1996 - Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac

The 1996 Pichon Lalande is deep garnet-brick in color. It starts off a little closed, slowly revealing notes of warm cassis, stewed plums, unsmoked cigars, and crushed rocks, giving way to nuances of smoked meats and black truffles. The medium-bodied palate is pure, precise, and energetic, featuring elegant, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced. Still very youthful, this wine should easily cellar another 15-20 years.

The 1996 Pichon-Lalande has long been one of my favorite wines from this period. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, it has a quintessential Pauillac nose: very intense, brilliant and delineated, with pure blackberry, graphite and mint aromas bursting from the glass. The palate seems to have softened just a little over the last couple of years, and there is great depth here. Dense black fruit, laced with cedar, hints of espresso and leather, fans out toward the grippy finish, which is just beginning to entertain more secondary aromas of sage and spice on the aftertaste. In many ways the '96 presages the style of wine that Nicolas Glumineau pursues today. Brilliant. Tasted at a vertical tasting at the château.

I have been lucky enough to have this vintage of Comtesse three times in the past year, and two of the three bottles (including this one) have been brilliant. Considered one of the wines of the vintage at the time, this is packed full of signature Pauillac but also signature Comtesse. Silky seductive tannins at this point, powerful but with delicacy, soft saffron and cedar notes, with a smoked campfire finish. A higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the bottle than in most years, and it has helped it to remain enticingly firm. 50% of production went into the first wine.