![]() Slow ripening, with dry, very sunny conditions and cool nights allowed the harvest to start on September 16th in a very healthy vineyard. A little rain in mid-July and early August favoured a rapid and homogeneous veraison from the 9th to 14th August. The heat and the sun then settled in for the duration. The unstable Spring weather, caused slight coulure on the Cabernet, around mid-June. The coolness and rainfall in the Spring slowed down the development of the vine, and adjusted back to its average period of flowering between the end of May and the beginning of June. Under these conditions, the bud break was particularly early, from March 20th. With temperatures above seasonal averages, the Winter was mild and unusually dry. This vintage is characterized by a vibrant and mineral tension, a fullness and balance between power and elegance: a new interpretation of Pauillac by Pichon Comtesse. 2019 was a very sunny year with major drought. but they are never the same! This is what makes our wine profession so rich: we are constantly adapting and questioning ourselves to truly reveal the soul of our terroir. Traditional fining with egg whites is still carried out to clarify the wine. Racking takes place every three months up to the bottling. A harmonious balance of oak and wine is always sought. The barrels have a medium toast, which enhances their aromas. The Grand Vin of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is aged 18 months in oak barrels a little more than half are brand new the other half are second-fill barrels. The oak refines the wine, adding its own aromas and tannins, whilst allowing it to acquire the soft richness that is lacking in its youth, thanks to the gradual, natural contact with air through the pores of the wood. Once blended, the wine is aged in oak barrels sourced from the Allier and Nièvre forests in France. Frequent pump-overs are performed to extract maximum colour and tannins from the skins. The vatting period ranges from 18 to 24 days depending on the year. The heating and cooling system enables the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations to be controlled with precision. The commitment to sustainable farming practices extends throughout the 220 acres of vineyards, with over 27 acres fully converted to organic viticulture, and 37 acres farmed biodynamically.Īfter reception of the harvest, destemming and crushing, the grapes are placed in temperature-controlled wooden or stainless-steel vats, of variable capacity, allowing a precise and rigorous selection by plot. The vast majority of the vineyards are Gunzian gravel mounds of the classic Pauillac composition, with the deep bed of gravel placed over a substrata of clay and limestone. In 2007, Maison Louis Roederer began a new chapter in the long and magnificent history of Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. ![]() Her indefatigable passion elevated Pichon to a level equaled only by its consistency all over the world. The quality and elegance of the wines have been the maxim of all the château‘s owners since master winemaker Joseph de Pichon Longueville‘s reign in the 18th century.įor over thirty years, owner May Eliane de Lencquesaing modernized the château‘s installations in the truest respect for tradition. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.Founded in 1689, Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has quite a spectacular history. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. ![]() Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. ![]()
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