Ruby red, with sweet fruit on the nose, both enticing and fragrant. Grilled cedar and smoked caramel, this is expertly judged in its use of oak, balanced but with a richness that runs right through the palate. Grip and flecks of cocoa bean, graphite, cracked pepper, saline crackers make this is welcoming and gourmet. Can begin drinking with a carafe, will not outlive the most concentrated vintages of Comtesse, but absolutely no rush to get going. One of the wines of the tasting. Today's director Nicolas Glumineau did the blend of this vintage but didn't follow the vines through the growing season.

Earthy in character, there is a freshness to fruit, touch of citrus and espresso and truffle. Soft, polished, youthful and bright, there is a freshness and bright quality on the palate. Give this 7-10 more years before popping a cork. Produced from a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, picking took place starting October 1. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2012&wine=Chateau%20Pichon%20Longueville%20Comtesse%20de%20Lalande

Wonderful nose of wet earth, mushrooms and berries. Full to medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Sleek and polished. Needs two to three years of bottle age to soften. 59% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot.

The 2012 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is a beautiful, elegant wine in this slightly more challenging vintage (at least for the northern Médoc) and is well worth cellaring and drinking. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, it has classic Pauillac lead pencil notes as well as plenty of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, and cedar. Medium-bodied, forward, and seamless on the palate, it shows the classic elegance of this estate, has ripe tannins, and is already impossible to resist. Enjoy this solid 2012 Pauillac over the coming 15-20 years.

A gutsy, terroir -driven style, with briar-edged grip carrying notes of macerated black currant fruit, fig and plum sauce. Shows lots of dark anise through the finish, along with roasted apple wood and a hint of cassis bush. Delivers excellent range, purity and energy. Best from 2018 through 2027. — J.M.

The 2012 Pichon-Lalande has a rather musky bouquet at first, juniper and mint infusing the black fruit, not quite translating the essence of Pauillac as well as others, though still attractive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and silky smooth. There is a veneer of high quality oak here, quite plush on the finish yet at the same time, nicely controlled. Good potential, though I would like to see improvement aromatically. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. -- Neal Martin