Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande - Reserve de la Comtesse 2020

WEINWISSER: "47 % Merlot, 43 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Petit Verdot. Sattes Purpur mit undurchsichtiger Mitte, lila Reflexen und aufhellendem Rand. Intensives blaubeeriges Bouquet mit Heidelbeere, Holundergelee und zartem Veilchenduft. Am dichten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, herrlicher Extraktfülle und mittlerem Körper. Im aromatischen Finale dominikanischer Tabak, spürbares Barriquetoasting und Schlehensaft. Gehört zu den besten Zweitweinen dieses Jahr und ist eine sichere Best-Buy-Kaufempfehlung!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "A tight, focused red with currants, chocolate, walnuts and some flowers. Medium-to full-bodied with ripe tannins. Pretty second wine."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The second wine of Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse, the 2020 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is a beautiful wine in the making that certainly tastes like a mini-version of the Grand Vin. Lots of crème de cassis, blueberries, violets, tobacco, and earth all define the nose, and it hits the palate with a forward, medium to full-bodied, supple texture that already begs to be drunk. I love its balance, the purity of fruit is terrific, and the tannins are spot on as well. It ranks as one of the top second wines in the vintage and will have two decades of prime drinking."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has a dark currant- and blackberry-filled core supported by a racy graphite spine that runs from start to finish, adding energy and cut. Reveals sweet tobacco, chestnut and tar hints on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2035."

DECANTER: "Dark bramble berries with lots of perfumed aromas; purple flowers, iris and violets with blueberries and pomegranates as well as some earthy notes. Rich, and seductive, this has an immediate weight in the mouth - opulent with structure and thickness to the tannins even though they are fine, this has weight and density. Lots of liquorice and blackcurrant but well integrated. It’s smooth, with a soft juicy core, and slow expansion of the elements. Definitely concentrated, intense and powerful but poised and driven. Generous and friendly. 3.8pH. Ageing 12 months, 50% new, 50% one-year-old barrels."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit einem Hauch von Gewürznelken unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, zart nach Lakritze, schwarze Kirschen. Saftig, feine Süße, reife Pflaumen, etwas Zimt, reife Tannine, ein Hauch von Nougat im Abgang, ein vielseitiger, harmonischer Speisenbegleiter."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Much like the grand vin, the 2020 Resèrve de la Comtesse is charming and polished, bursting with aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals and mint. Medium to full-bodied, suave and enveloping, it will drink well on release."