Pichon Lalande 2013

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The headline is that the Grand Vin is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon since the Merlot was affected by coulure and the quality and quantity was such that it was deemed unworthy of the name. As expected, it has a classic Cabernet nose with that graphite character coming through very strongly. The palate is medium-bodied with quite tough tannins. There is a good level of acidity although it must be said...I miss that Merlot towards the finish to smooth out the texture, soften the hard edges of what is some very decent Cabernet. Its uncompromising Cabernet character has its charms but that severity on the finish takes some getting used to. Tasted April 2014.

robert_parker89

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

A rarity in terms of the final blend for a Pichon Lalande, the 2013 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, which is an historic first at this estate. Only 33% of the crop made it into the final blend. New manager Nicolas Glumineau worked at Montrose until hired away by the owners, the Roederer Champagne house. Yields were absurdly low at 13 hectoliters per hectare. This hasn’t translated into a blockbuster, massive wine by any means. The vintage wouldn’t permit that. However, the 2013 Pichon Lalande shows attractive red and black currant fruit, hints of bay leaf and underbrush, soft tannins, medium body and a supple, charming, seductive character. I’d be hard-pressed to guess that this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon based on how it smells and tastes, but it is. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

robert_parker89

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2013 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, which as noted at the time of release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, has a fragrant bouquet that, like the deuxième vin, has a pungent marine influence: seaweed and touches of cockle shell, nicely defined with blackberry and briary emerging more strongly with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity with grainy tannin. There is a slight rawness towards the finish that would have been addressed by the addition of Merlot, but there is respectable substance. It falls away quickly towards the finish but otherwise it is balanced and quite a distinctive Pichon Lalande. Drink over the next decade.

vinous90

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2013 Pichon Lalande is one of the better wines of this very challenging vintage. There is lovely depth and intensity in the glass, within the context of the year. Scents of sweet tobacco, anise and dried cherry open up nicely. Slightly green, vegetal notes are impossible to look past in this small-scaled Pichon Lalande. Late-ripening varieties were favored in a year in which rot posed significant challenges in the field. Quite unusually, in 2013 Pichon Lalande is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first vintage Nicolas Glumineau made at Pichon Lalande from start to finish.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2013 Pichon-Lalande is quite unusual in that for the first time, it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Direct, expressive and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2013 is alive from the very first taste. Black cherry, dark raspberry, mint, violets and cloves all meld together in an absolutely exquisite wine. The 2013 finishes with outstanding depth, vibrancy and pure nuance. This is one of the standouts of the vintage. Tasted twice.

vinous91

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

Bright red-ruby. Perfumed blackcurrant, raspberry, gunflint and minerals on the precise nose. Juicy, pure and minerally, with a floral flavor and some oaky torrefaction notes nicely complementing the red berry and mineral flavors. Not hugely sweet or fleshy, but quite finely delineated and long and pure on the finish. This is the first ever Pichon Lalande to be 100% cabernet sauvignon, as the merlot was judged not good enough to use in 2013.

vinous90

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2013 Pichon-Lalande, according to Nicolas Glumineau, was picked 10 days earlier than he wanted because of the risk of rot, therefore 10 hectares of Merlot was picked in a single day, a Sunday to boot. "It saved us," Glumineau tells me. It has a light, fragrant, slightly briny bouquet. Just a little herbaceousness coming through, simple but pleasurable. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, and it has more depth than the nose implies. Hints of dark chocolate and espresso towards the finish with a touch of spiciness, though undeniably monotone compared to recent vintages under Nicolas Glumineau. This is a perfectly respectable Pauillac if you can abide the bitterness on the aftertaste that ebbs away in the glass. Tasted at the "Difficult Vintage" vertical at the château.