Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
The Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande estate, alongside the illustrious Château Latour, dominates the southern part of the famous wine appellation of Pauillac with the architectural splendor of their fairy tale châteaux. Pauillac is the star of the Médoc region, the blockbuster. The great names of Lafite and Mouton Rothschild are found here, and yet Pichon-Lalande has more than held its own against such prestigious wineries. It produces some of the most elegant and profound wine in the area, a testament to the dedication of the families who have owned the Château over the centuries.
Pichon-Lalande and its twin brother Pichon-Longueville (known previously as Pichon Baron) formed a single estate until 1860. Pichon-Lalande was built in the 1840’s and was owned by three sisters and their brother Raoul. He built the twin property Pichon-Longueville in 1851. It was only after Raoul's death in 1860 that Virginie, one of the sisters, decided that her property should be separated and so Pichon-Lalande became a single entity. Her niece, Elisabeth inherited the property in 1882 and kept control until 1926. As with all of the grand estates in the Médoc, the Château would outlive several owners before coming under the stewardship of the passionate May-Eliane. She and her husband Hervé, a couple of amazing energy, put all their efforts into restoring the Château and promoting the wine as a super second to rival the finest Bordeaux estates.
In 2006, Lalande came under the control of the exclusive Champagne house Roederer, much to the surprise of many. However, they have, to this day, continued the hard work of May-Elaine (she now owns a winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa) and it shows in the wines. Their style is defined by the high proportion of plummy Merlot, which has long been a feature of Lalande, and strays from the tradition of Cabernet Sauvignon dominated left bank wines. Normally, the blend consists of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, an impressive 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. This rather generous contribution from Merlot is owed to the château’s previous owners of many years ago, who planted this variety in abundance. Today though, with warmer and more reliable weather, and better ripening conditions through the growing season in most vintages, Cabernet Sauvignon is fairing better (and Merlot worse), and the wine of Pichon-Lalande tends to feature a much higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than would be suggested by the 45% found in the vineyard.
The grapes are always hand-harvested and there is an intense sorting period in the cellar. The wine ferments in temperature controlled stainless steel vats and is pumped over periodically over 18 - 24 days, extracting as much depth, color and tannin as possible. The wine demonstrating enough character and concentration for the grand vin is placed in French barrique, 50% new each vintage for up to 18 months. The final wine is fined with egg white prior to bottling.