Collector Wines

wines

(Château Pichon-Lalande) While I have been a big fan of the 1985 vintage in Bordeaux for many years and have written quite a bit about these wines in recent times, I had not tasted a bottle of the 1985 Pichon-Lalande since I cannot remember when. I sold this wine right out of the blocks in my merchant days and always liked it well enough, but in my formative years, I found it a bit too “weedy” and did not end up cellaring it for my own collection. I think this was the only vintage of Pichon-Lalande I did not buy for my cellar in that era, as I started laying in the wines with the 1981 vintage and bought them every year (even the 1984 and 1987) up through the 1989, before my buying habits (and my more limited cellar budget in those days) turned towards Burgundy. But, I skipped the 1985 and that was too bad, as the wine has aged quite beautifully and is now drinking with great style and grace. The bouquet is a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee, cigar wrapper, a dollop of fresh herbs, gravel, black tea and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and beautifully complex, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, melted tannins and fine length and grip on the very classy finish. This is not a powerful vintage of Pichon, but it is an utterly complete one! (Drink between 2019-2045).John Gilman | 93 JGQuite ripe, with flavors of plum cake, warm pain d’épices, mint, Christmas pudding and fruitcake embedded in mulled currant and fig fruit. Offers a long, coffee-tinged finish, alluring ripeness and an easy structure.--Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2025.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAn intensely fragrant bouquet of weedy cassis fruit, toasted bread, and smoke is evolved and developed. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, supple and smooth, with flavors of jammy black fruits and herbs. The finish is lush and silky. This wine has not yet begun to close up and I am beginning to doubt whether it will. A seductive-styled Pichon Lalande, it should drink well for another 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 91 RP

One of the best wines of the vintage, this is a classic Pauillac that is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Dense ruby/purple in color with a glorious nose of melted licorice, lavender, barbecue smoke, black currants, and graphite, the wine is tannic, classically structured with an opaque ruby/purple color, beautiful definition, and a 1996-ish personality. This deep, full-bodied, elegant yet powerful 2002 should age handsomely for over two decades. Some patience will be required since this vintage exhibits more muscle and virility than normal. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.Robert Parker | 94 RPGood deep ruby-red. Inky aromas of currant, black cherry, minerals and smoky oak. Tightly wound but not at all hard. The flavors of black fruits, minerals and graphite are enlivened by bright acidity (3.56 grams). A very classy wine with sneaky depth of flavor, in a distinctly cooler style than the 2003 but built to age.Vinous Media | 92+ VMAromas of blackberries, cassis with fresh mushrooms and licorice. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, refined finish. Slightly austere now but should come around very nicely. Best after 2007. 15,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS