Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2009 is a Pauillac Second Growth from Bordeaux, made from a Cabernet-led blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. It comes from the early years of Roederer’s ownership (taken over in 2006), with Gildas d’Ollone as managing director and Thomas Do-Chi-Nam as technical director, a period that several critics link to a particularly polished style.

This is a strongly reviewed wine, with multiple excellent scores. Decanter rated it 97, calling it “a stunning, lyrical 2009… ripe and intense,” noting “juicy blackberry and blackcurrant fruit and touches of violet on the nose,” and concluding it is “a beautifully balanced wine.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate also awarded an excellent 97+ points, describing a “deep garnet” wine that starts “a little reticent,” then opens to “warm black cherries, blackcurrant cordial, stewed plums and sautéed herbs,” plus “damp soil, tobacco and beef drippings.” They emphasize its structure—“tightly wound black fruit and earthy layers, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness”—and call the finish “long” and “lively.”

The vintage’s spice and Pauillac signature come through clearly for James Suckling (94+), who highlights “dried spices, even chilies,” alongside “currants and blackberries,” and praises “ultra-fine tannins,” a “compacted fruit structure,” and “pretty length.” He points to “the Petit Verdot spice” and suggests, “Try after 2019.”

With time in bottle, Jeff Leve (94) finds “secondary aromatics starting to poke through” and notes the tannins have moved “to the softer side,” while still finishing with “a bit of dust to the tannins.” Wine Enthusiast (95) underscores the wine’s ripe, approachable side, calling it “seductive,” with “the softest, juiciest fruit over smoky new wood,” and “beautifully integrated” tannins.

Overall, the 2009 Comtesse reads as a ripe, layered Pauillac with fine tannins, clear aromatic complexity, and the balance and length to justify its top-tier critical praise.