Robert Ahlstrom

9.0

Well balanced, berries, excellent Syrah — 7 months ago

Ming L

9.2

Nice to taste this Santa Maria Valley bottling alongside the Sta. Rita Hills one. Riper, darker fruits profile but there is still freshness here. Oak is more prominent. Earthier as well with light mushroom and tea leaf notes. Plush palate.
This is a more complex and deeper wine. But I prefer the Sanford bottling slightly. — a year ago

John W

9.2

Deep ruby coloration. On the nose, plum, black currant, black olives, cedar. On the palate, black currant, cherry, raspberry, pepper, earth, oak and vanilla. Full bodied, rich mouthfeel, medium finish. — 4 years ago

Paul T HB

9.5

Thanks @Rob Brobst III , another 18 bottles at $38.00,
Parker 91 is just stupid — 5 years ago

Paul T HB

9.9

Saw a few low scores for this vintage even though its a Parker 💯 so I’ve held off on opening, until today
Taste great to me🤷‍♂️ — 6 years ago

Neville Weston

9.8

Parker says 💯 and it’s hard to disagree...super concentrated compared with other vintages — 6 years ago

with Marta

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Pichon Lalande is my favorite 2nd growth with a steak. Yup...it's #SteakandClaret night to quote my buddy Gary Westby. Further, it's certainly one of my favorite producers period. I've waited for this wine to be in the bottle for 10 years before finding out definitely how good it was or wasn't. You see, the 05 Bordeaux vintage was exceptional. It's drinking right now better than 00. 00 may turn out to be better, but not for some time. The real issue was the division of scores between RP & NM. Parker had this as low as an 86 and now has it at 89. Neil Martin has been consistently at 95-96. I found it simply inexplicable that Pichon Lalande could have bombed in such a great vintage. Tonight, I know they didn't. This wine is beautiful. Although, I don't believe it will cellar as long as their some of their very best vintages and many others I've enjoyed. On the nose, bramble, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, notes of blueberries, poached strawberries, graphite, baking spices, cedar, lightly perfumed violets and dark, fresh & dry red flowers. The body is medium-medium plus, tannins nicely resolved with 10 years to be completely resolved. Fruits of; ripe blackberries, dark cherries, notes of blueberries, poached strawberries and pomegranate with a whiff of spice. There's notes of dry bramble, soft leather, fresh violets, graphite, cedar, dry stones, dark rich earth, limestone, tobacco, spice-box, vanilla, very light cinnamon & nutmeg. The finish is very long, elegant, ripe, round, smooth, good acidity and beautifully elegant...50-50 earth & fruit. I bought more bottles of this at $85 after it's was first released in futures and I do not regret it. $85 is proving to be a steal for this wine when it normally sells for between $100-$150 a bottle and higher. Might heavy up further after tonight if I find more around the same price. Oh yes...I'm with NM on the scoring. Photos of the Chateau, estate vines, newer tasting room & the Virginie de Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. Forgive my long post, but my passion and love for this producer is profound. Producer history and notes...as I wrote in an earlier post for Pichon Baron, Pichon Baron and Lalande started as one entity. The first mention of what is now called Chateau Pichon Lalande was the creation of Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan. Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan is responsible for forming many of the top Bordeaux estates today. Pichon Lalande was given its name when Therse, the daughter of the founder received the estate as a dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon Longueville. Pichon Lalande was essentially managed by three women, Therese de Rauzan, Germaine de Lajus and Marie Branda de Terrefort. On the eve of his death in 1850, Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville divided the property between his five children. His three daughters received Pichon Lalande and his sons Pichon Baron. What happened next was Virginie, the wife of the Count of Lalande took over the management of the estate under the name of Comtesse de Lalande. In 1850 she commissioned the popular, architect Duphot to build a residence inspired by the Hotel de Lalande, located in Bordeaux. Without heirs, Pichon Lalande passed down from aunts to nieces. Following World War I, the Miailhe brothers, bought Pichon Lalande in 1925. They were the ones who planted even more Merlot. May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, the daughter of Edouard Miailhe became the new owner and general manager of Chateau Pichon Lalande in 1978. She expand the size of Chateau Pichon Lalande from 40 hectares to it's current 89 hectares. Chateau Pichon Lalande remained in the same family for more than 250 years! In fact, over three centuries, only two families have owned Pichon Lalande. May-Eliane de Lencquesaing sold Pichon Lalande to the owners of Roederer Champagnein in January 2007. This family-run company is managed by Frederic Rouzaud who owned several other wine estates in Bordeaux; Chateau Bernadotte, Chateau de Pez, Haut Beausejour and Chateau Reaut la Graviere. He sold Chateau Bernadotte in December 2012. In February, 2011, Sylvie Cazes was named the director of Chateau Pichon Lalande. She replaced Gildas d’Ollone. Sylvie Cazes was replaced in 2012 by current Director Nicolas Glumineau, who was previously at Chateau Montrose. In 2012, Pichon Lalande renovated the estate with a budget estimated at over 15 Million Euros. The new facilities included; building of a new underground barrel aging cellar and several new buildings...one that houses their new tasting room as shown. This renovation provided numerous improvements in their wine making. Most importantly, in the vinification. They created a new, triple tiered, cellar where everything moves by gravity. They also added numerous new, stainless steel, temperature controlled, double skinned vats. These new vats allow Pichon Lalande to vinify on a parcel by parcel basis as well as get much softer & gentle extractions. The 89 hectare vineyard of Chateau Pichon Lalande is located adjacent to Chateau Latour and and across the road from Pichon Baron. The terroir of Chateau Pichon Lalande is deep gravel with clay and limestone soil and is planted to; 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.3

To celebrate 5,500 reviews on Vivino, here is a beautiful wine from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a short brick rim.

Sweet nose of blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with sweet cherries, plums, blueberries, oak, light vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light vegetables, leather, earth, tobacco, vinaigrette, peppercorn, pencil lead, light bell pepper and dark chocolates.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a great Syrah from Washington State. Showing great complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Elegant, yet rich. Just Beautiful.

This 12 year old is drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next decade.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show some tannins.

Wine Enthusiasts 100 points. Robert Parker 97 points.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

Tasty and delicious.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$275. — 4 years ago

Jason

9.3

~$30 we’ll balanced — 6 years ago

Paul T HB

9.7

I Usually avoid anything Napa 2011, but this was in the 12 bottle lot I wanted so took a chance, Parker 96 so not too big a gamble.
The best 2011 napa Cabernet wine I’ve had & I haven’t even decanted, normally give Shafer 3-4 hours — 6 years ago

Joe Flo

9.3

Parker was right great value wine. — 7 years ago

John Van Trijp

10

100/100 Parker tasting @ Librije — 7 years ago

Ming L

9.0

From the home estate vineyard, being citrus fruits leap out of the glass followed by melon and subtle petrol. Clean and refreshing on the palate. Hint of ginger and seashells on the crips finish. — a year ago

Naoki Otani

9.2

2.23.2021
Takeda — 3 years ago

Paige Martin

9.5

Nice and light, not too sweet, with lovely notes of peaches and apricots, exactly as described on the bottle! — 4 years ago

Roy Goble

9.5

Great wine, but not the 100 pointer Parker called it — 4 years ago

Carlos E Duran

9.0

Rich and full bodied. Very forward with notes of berries and some spice. Paired nicely with a couple slices of smoked brisket amd roasted veggies. Delicious — 5 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.0

We were all surprised that it drank much like a California Cab. Nose was not at all what you would expect from a 2nd growth. We were all wondering if this was from a “Parker” barrel.
Ito definitely needed 2 hours to open up. I’m. It sure if time will integrate this one.? — 6 years ago

with Ted and Kirk

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

For as much ritz and glamour that is typically associated with Napa Valley, this week highlighted who the real rock stars are in their community... the farmers and firefighters. Haley Wight is the sixth generation to farm her family’s estate, the historic Lewelling Ranch in St. Helena, originally established by her great-great-great grandfather John Lewelling in 1864. She also happens to make extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon. So extraordinary, that I’m going to skip writing a note and just tell you that Robert Parker hits the nail on the head... “The wine displays gorgeous licorice, lead pencil shavings, black currants, loamy soil undertones and a touch of barrique. Dense purple, it has a full-bodied, multi-layered mouthfeel and a stunning finish with good acidity and velvety, well-integrated tannin, alcohol and wood. This is a scrumptious, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 15 or so years. 96 points.” — 7 years ago