Pinotblogger: the Capozzi Winery blog

As you can probably tell by now there are a lot of chateau clustered in the Medoc. Their grand facades, some in better repair than others, are probably the greatest outward manifestation of the high amount of wealth that is concentrated here. Almost all labels of chateau show the picture of the building, and with enough time, the picture of the building is enough to conjure up powerful taste memories. In many cases, these grand edifices lie across the street from each other. When they were originally built people must of thought them the McMansions of their day (take heart in your future Newport Beach!). Perhaps there is no greater example of this then the two Pichon-Longuevilles–Pichon-Lalande and Pichon-Baron. The two grand mansions stare each other down over the D2 road—an apt metaphor, for the competition between the two chateaux, both second-growths, is historic.

Pichon-Lalande (top) and Pichon-Baron (from the driveway of Lalande) further down the page.

The two estates were one until 1850, when half of the estate was sold off to a Rauzan (I do not know for sure, but I would wager at least a toe that it is the same family as Rauzan-Segla and Rauzan-Gassies). The chateau of Pichon-Baron, apparently not fashionable enough, was raised and rebuilt in its current form shortly after. While tasting the two different wines, I could not help but wonder what a combination of the two would taste like.

As I related in an earlier edition of this ongoing write-up of wine nerdery, Pichon-Lalande was long considered the better of the two chateaux. This changed when the insurance company AXA Milliseme purchased the property and placed Jean-Michel Caze, the owner of Lynch-Bages and L’Ormes des Pez, in charge of reinvigorating the property. Starting in 1994, Pichon-Baron’s wines have become increasingly better—and now, according to some critics, outpace even those wines of Pichon-Lalande. I was given the wonderful opportunity to visit both properties on successive days, visit their chaix, and talk in detail about the wine-making methods and philosophies. At the end of this, I feel that Pichon-Lalande and Pichon-Baron compete only in similar name and grandness of chateau; their wines are about as different as Pauillac gets, and as such are testaments to winemaking style and subtle mesoclimatic variation.

There is no way to describe Pichon Comtesse de Lalande as anything other than resplendent, definitely resplendent (and anyone who knows that movie reference gets a cookie and probably needs a therapist). From the foyer, to the tasting room, Pichon-Lalande baths itself in immaculate collections of art, and historical, expensive, vinous frippery. The chateau has been remodeled to allow an amazing amount of light in on the upper floors, and the chaix is immaculate. Unfortunately I was so engaged in conversation with the oenologist of the Comtesse, Stephanie, that I did not want to stop and take pictures. Also, to show the closeness of relations here in Bordeaux, Stephanie’s boyfriend is none other than Gerome, the maitre de chaix of Lynch-Bages. She is also one of the only winemakers in Bordeaux that is female—there is still more than a little sniff of the old boys club here.

When I asked Stephanie what differentiates her wines from those of the chateau across the street she said, “they are more subtle, more perfumed, more classic, and generally more elegant.� Every winemaking decision here, from picking times, to maceration techniques, to barrel selections, is done in an effort to increase the elegance of the wine. Fruit is picked at around 12% for the Cabernet, and 13% for the Merlot. Triage takes place in the field, and the grapes come in already sorted. Crushing and destemming follows and alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks. Interestingly, Pichon-Lalande uses multiple maceration and pump-over techniques rather than the single remontage employed by the other chateau I have visited. Depending on the needs of the grapes—whether they are reductive or need less air-contact, remontage, pigeage (punching down), drain and returns, or a special non-oxidative method of pump-over is used. The latter features a tube with a small pump that is inserted into the cap, with the top being placed below the cover of CO2 gas that covers the cap of any fermentation. As the motor turns the juice is pumped onto the top of the cap but does not come into contact with oxygen. This way, greater skin contact is allowed than would be the case if no pumpover was employed, but does not expose the must to unwanted air. Quite the interesting alternative I thought. Fermentations here are inoculated here like most other places with, I believe, F33 ad F15 (but she said it quickly and my mind was still processing the previous sentence).

Malo takes place in tank, and the wine is then barreled down into French oak that is typically 50-60% new. The barrel selection is much like other places—being a blend of five different tonnelleries—the only difference is that no Boutes barrels are featured (barrels that form the backbone of Lynch-Bages, Palmer, and Rauzan-Segla). Like everyplace else I have been to, the wines are racked every three months to gradually rid them of their lees over the course of the 16-19 months they are in barrel.

The 2005 Pichon Lalande was indeed elegant. It was hard for me to believe that these grapes come from vineyards that lie next to the trio of Leovilles. The wine is tight, with firm structure and acidity. The fruit is taught, like biting into a fresh strawberry and cherry, with the classic Pauillac tannin (that eventually becomes rather like pencil lead) running full-steam ahead. The tannins are polished however, not as course as those found in a vintage like 2003 or 2004. As I tasted I thought that the wine was more Pichon-Lalande than 2005. It did not seem as muscular as the other 2005 Pauillac’s that I have tasted. I have a sneaking suspicion though that this is pretty typical for Pichon-Lalande. Indeed, they have achieved the elegance for which they strive—I just wonder if this wine has the power to go for as long as some others.

The Pichon-Barons, made by Daniel Llose, who is also the oenologist at the Cazes properties, is about as different in style as one can get. After touring the beautifully remodeled chaix, which emphasizes fruit selection and gravity flow techniques, I tasted the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Pichon Baron. Each was quite good in their own way—a reminder that three strong vintages in a row will be salvation for a vintage this year that seems to be getting more tenuous with each successive rainstorm (there have been four now). Pichon-Baron is the first place I have been to where part of the malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel (for 2005 the number was 30%). In contrast to Pichon-Lalande where such a technique is avoided for its tendency to soften and fatten wines, to make wines that are “too modern� Pichon-Baron is actively pursuing such a flavor profile.

(the tank-room at Pichon-Baron, the three squares in the floor are trapdoors that Daniel Llose can open under bad cellar workers. The light above is simply called “HIM�)

The results are quite impressive. The suavity of fruit makes for a wine that is quite approachable young. The wines, particularly the 2005, seem to have the stuffing to last like a good Bordeaux should. That said, only time will tell if the initial babyfat sought for these wines by the winemaking team will render them less able to age gracefully.

Since I was able to taste through three successive vintages of Pichon Baron it is probably an apt time to discuss the types of years that have been encountered in the Medoc in the past. It is also apt because I think the three Pichon Baron’s that I had the privilege to taste were quite reflective of the vintages as a whole.

2003: This vintage has received rave reviews from the American and British press, but particularly Robert Parker and Wine Spectator. Every winemaker with whom I have spoken, from Nicolas Labenne here at Lynch Bages to Philippe Delfeur at Ch. Palmer said that the 2003’s are very good wines that are completely atypical of the region. It is a vintage for the California Cabernet drinker that wants to branch out into the slightly scarier world of French wines. I have found that the wines tend to have a grille’ quality about them, meaning the fruit tastes more like liquor and confiture of fruit than anything else. I have not tasted a wine yet that possesses the delicate balance achieved by a truly great vintage. Rather, these wines will, for the most part, be best consumed 2-15 years from now and savored for rich fruit. My beef with some examples of the 2003 vintage that I had is the same beef I have with many wines from the southern Rhone from this hot year. I find that the tannins do not seem ripe or plush, rather they are quite gritty and a little raw—right now this is, for the most part in most wines, covered by the enamel of sweet fruit but as time erodes this layer I am not sure what the wines are going to look like.

2004: This is, as far as I can tell, a vintage to buy. It is going to be historically eclipsed by the irregular 2003’s and the amazing 2005’s, but the wines have great depth and elegance. If 2001 produced “classic� wines of good breeding, these are one step up in density and intensity. It is also quite nice that the “en primeur� price (futures) of these wines are about 2/3rds to 1/2 of the wines from 2005 (one can never fault the bordelaise for not trying to turn a profit). An example of this comes from the winemaker of Pichon-Lalande, who told me that the 2004 is most like the 2005, just a little bit less intense. I have been particularly pleased with the Haut-Marbuzet and Tronquay Lalande—two estates in St. Estephe—for this vintage.

2005: These wines are just amazing. They are dense and rich but have amazing stuffing to them. The balance is impeccable and rich—these are Bentley Bordeaux’s. All of the wines are quite expressive of where they come from, and the terroir seems to be more focused in this vintage. This is in contrast to the 2003’s where the many that I have tasted make me go “oh, this is good wine, but I have no idea where this came from.�

Alright, next time it is the grandpapa of all Pauillac. My grandfather’s favorite wine, and certainly one of those that I love (if only I could afford it), Chateau Latour!
(the view of Latour from the deck of Pichon-Lalande.