nose revealing hints of roasted coffee, cedar wood, cherries, and black currants. Good acidity and elevated tannins give the wine a streamlined, medium-bodied, fresh taste. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château Pichon-Lalande 2005 that was so divisive at birth but as I expected right from the beginning, this is maturing into a lovely Pauillac. It offers compelling tobacco and graphite scents on the nose, belying the Merlot content of this blend, reserved at first but opening gloriously in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and well-judged acidity. There is an effortlessness quality about this Pichon-Lalande. ‘tis not the most powerful or decadent Pauillac but its is very sophisticated and refined.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind in a peer-group tasting, the Pichon-Lalande showed a ripe plumy nose with blackberry and raspberry, not quite as defined as the sample poured at the chateau. With time in glass there are scents of cedar wood, a touch of Xmas cake and cassis, all the time gaining vivacity in the glass. The palate is very ripe, beautifully defined with excellent balance. Finesse here, a well-bred Pauillac with a bright, cedar-infused finish that will hopefully just put on a little more weight. Excellent. Drink 2010-2035. Tasted January 2009.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a wine from the château's less brilliant period. In this tasting, it is dark, heavy and clumsy. All that said, the 2005 has aged relatively well, there is just not much complexity to speak of. Muted, unfocused aromatics and dull fruit are penalizing. It is truly remarkable to see how much the Pichon Comtesse has progressed since this wine was made.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Pichon Lalande is not an inspiring wine, particularly within the context of the year and also the vintages that follow in this tasting. Despite its pretty, expressive bouquet, the 2005 is dark, powerful and excessively heavy, with drying tannin that suggests either overextraction or the effects of a growing season marked by severe drought. Time in the glass does seem to help the release of some freshness in the cherry, floral and mint flavors, but the coarse tannins are ultimately impossible to get past. I imagine the 2005 will last for several decades given its concentration, but I don’t expect it to ever be a wine of finesse or nuance. During this era, Pichon Lalande was a wine made by committee. Perhaps for that reason, it does not seem to have an especially well-defined personality. Hubert de Boüard, Eric Boissenot and Denis Dubourdieu all had a hand in the 2005. I am reminded of the classic expression “too many cooks in the kitchen….”
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good full red-ruby. Very ripe, musky aromas of black plum, currant, menthol, dark chocolate, mocha and meat; less pristine than the 2006 but rather youthfully subdued today. Then lush and fat but not overly sweet in the mouth, with a nice balance between ripe fruit and harmonious acidity. A full, broad wine that builds slowly and lingers on the back end, which features substantial but ripe, round tannins. Can't quite match the young 2006 for vitality, but this is distinctly more exotic, in the style of the year.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(tasted after the fining) Deep ruby-red. Black- and redcurrant, smoke, minerals, graphite, cedar and mint on the nose, with a note of burning tobacco in the background. Suave in texture and fairly deep but with a slight edge of acidity to the kirsch and exotic spice flavors. This enters the mouth discreet, then expands toward the back and lingers with subtlety. Offers lovely aromatic persistence but does it have real thrust? I note that I had the same question about this wine a year ago.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 6% cab franc and 1% petit verdot) Good red-ruby color. Raspberry, redcurrant, tobacco leaf and flowers on the nose. Red-fruity and refined in the mouth, showing none of the smoke, animal or chocolate qualities I associate with this chateau. Distinctly delicate and fine, with moderate density and suave, building tannins. Incidentally, the IPT here is 68, compared to 73 in 2004. A wine of finesse: only time, and elevage, will tell if there's enough strength behind it. If there is, this 2005 will merit a score at the high end of my projected range.
About the Producer
Pichon Lalande is arguably the best known Super Second Pauillac for its quality consistency and quintessential Bordeaux claret expression. Neighbouring Chateau Latour and lying just right opposite Chateau Pichon Baron, Pichon Lalande, as its name suggests, has long seen extended female owner influence since the 1850s. Back in the 1850s, the original Pichon Lalande got broken down into two-fifth being renamed as Pichon Baron and three-fifth remaining as Pichon Lalande upon the passing of Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville. The three-fifth was run by the three daughters of the Baron himself and over the course of a few years, Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande took on distinctive styles - with the former being more a masculine expression and the latter, feminine. Female ownership and influence continued, with little interruption, till the modern days. Pichon Lalande's string of female leaders have contributed to the continuous modernization of Pichon Lalande's vineyards and cellars; as well as the doubling of vineyard area during the 1970s - 90s. Today, Pichon Lalande's feminine expression continues to prevail - whilst the team is placed under the leadership of a former opera singer turned winemaker gentleman named Nicolas Glumineau. Conversion to biodynamic viticulture (fully by year 2021), continuous investments in precision winemaking facilities see Pichon Lalande continue to be revered among leading critics. Pichon Lalande is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It is the predominant Cabernet Sauvignon presence in Pichon Lalande's wines that make this wine such a capable representation of Pauillac's deep gravelly terroir.
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