I was wondering if folks had any experiences and opinions about recent vintages of Pichon Lalande?
I really enjoyed 80s vintages of Pichon Lalande I’ve had lately, but don’t have much experience with more recent vintages. A 2010 I had last year seemed really shut down and difficult to parse (it also felt very polished in a way that I don’t get from the 80s PLs).
Any change of style at Pichon Lalande since the 80s? Are any of these vintages (say from 2010 to present) drinking well now? (I’m guessing not, but wanted to see if I should check in on more recent vintages and give them a shot).
The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend has increased markedly. Apart from that it should be difficult to find any Bordeaux wine which tastes the same way today as back in the 80s.
2019 was my favorite Bordeaux out of the 20+ I tried (although I didn’t try the most expensive wines, e.g., Lafite, Mouton etc.). Just so perfectly balanced and seamless in all respects.
Do you think the 2016 could still be open for business?
I have an opportunity to do a vertical with 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2018, but based on how the 2010 showed last year, I’m wondering whether all of these wines are in that awkward, shut-down adolescent stage of their aging curves now.
I’m guessing 2011 and 2018 might be relatively open (for opposite reasons), but I was curious whether 2010, 2015, and 2016 would be shut down at this point.
I’m not sure how I could prognosticate on that, I personally would not touch it. Now that said, I would still expect it to be more approachable than 2010, which is such a monolithic vintage. If I were going for a young vintage to try right now, it would probably be 2019.
I really enjoyed the 2017, but it’s been a few years and perhaps it will have shut down. I might be inclined to DYA. I think I’m receiving some 21s this week and will try one.
FWIW the recent Pichon Comtesse Reserves have been really good, though more Merlot in the mix than PLL.
Hey Craig, how would you compare the recent vintages of PLL with the 80s (and thank you again for opening the '85 and '86!)
I’ve only tried 2010 from recent vintages, and I’m guessing it’s a bit of an outlier vintage just because it is so dense and monolithic at this point. I can’t really get a sense of the PLL style from it at all.
Honestly I haven’t tasted that many recent vintages. As far as I can tell, PLL hasn’t fundamentally changed in style, though as others pointed out they’ve increased the proportion of CS so maybe it will be a little closer closer to “classic” Pauillac. As with everything, ripeness and alcohol are higher in the recent hot vintages (which I haven’t tasted). But at least the 2014 and 2017 didn’t seem out of character, so I expect the riper ones would be bigger and bolder versions but not something totally different. The early 00s wines were also pretty consistent in character with the older ones, in my experience.
I’d be happy to contribute some of the more recent wines to a tasting. The VCC vertical Mark organized was really instructive.
Interesting. I’d have thought the blend might lag the vineyard mix because, with replanting or grafting, you might have to wait on young vines.
If that’s the case, it’s a pretty extreme makeover. I always assumed that the high merlot and cab franc proportions were what made it so distinct in the Medoc (and Pauillac in particular), with a silkiness you didn’t see in other top growths.
Older Pichon Lalande often shows Cab Franc notes to me. Surprised to see that percentage is trending down, though I wonder the accuracy of that source you referred to. I thought many estates were starting to include more Cab Franc over Merlot to deal with growing heat issues.
