Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
WHY BUY IT ?
- Restructuring and construction were undertaken in the vineyard but also in the cellars to produce high quality wines thanks to the richness of the Pauillac terroir
- The special grape variety, as well as the 11 hectares of vineyards located on the terroir of Saint Julien give the wine of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande a personality of exception compared to the other classified crus of the Pauillac appellation
- James Laubé of Wine Spectator has also called the Château Pichon, “Second Cru First Class”, an expression that suits him very well.
The history of this estate began in 1686, when Pierre de Mazure Rauzan, rich merchant and bourgeois of Bordeaux, bought parcels of vines near the seigniory of Latour and created a vineyard, the Enclos Rauzan. A little later, his daughter receives him as a dowry for his marriage to Jacques François de Pichon Longueville, President of the Parliament of Bordeaux. Thus begins the story of one of the largest vineyards in Bordeaux, kept in the same family for more than 250 years. In 1855, the quality of the wines is rewarded because the Château reaches the rank of Second Classified Growth. In those same 1850s, Virginie Comtesse de Lalande took the lead of the estate and asks the Bordeaux architect Duphot for a residence inspired by the Hôtel de Lalande in Bordeaux where her husband had spent his childhood. Her passion for the vineyard as well as the quality of her management make her a remarkable personality who will leave to the domain an style attached to her name. Unfortunately, after his death, began difficult years marked by a vineyard devastated by powdery mildew, mildew, fraud, then the Great War that dealt a fatal blow to the wine economy. The price of wine is inexorably going down, barely covering operating costs. The heirs of the Countess must then resolve to sell the vineyard and the owners who will follow will thus relentlessly to the revival of the vineyard. In 2007, it will be the turn of the Champagne House Louis Roederer to ensure the good continuity of this property once again became, since the 1950s, one of the most renowned vintages in the region. In-depth studies of soils and subsoils have resulted in a very precise mapping of the many plots and a better knowledge of the terroir.
A vineyard replanting program has also been launched, favoring a better match between the grape variety, its rootstock and the nature of the soil. Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (28%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Petit Verdot (3%): the variety and proportion of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is unique in the appellation. The property remains faithful to the tradition of harvest by hand: every year more than 100 people pick the grapes according to the degree of maturity and the age of the plots: the Merlot, early variety, inaugurates the harvest and the Cabernet with Petit Verdot , late varieties, close them. The vatting time varies from 18 to 24 days depending on the year. The Grand Vin of Château Pichon Longueville Countess of Lalande is aged 18 months in barrels, 50% new oak and 50% oak one year. The barrels have undergone a medium heat during their manufacture, which contributes to the quality of their perfume.
At the tasting, this wine reveals all its prestige and its class through a complexity and an aromatic richness that few wines are able to produce. Its length and its melted tannins are worthy of the greatest Pauillac.
Their Team
- Owner: Champagne Louis ROEDERER
- Chief Executive Officer: Nicolas GLUMINEAU
- Sales & Marketing Director: Charles FOURNIER
- Director of Vineyards: François TARIS-LOIRY
- Head of Oenology: Stéphanie DANGLADE
