2017 PICHON LALANDE / 碧尚女爵

Composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed to begin, soon revealing floral notes of lilacs and lavender over a core of black raspberries, warm blackberries and forest floor plus touches of star anise and stewed black tea. Medium-bodied, the palate is a bundle of energy and tension with softly played tannins and beautiful floral and black fruit layers, finishing with a long-lingering whisper. Drink Date 2021 - 2049

The 2017 Pichon-Lalande has closed down a little on the nose since it was bottled late June. But it is still very well defined, quite Cabernet-influenced with cedar and graphite aromas emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It is a very lithe Pichon-Lalande that in some ways harks back to the fleshier vintages of the past. There is something

A tight, compact young Bordeaux with medium body, polished and round tannins and a medium finish. Not a big wine, but some very classy currant and raspberry character and just a hint of lead pencil and polished structure. Drink after 2022.

The 2017 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is gorgeous, but it is also going to need time to come together. The sensuality and allure typical of so many Pauillacs is not at all evident here. A rush of dark cherry, plum, smoke, charcoal and exotic spice make a strong opening statement in a powerful Pichon Comtesse that is not ready to show all of its cards. The 2017 was incredibly reticent in several tastings, which is probably a very good thing for its long-term potential. Today, though, the 2017 is dense, powerful and closed in on itself, without the layers that define the 2014, 2015 and 2016.