chateau pichon longueville comtesse de lalande 1978

"«a second cru de première classe» what better formula than that of the wine spectator magazine to designate château pichon lalande! the latter came from the division, in 1850, of the original château pichon longueville, when the owner established the inheritance of his children: his son took the head of the current pichon longueville baron, while his daughter virginie, wife of the comte de lalande, receives the other part of the property, hence the ending: «comtesse de lalande». a woman of authority, passionate about wine, virginie carried the boom, then the consecration of the estate. from 1978 to 2007, another great lady held the reins: may-eliane de lencquesaing, the daughter of edouard miailhe. grand chancellor of the bordeaux wine academy, she is nicknamed «the general», in view of her husband’s military background. the feminine imprint left by the countess a century before could not find a better echo moreover, the passionate journey that pichon lalande testifies to is far from foreign to the tenderness and affection that amateurs have always shown to the wines of the estate. the property was bought in 2007 by the rouzaud family, owner, among others, of the house of champagne roederer. of the 75 hectares of vines of the property, 11 are located in the town of saint-julien, hence wines of an elegance unusual to pauillac. besides a majority proportion of cabernet sauvignon, guarantee of longevity, encépagement offers an important place to the merlot promising to the wine more flexibility especially in youth. the great wine of pichon comtesse combines perfectly the concentration of a pauillac, and tannins of great distinction. its exceptional terroir that looks at the gironde allows it to better withstand harsh winters and too hot summers. in the closed circle of the largest bordeaux wines. to be tasted after 10 to 30 years."