Pichon Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac, 2022

If you are looking for a way to experience the style of a great Pauillac estate without having to wait decades, the Pichon Comtesse Réserve is the ideal gateway. It is the second wine of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, and for the 2022 vintage, many critics consider it one of the most successful second wines in all of Bordeaux.

Pichon Comtesse is a Deuxième Grand Cru Classé from the 1855 classification and one of the most elegant estates in the Médoc. The property, now owned by the Champagne house Louis Roederer, spans over 100 hectares, with about 80 in production on gravel mounds resting on a sandy-clay subsoil. The second wine has a long history: the estate produced it as far back as the 19th century, but the Réserve de la Comtesse was only made available to the public starting in 1973. Today, it bears the name Pichon Comtesse Réserve.

The 2022 has something special about it. The harvest was split evenly between the grand vin and the second wine, and the team led by Nicolas Glumineau decided to allocate all of the estate's Petit Verdot to the Réserve. The result is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, with restrained yields of around 30 hectoliters per hectare. The Petit Verdot makes its presence felt: it adds aroma, spice, and an extra boost to the structure.

In the glass, it opens with notes of cassis, dark plum, and black cherry, with violet, dried flowers, and a touch of orange zest; then graphite, pencil lead, and a light menthol note emerge. On the palate, it is full, juicy, and enveloping, with an almost exotic core of fruit and dense yet velvety tannins, which build particularly in the long and intense finish. It is a generous wine, but with the composure typical of Pauillac.

At the table, it is perfect with sliced beef (tagliata), a rack of lamb, pepper steak, or aged hard cheeses. Serve it at 16–18 °C and, in its early years, give it at least an hour in a decanter to allow the tannins to soften.

My advice? You have two paths, and both are good: you can start opening it in the coming years, or let it rest, as critics point to an ideal drinking window extending to 2038–2040. It is a red of great class for an important dinner, and an excellent starting point for anyone looking to build a Bordeaux cellar.