Pichon-Longueville Lalande Pauillac 2010

100 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "Silky, sweet black fruit, black olive and truffle notes from the start. This is majestically impressive - it sparks to life in your mouth and breaks out an involuntary smile. The texture is just liquid silk and it slowly but surely builds through the palate, gaining in confidence and totally delightful. Bright, vibrant tannins make the most of the high levels of acidity that were available in 2010, while matching them pace for pace with concentrated fruit. For me this is getting better as it ages, starting to rival the 1982 at Comtesse, and I can't wait to keep tasting it over the decades to come. Last time I rated this wine, in 2016, I gave it 98 points, and I questioned whether to keep it there, which is already an exceptional score, but I want to mark just how clearly it stood out in this horizontal. 60% new oak. Drinking Window: 2022-2050. (Jan 2020)"

98+ points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "An eternal wine, the 2010 Pichon Lalande is a total showstopper. The first impression is one of explosive power, but time in the glass brings out the wine’s more delicate, floral side. Violet, graphite, crème de cassis, licorice and menthol overtones recall the 1996, but the tannins here are much softer, sweeter and more polished. In two recent tastings, the 2010 has been positively stellar. The alternation of hot days and cool nights led to a late harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest did not start until October 7; by that date in 2009 all the fruit was in. Readers who can still find the 2010 should not hesitate, as it is a modern-day classic. That’s all there is to it. Drink: 2025-2060. (Oct 2017)"

98 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot). Remains a little reserved on the first nose, suggesting it could do with a few more years in bottle, but this is fabulous quality. Intense black pepper spice, blackberry and damson fruits layered between silky tannins, waves of rosemary, olive tapenade cigar box, graphite and charcoal, mouthwatering and intense. Great stuff, but go with the 2009 Comtesse for the next few years - this is still to recapture the 100 points I have given it in the past, and needs time to reopen. Last year with Thomas Do-Chi-Nam as technical director. 3.6ph, harvest September 27 to October 13. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2025-2050. (9/16/24)"

97 points (18.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "An absolute success, the 2010 is the greatest the estate has seen since the 1982. (2014)"

97 points Tim Atkin, MW.

96 points and 'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "With signs of new wood on the palate, this is a wine that maintains the polished feel of the wines from Pichon Lalande. It has a stronger presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than in the past, making it more structured than its predecessors, with a dominance of black currant flavor. It shows the soft side of the vintage, but is also meant for aging. (Feb 2013)"

96 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "This is not holding on tight, as it nears the end of its first decade of life. The fruit is vibrant, with added touches of tobacco, flowers, spice, smoke, thyme and red berries, the silky, sexy textures and long, fruit-filled finish clearly announce that as this wine ages, it is only going to get better and better. (Nov 2018)"

95+ points Robert Parker: "The 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years. Drink: 2018-2048. (Feb 2013)"

95 points Wine Spectator: "Rock-solid, with a classic Pauillac profile of cassis, iron and graphite. Layers of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry fruit cover the grip for now, but there's serious muscle for the longer haul, revealing a lingering pastis hint.--Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Best from 2020 through 2040. (2014)"

95 points Falstaff: "Dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate watery rim, fine spicy notes, chocolate nuances, dark forest berry confit, delicate orange zest, attractive bouquet. Juicy, ripe cherry fruit, delicate nougat, fine, silky tannins, good extract sweetness, spicy finish, shows a very good length, already harmonious, attractive sweet red berry note in the aftertaste, already very delicate. (11/21/14)"