Back in the Race: 17 Vintages of Pichon Lalande

Wine Spectator senior editor James Molesworth tasted 17 vintages of Château Pichon Longueville Lalande with general director Nicolas Glumineau. His non-blind scores and tasting notes follow below.

Famed second-growth Château Pichon Longueville Lalande enjoys a long history, prominent neighbors (Pichon-Longueville Baron just across the street, Latour next door) and well-financed ownership (Roederer Estates). But history, location and resources are only part of the equation when it comes to making world-class wine.

“When I met with the Rouzauds (the owners of Roederer Estates who bought Pichon Lalande in 2006), I was asked what I thought of Pichon Lalande,” said Nicolas Glumineau, who had been technical director at Château Montrose in St.-Estèphe since 2007. “I said I thought that the other horse across the street was in front by a head and had been winning the race lately, and that I thought it was time for Pichon Lalande to make a strong move.”

His honesty was met with begrudging silence. And then a job offer. Glumineau was appointed general director after the 2012 harvest and, at just 40 years of age, he’s one of the youngest directors among the Médoc’s glory estates. He needed his energy right away, as the estate was cutting it close as it built a new cuverie for the 2013 harvest.

“The weekend before the harvest was to begin—and remember in 2013 you had to move fast—the cuverie was not quite finished and there was no electricity. I had a few phone calls to make,” said Glumineau.

The lights came on just as the first grapes came in and in the Médoc’s most difficult season in quite some time, Glumineau managed to make one of the appellation’s top wines. A vertical tasting of 17 vintages, covering 2013 back to 1959, demonstrated the potential of the vineyard, while also showing how the wine style can veer from the iron and graphite of Pauillac to the fleshy, alluring fruit of St.-Julien (see below for complete tasting notes and non-blind scores). Glumineau knows which side he falls on and he intends to take Pichon Lalande that way.

“2010 for me is the clearest example. Since 2010, I consider it the ‘new’ Pichon Lalande. That is the direction we want to go. It’s interesting that in the past the wine has gone between Pauillac and St.-Julien in style—that means the vineyard is complex. But we are in Pauillac, and I like classic Pauillac tannins.”

As always, it starts in the vineyard, which totals 220 acres (198 currently in production) in a large swath that runs behind Pichon Baron to the border of St.-Julien. Currently 54 percent is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with nearly one-third Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Glumineau is already hard at work here—there are 7.5 acres each now under organic and biodynamic trial.

“When you have [198 acres] you can’t just do things by chance,” said Glumineau, regarding the trials. “Of course I’d like to reduce or eliminate chemicals, but I need to know how things work first.”

In the vineyard there’s a spot of virus here and there, as well as a melange of young vines amidst older vines, as the previous policy at Pichon Lalande was to replant as needed, vine by vine. Under Glumineau’s direction, a hefty 8.6 acres were pulled out this year, a noticeable shift in direction.

“We need to accelerate the replanting process,” said Glumineau. “Sometimes it’s good to go slow. Sometimes it’s good to shake the tree. When you replant, that’s a 50-year decision, so you need to take some caution. But since 2000, it’s clear the Médoc can get optimum ripeness for Cabernet Sauvignon, so I want to get the vineyard to 60 percent Cabernet. In addition, when you replace vine by vine, you wind up with very heterogenous parcels for ripening, crop size, etc., and then you have to micromanage a large block. When you replant parcel by parcel, you can choose your rootstock, your clone, your massale selection, virus and such, and then tailor it properly for the soil. It’s better balance, more efficient and more precise.”

Meanwhile, back inside the new cuverie, Glumineau has newfound flexibility. There are gleaming rows of new conical stainless steel vats of varying sizes for Glumineau to vinify parcel by parcel and even parts of parcels, if need be.

“We used to have only 240-hectoliter vats. But now we have 50, 70, 85, 120 and 150 hectoliter vats, so we can be very precise in how we vinify the parcels,” said Glumineau. “Also, we don’t want to overextract. We want optimum ripeness, not overripeness. When you do that, the tannins are more accessible but longer, and therefore you open the window of drinkability so the wine can be enjoyed young, but it will still age for a long time, too. That ageability—20, 30, 40 years—is classic Pauillac.”

And with that approach, Glumineau moves one of Bordeaux’s top thoroughbreds back into the race.

Non-Blind Pichon Longueville Lalande Retrospective Tasting

Features a sappy edge, with kirsch and blueberry notes spiked with hints of anise and pepper. Shows good energy and flesh for the vintage. One of the better successes in 2013.—J.M.

Plump-edged, with caressing notes of plum skin, black cherry and blackberry. Hints of licorice and graphite add nuance and texture to the finish. A finished bottling; formal review to follow upon release in late 2014.—J.M.

Offers briar, blackberry paste, fig and anise notes, with lively, modestly grippy tannins holding the finish. Has solid dark fruit and the vintage’s telltale brambly feel. Drink now through 2030. 20,833 cases made.—J.M.

Rock-solid, with a classic Pauillac profile of cassis, iron and graphite. Layers of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry fruit cover the grip for now, but there’s serious muscle for the longer haul, revealing a lingering pastis hint. Best from 2020 through 2040.—J.M.

The ripe red currant, blackberry and boysenberry fruit is layered with black licorice snap, fruitcake and plum sauce notes. Has the fleshier edge of the vintage but retains a solidly racy graphite spine through the finish. A step behind the ’10 in density and energy, though hardly a slouch. Best from 2018 through 2035. 15,000 cases made.—J.M.

Presents a taut, brisk feeling, with savory, cedar, singed vanilla and pencil shaving notes weaving around a core of bramble, cassis and blackberry fruit. The cedary spine holds the finish, offering an old-school feel. Should last a while, though it won’t flesh out any more. For fans of the more austere style. Drink now through 2030.—J.M.

Offers a juicy, lively core of plum, cassis and blackberry, studded with anise, violet and singed vanilla notes. Everything pulls together seamlessly on the finish, with a well-embedded graphite spine. Sneakily long. Drink now through 2035.—J.M.

This has entered its secondary phase, with alluring notes of black tea, steeped plum, mulled spice and warm pain d’épices emerging from the core of supple plum, cassis and black cherry fruit. The long, fine-grained finish lets a perfumy singed cedar accent linger. A beauty. Drink now through 2030.—J.M.

Juicy, fleshy and showy, with warm plum sauce, melted black licorice, espresso, cocoa powder and black currant confiture notes all melded together, yet clearly defined. The smoldering, tobacco-fueled finish expands steadily with air. A wine of power and range that is just hitting its stride. Drink now through 2030.—J.M.

Quite ripe, with flavors of plum cake, warm pain d’épices, mint, Christmas pudding and fruitcake embedded in mulled currant and fig fruit. Offers a long, coffee-tinged finish, alluring ripeness and an easy structure. Drink now through 2025.—J.M.

Bold pepper, savory and roasted cedar notes lead the way, with a core of steeped plum, macerated black currant and bitter cherry fruit. Extra tobacco, alder and juniper accents stud the finish, which still has plenty of grip. Drink now through 2030.—J.M.

This unfurls with amazing grace, as refined tannins let the warmed cassis, macerated plum, pain d’épices, melted licorice, roasted alder and smoldering tobacco notes drape together and hang endlessly on the finish. A stunner that has been stuck at at this sublime point for a while, with no signs of moving any time soon. Thoroughly sublime and still the modern-era high-water mark for these wines. Drink now through 2030.—J.M.

Fully mature, with a slightly juicy feel to the cedar, singed vanilla, blood orange, clove, tobacco, dried currant and cherry fruit flavors. Long, fine-grained tannins let an echo of iron linger. Not fully ripe, but everything has melded elegantly with time. Drink now through 2025.—J.M.

Savory, pepper, tobacco and juniper notes lead the way. The tannins remain slightly rigid, but the core of dried currant, cherry and plum fruit has enough substance to match. Old-school Bordeaux, aged gracefully. Drink now through 2020.—J.M.

Smoky, with cinder and smoldering charcoal notes weaving up and away from the core of juniper, allspice, dried currant and mulled blackberry flavors. Slightly grainy on the finish, with the charcoal coating hanging on. Shows lovely length as a tug of loamy earth leaves a gorgeous echo. Drink now through 2025.—J.M.

The mulled cassis, fig and boysenberry fruit has melded with anise, plum sauce, pain d’épices and charcoal notes while broad, velvety tannins let everything drape languidly on the lengthy finish. Black tea and warm cocoa notes line the finish, followed by the faintest echo of cedar. A beauty. Drink now through 2025.—J.M.

This has the range of the ’61, with similar dried currant, fig and blackberry fruit forming the core, but the tannins are more prominent from the start. Alder and cedar base notes carry the tar-tinged finish, leading to an echo of bitter orange, iron and charcoal as this grows steadily and authoritatively in the glass. A tad longer than the ’61. Drink now through 2025.—J.M.