The 2018 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a Pauillac Second Growth that, across critics, reads as a serious, age-worthy Comtesse built around dark fruit, graphite, and firm structure. The blend is widely reported as 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, bottled at 14% alcohol; Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) also notes pH 3.85 and that the grand vin represented “50% of the crop this year.”
Several reviews land in excellent territory. Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) calls it “destined to be one of the great vintages of Pichon Lalande” and scores it 99, emphasizing an “opulent, silky, fresh” palate and decades of longevity (2025–2055). Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss awards 98, describing a “powerful wine” with “packed blackberry fruits” where “the wine’s elegance is beautifully preserved within the structure,” recommending patience until 2027. Decanter (98) highlights classic Pauillac markers—“lovely grilled and graphite notes… big and muscular, and extremely Pauillac”—while pointing to “fine tannins that quickly build up to suggest how well this will age.”
In the glass, the aromatic set skews toward ripe black fruit and pencil-lead precision. Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate, 97+) details “baked plums, ripe blackcurrants and wild blueberries” alongside “cedar chest” and “pencil lead,” finishing on a “lingering fragrant-earth note,” adding it “should easily cellar for another 30 years or more.” Wine Spectator (98) likewise finds a “seriously deep well” of fruit with a “ramrod of graphite… A real brick house,” advising 2030–2050.
More than one critic stresses its youthful reserve. James Suckling (97) calls it “very tight and restrained,” suggesting waiting until at least 2026. Jeb Dunnuck (98+) underscores its power—“a monster of a wine”—and expects “5–7 years of bottle age” and a long runway beyond. Neal Martin (Vinous, 96–98) notes harvest dates (Sept. 16–Oct. 10) and a “seductive and lithe” palate, concluding it “might ultimately stand shoulder to shoulder with the 2016.”
