One often reads 2001 is an underrated vintage on the Left Bank. How would a third label from the super second Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande hold up after a little over 9 years?

On sight, the wine is clear and bright, having a deep ruby to light garnet color of a medium-plus concentration; it's highly viscous with light stained tears. The outer rim is garnet to rusty brown until fading back to its garnet core.

The nose is clean with medium-plus power and shows slight vinosity as tertiary non-fruit nuances of its youth are now in the forefront; having said that, its fruit profile is black cherry, Chambord liqueur, and dark currant. Its non-fruits are dried Poblano chiles and spice cupboard, sweaty honeysuckle, cracked black pepper and charcoal grill, minty clove and vanilla, savory chicken stock, Necco Wafer candy and violets.

Dry, yet soft on the palate with acid and tannins at medium-plus, very savory as the chicken stock from the nose is more beefy on the tongue. The clove and vanilla are still present, nicely integrated in fact with black pepper, dried chiles and Necco Wafer, adding up to a full bodied wine with 12.5% abv. Complexity is medium-plus [mainly because of the aged nuances], but the finish is more of a medium. An interesting wine for under $30; drink now as this is at a "fruit fading and the tannins remain" stage.

An overly long decant time will cost you on this one; so, "glass decant" and eat with a steak.

***Just found out Chefs Gabe and Katherine of L'Artusi and Dell'Anima [NYC] had little baby Luke! Congrats!***

Anthony Garcia
www.wineisdivine.com
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