Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1996

A fruity and delicate Pauillac red wine

The estate

The magnificent Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac Second Grand Cru Classé, shines in the Pauillac appellation.

It was in 1925 that the Miailhe family, in the guise of Édouard and Louis Miailhe, acquired this property on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, daughter of Edouard Miailhe, is an emblematic figure of the Gironde wine industry. She managed Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse from 1978 to 2007, when the Rouzaud family, owners of the Louis Roederer Champagne House, acquired the estate.

The vineyard

A major name among Pauillac wines, Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande oversees a vineyard located near the Gironde estuary and rests on soils made up of gravel hilltops on clay-sandy subsoils.

The vintage

The winter was mild with little rain. The warmth of March and April made way for a cool and wet June which brought some rain. The summer was hot, with rainy spells, such as the second half of August. Cool but sunny, September advanced slow and even ripening of the grapes, particularly the Cabernet Sauvignon, until the harvests which began on 24 September.

Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon (75%)
Merlot (15%)
Cabernet Franc (5%)
Petit Verdot (5%)

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1996

Tasting 

Throughout the tasting this wine unveils a subtle combination of power and elegance, through a full body with perfectly integrated tannins.