1996 Chateau Pichon Lalande, Pauillac, Case of 12 btls

AG97+ "What a treat it is to taste these two Pichon Lalandes straight from the chateau’s cellar. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is stratospheric from the very first taste. The deep, layered bouquet alone is deeply transfixing. Smoke, mocha, dark spices, lavender, crème de cassis, a host of dark-fleshed fruits and a touch of warm, resonant sweetness from the French oak draw me in. All of those sensations follow through to the palate, where the wine is massive, intense and totally enveloping. Time has softened the tannins to the point the 1996 is ready to drink, but there is enough sheer concentration here to support another 20-30 years of exceptional drinking. I am not sure I possess the vocabulary to describe just how captivating the 1996 is, but I do know this: If I had an opportunity to pick up a few well-stored bottles I would take it in a nanosecond. Readers holding the 1996 should be thrilled. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is a magnificent wine with plenty of upside. In word: fabulous." AG for VM Feb 2016

RP97 "The 1996 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is really beginning to drink with style, wafting from the glass with an inviting nose of blackberries, cassis, cherries, rich soil tones, Cuban cigar and subtle hints of mint and bergamot. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with an expansive, sumptuous core of fruit that's underpinned by ripe acids and ripe, powdery virile tannins, it concludes with a long, penetrating and sapid finish. This unusually Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated vintage was tightly wound for its first two decades, but as time passes it's the château signature that's dominating the cépagement. It's one of the wines of the vintage in 1996." WK for WA Feb 2022

LP97 "The 1996 Pichon Lalande is deep garnet-brick in color. It starts off a little closed, slowly revealing notes of warm cassis, stewed plums, unsmoked cigars, and crushed rocks, giving way to nuances of smoked meats and black truffles. The medium-bodied palate is pure, precise, and energetic, featuring elegant, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced. Still very youthful, this wine should easily cellar another 15-20 years." LPB for TWI Nov 2022

Robert Parker writes, "A profound success, the 1996 is one of the finest examples made under the regime of Madame de Lencquesaing.
The 1995/1996 vintages are two of the greatest back to back efforts Pichon-Lalande has ever produced, including the 1982/1983 vintages." Published: Feb 22, 1998