2000 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Reviews & Tasting Notes

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2021 - 2045

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The crop level here was just 33 hectoliters per hectare due to widespread coulure, particularly severe in the estate's merlot, according to technical director Thomas Do-Chi-Nam. "But we still needed to carry out a green harvest because some of the vines were carrying too much fruit," he noted. A relatively high 65% of the production will go into the grand vin, up significantly from 37% in 2001. All three of Pichon-Lalande's most recent vintages showed extremely well in early April.

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"The 2000 is a more massive wine while the 2001 is silkier and more elegant," notes technical director Thomas Do-Chi-Nam, adding that the tannin index was actually slightly higher in 2001. The latter vintage was harder to extract, and thus the estate did a longer maceration, with more pumpovers and delestage [a process whereby the juice is drained from the tank, then poured back over the solids]. The 2001 features a rather high 14% of petit verdot (along with 50% cabernet sauvignon and 36% merlot), which marketing director Gildas d'Ollone told me gives the wine more dynamism. "It's like adding lemon to the sauce," he explained.

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According to technical director Thomas Do-Chi-Nam, the 2000 vintage brought the highest tannins levels ever recorded at Pichon-Lalande, and the challenge was to craft a wine with sufficiently enveloped tannins. The wine is similar to '96 but bigger, he added. Some saignee and osmose inverse were used to concentrate the must. The 2000 Pichon-Lalande is clearly riper and more complex than the '99, and is likely to develop slowly in bottle.