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Pichon Lalande 1996

Pauillac, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes

The 1996 Pichon-Lalande has long been one of the high points of this Pauillac estate and now at 20 years of age it is firing on all cylinders. You cannot have any complaints against the nose: intense blackberry, cedar and graphite, all beautifully delineated, demand your attention. The palate offers exquisite balance, refined and yet intense, the Cabernet Sauvignon clearly in the driving seat but assisted by the Merlot that imparts the crucial fleshy texture on the finish. Red berry fruit, cigar box, mint, juniper berries ... this is a complex and riveting Pauillac wine that is going to cruise along its drinking plateau for many years. This is outstanding. Tasted July 2016.

Score: 96

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2016-2040 28 October 2016

Tasted at the Fine Wine Experience’s Pichon-Lalande vertical in London. A clear garnet core with deep brick rim. It has a glorious nose, blackberry, cedar, sous-bois, smoke and tar: very masculine, classic Pauillac 1996 really with great definition. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced with good acidity with blackberry, cedar, citrus fruits, quite attacking and still rather linear with a very cedar infused finish. Very good length with a touch of tar on the aftertaste. A long future beckons, so patience is needed. But it will be worth the wait.

Score: 96

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2035+ 01 September 2009

Just starting to drink really well. Great balance and medium body with real finesse, subtlety and maturity on the nose. Very well mannered and rewarding.

Score: 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2009-2020 19 April 2011

Wonderful perfumes of blackberry, Indian spice and eucalyptus. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and firm tannins. Needs some time to loosen up.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.

Score: 92

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2008+ 01 January 2007

Wonderful perfumes of blackberry, Indian spice and eucalyptus. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and firm tannins. Needs some time to loosen up.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective.

Score: 92

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2008+ 01 January 2007

Deep ruby-red. Very sexy aromas of currant, blackberry and brown sugar, all lifted by an ineffable floral quality from the thoroughly ripe cabernet sauvignon that comprises three-quarters of the blend. Dense, fresh and thick with extract; a wonderful combination of texture and guts. Has a core of steel and a powerful structure I haven't found in more recent vintages from this chateau. A very serious style of Pichon-Lalande, with much less merlot than usual. Finishes with terrific length and grip. Drink between 2005 and 2025. (95+ points)

Score: 95

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar Maturity: 2005-2025 01 July 2002

The 1996 Pichon-Lalande is just as awesome from bottle as it was from multiple cask tastings. For Pichon-Lalande, the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is atypically high. This wine normally contains 35-50% Merlot in the blend, but the 1996 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Only 50% of the estate's production made it into the grand vin. The color is a saturated ruby/purple. The nose suggests sweet, nearly overripe Cabernet Sauvignon, with its blueberry/blackberry/cassis scents intermixed with high quality, subtle, toasty new oak. Deep and full-bodied, with fabulous concentration and a sweet, opulent texture, this wine was singing in full harmony when I tasted it in January. Given the wine's abnormally high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, I would suspect it will close down. It possesses plenty of tannin, but the wine's overwhelming fruit richness dominates its personality.

Score: 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2004-2025 30 April 1999