The 2025 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from August 28, the earliest ever, finishing on September 23, matured in 66% new oak, the rest one-year-old. It has a taut and linear nose, very classic in style, graphite/pencil lead scents that permeate the black fruit. Beautiful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. A little more structured and austere than the more Merlot-driven vintages of old. Yet as it unfurls in the glass, it reveals the level of sophistication and precision you now come to expect from this Pauillac Second Growth. At 13.1% alcohol, this is lower than other recent vintages.

By Neal Martin May 2026