Reserve de la Comtesse 2014 ex-ch 750ml

Wine Advocate #Interim End of March 2017, Apr 1, 2017, by Neal Martin
The 2014 Reserve de Comtesse de Lalande has a very fresh and vibrant bouquet with lovely cedar-infused black fruit that sings of Pauillac-ness (apologies for the made-up word!). The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and elegant with a keen line of acidity. This feels quite linear at the moment and perhaps the finish could have dealt more complexity commensurate with the aromatics. Yet there is bundles of freshness infused into this Deuxième Vin and there is a palpable salinity on the aftertaste.

In the Bordeaux region the classified crus have mixed soils, but large enough tracts of land to make very rigorous selections. It is only the quest for excellence during the XVIIIth century that led the owners to elaborate several wines of different quality. Severe selecting is the guarantee of quality of a great wine, but also of a second wine.
Today, the second wines represent between 20 and 50 % of the total production of the Chateau. From the same soil, the second wine benefits from the same technology as the great wine, and also its reputation. They are generally excellent wines, though less robust and long lasting than their elders.
The archives kept at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande mention the existence of a second wine as early as the XIXth century: 27 April 1890, shipping of four bottles of the vintage 1874 second wine to the Moscow exhibition.
In addition, the accounts book for the year 1874, that details the production of the year confirms that the second wine was rigorously selected.
The second wine of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, The Réserve de la Comtesse, was created and sold for the first time in 1973.

Meats, Beef and Venison