This château's history goes back 250 years. It was created by Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan, who gave it as a dowry to Jacques de Pichon Longueville when he married his daughter. The latter left his name to this vast estate, which was later split up to settle an inheritance. Virginie Pichon Longueville took over management of one of the two parts, adding her title, Comtesse de Lalande, to the name of the château after her marriage to Count Henri de Lalande. The Pichon Longueville and Lalande family lines came to an end with that of the 19th century. Pichon Comtesse was purchased by Edouard and Louis Miailhe in 1925. Edouard's daughter, May Eliane de Lencquesaing, managed the château with great skill between 1978 and 2007, contributing greatly to the estate's modernization. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was recently acquired by Champagne Roederer.

The vineyards are located close to the Gironde on the Pichon Longueville plateau in the southern part of the Pauillac appellation, bordering on Château Latour. The relatively dry soil consists of gravel (Garonne and especially Günzian gravel) on a layer of clay, which provides excellent natural drainage.

Furthermore, the warm microclimate is conducive to ripe, concentrated grapes. These are picked extremely carefully, and the timing depends on the age of the vines and the exact degree of ripeness. The fruit is sorted rigorously both in the vineyard and in the vat room.

Pichon Lalande has been considered a "super-second" growth since the 1980s. The wines have a feminine side and are much appreciated for their finesse and complexity. This is probably due to the relatively high proportion of old Merlot vines. The château orangery hosts a remarkable collection of antique glasses.

In the Bottle

Making sure to keep pace with their "cousin" and neighbor (Pichon Baron), Pichon Comtesse has always made fine wine, making it a serious candidate for the "super-second" category. The quality, which was already quite good, has made spectacular strides over the past decade, and Pichon Comtesse is now highly regarded around the world thanks to its refinement.

Other than the controversial 1990, no other recent vintage of Pichon Comtesse has been disappointing. The Pichon Longueville Comtesse 1982 is a legendary wine in a legendary vintage, up there with the monumental Latour and Mouton. The 1959 is also a wine of tremendous class. Since 2004, Pichon Comtesse de Lalande's texture has been more forthcoming than previous vintages at the same age. Will this be the château's style from now on ?

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Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (second wine), la Réserve de la Comtesse