Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac. Deuxième Cru Classé

   “Forty gravelly parcels” in Saint Lambert near Pauillac is how the archives record the creation of a property by Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan, a great name in the history of Bordeaux wine. The vineyard was to take his name sometime later when Thérèse, the founder's daughter received it as dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon Longueville, the first President of the Parlement de Bordeaux. Thus began the history of one of the greatest Bordeaux vineyards, that over a period of more than 250 years has conserved its integrity under the same family.
   The Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville decided to share the domain between his five children. In a spirit of equality, he applied a very simple mathematical rule. His two sons would receive two fifths of the vineyard and its equipment, and his three daughters would receive the other three fifths. However, in the absence of descendants, only two children finally inherited the property: Raoul inherited the part destined for the sons, Virginie for the daughters. After a period of several years during which the property was administered by the Baron Raoul de Pichon Longueville, the rupture was effective. From then on the lands of Pichon Longueville would have two very different futures.
   Anticipating this indivision, Virginie married Count Henri de Lalande, and took over the control of the domain, the Count giving her independence and the title of Comtesse de Lalande. From 1840, wishing to remain in the heart of the Médoc on the land of Pichon Longueville, she ordered the Bordeaux architect, Duphot to design a residence inspired by the Hôtel de Lalande in Bordeaux where her husband had spent his childhood. Her passion for vines and the quality of her management made her a strong personality in the Médoc in the last century, leaving her mark on the domain that has kept her name. In 1855, during the classification that was carried out under Napoleon III, the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande acquired the status of Deuxième Cru Classé.
   The prestigious lines of the Pichon Longueville and the Lalande families had ended by the end of the century. The domain passed from aunts to nieces down through the generations. In 1920 the Médoc was bled white by the Great War, the vineyards auctioned. Despite these hard times, Edouard and Louis Miailhe, descendants of an old Bordeaux family of vineyard owners and wine dealers, bought the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in 1925.
Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is one of the most important super seconds and the estate has made tremendous strides in the last 20 years. This is largely due to the energy, drive and ambition of May Eliane de Lenquesaing, the daughter of Edouard Miailhe, who took over the property in 1978.
   Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a 75-hectare property that produces on average 36,000 cases per year. Located in the east of the Pauillac appellation, the vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 45%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 12%, Petit Verdot 8%) lie on deep gravel beds underpinned by clay and then sandstone and limestone. The Château has the particularity of owning eleven hectares of vines within the commune of Saint-Julien, which account for the wine's elegant and supple character among the other Grand Crus of Pauillac. The wine is fermented in stainless steel cuvées and then matured in oak barriques (50% new) for 18 months.
   Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is not as powerful or as tannic as some its Pauillac neighbours and this is mainly because of its relatively high Merlot content. In the best years, it is one of the most exotic and voluptuously scented wines of the Médoc. At least a decade of cellaring is required before the wines should be approached.