Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1990

Concentrated. Medium-ruby color, with ripe plum, cigar tobacco and smoke aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still closed, almost clumsy. Give it time.

Very dark blackish crimson. Notably aromatic, even a hint of herbaceousness on this bottle. Lovely balance and spread of mellow aromas. Tannins fully molten. Quite delicate for a 1990. Quite fresh enough on the finish. Subtle with a hint of tarmacadam. Lots of pleasure. Neat.

The 1990 Pichon-Lalande is a very fine example of the vintage. The deep, complex and vibrant nose delivers a classy mélange of sweet dark berries, cassis, coffee, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones, cigar smoke and a finely-integrated base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very long, with admirable complexity, refined focus and balance, melting tannins and impressive grip on the very long and refined finish. This is a classic example of Pichon-Lalande from its glory days of the decade of the 1980s, and the 1990 here has just gotten better and better with each passing year. It is one of the most elegant examples of the vintage to be found on the Left Bank. (Drink between 2016-2050)