Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Meet one of the greatest of Bordeaux’ vineyards !
The Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a famous wine estate located on Pauillac between Château Latour and Château Pichon Baron. The estate covers 90 hectares (75 planted) including 11 hectares, exceptional, in the town of Saint-Julien.
The property was created in 1689 by Baron Jacques de Pichon Longueville following his marriage with Thérèse de Rauzan. His father Pierre de Rauzan, was one of the great men who contributed to the renown of Bordeaux, given in dowry, some vineyards to Baron from the Enclos Rauzan. Gradually the Baron de Pichon Longueville expanded the property and developed a productive tool that allowed the property’s wines to quickly acquire a worldwide reputation. Following his death in 1850 his vineyard was divided in two. One part returned to his son, the Baron Raoul Pichon Longueville (Château Pichon Baron) and the other part to his three daughters. The latter inherited what would become Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. One of them, Virginie, married the Earl of Lalande and made the choice to assume the production of the wine that became Pichon Comtesse de Lalande. In 1855, thanks to the work of Baron Jacques and his daughters the property was raised to the rank of 2nd Cru Classé.
In 1925 the Château was sold to Edouard and Louis Miailhe, previously known for their wine brokerage business. The property would remain in their family until 2007 when the family Rouzaud (Champagne Louis Roederer) acquired it.
Why did you choose to work in the wine sector?
“Firstly because I like it. We are fortunate to be able to create a new work every year, each time different. In this business one has both a hedonistic approach and an intellectual approach to wine. It is precisely this duality, this balance that I like! To make wine is to go in search of a muse with three heads. That is to say that there is a very agricultural empirical part, a scientific part relative to the knowledge that we can acquire / develop as well as an artistic part of creation starting from a soil which is the structure common to each vintage. There is always a part of you in the wine that you make.
My story with wine begins very traditionally with the bottle that we opened on Sunday lunch with family. It was often a stronghold of Alsace, a Vendean stronghold or a Medoc. In fact, I started by doing genetics studies and decided to do a DEA and apply genetics to the world of wine. I made yeast hybrids for Mr Denis Dubourdieu. This is where I told myself that beyond the pleasure of wine we had to look further into the pleasure of wine. In addition, we were in the middle of the 1990s in the explosion of oenology on the scientific level … There was therefore a great enthusiasm and opportunities.
Subsequently I returned to Château Montrose as technical director, then as assistant to Mr Jean-Bernard Delmas before arriving at Pichon Comtesse in November 2012. Even if the property does not belong to me I am very attached to this vineyard. ”
What is the signature of Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande wines?
“Our wines are great Pauillac because of their tannic structure, their frame covered with flesh and the powdery sweetness typical of our property. ”
Where does the name of the Château come from?
“In 1850 Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville owned a single large vineyard here. Before he died, he divided it in two between his son and his three daughters. One of them, Virginie, married the Earl of Lalande and made the choice to assume the production of the wine on what became Pichon Comtesse de Lalande. It was for the time a bold choice for a woman! ”
If you have to define the wines, the spirit as well as the property of Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in a few words, what would you say?
“Sharing, elevation, fullness and civilization”
Do you have any special projects for the Château?
« We have the whole project to go entirely biodynamic. We have an approach that is not a marketing approach but sincere and sustainable. From 2018 we will have 28 hectares of vines managed biodynamically. We made this choice there, and not Organic Farming because after some tests we have seen too little positive effect on the plant and I do not want to be satisfied with the simple impact on the environment. If in addition it can have a nice effect on the expression of the soil, the quality of the soil and so its effect on the wine it is necessarily much better. On the other hand we made the choice not to convert our vines (managed in reasoned agriculture) but to move to biodynamics with the new plants. So it’s a conversion that will happen step by step. Currently we have a grubbing and replanting plan of 3 hectares per year.
Our second project, which is very serious but will be born in the medium / long term is the creation of a white wine. It will probably be a blend of Sauvignon, a bit of Semillon. I hesitate to add a very fine proportion of another variety. What I like in these two varieties is the freshness associated with the structure of the wine without having the varie-tal characteristics of Sauvignon.This wine will certainly be in the category of long-keeping wine. »
Side anecdote:
During the succession of Baron Pichon Longueville one of his three daughters agreed to take the direction of the vineyard without yet holding alone all the shares of the property. Indeed the castle was bequeathed to the three daughters of the baron. However the two other sisters who did not have as descendants the children of Virginia, wife Comtesse de Lalande, was the only inheritor of the Château.
Thanks to Mr. Nicolas Glumineau for his friendly hospitality.
Choukroun Chicheportiche Jonathan
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
33250 Pauillac
+33(0)5 56 59 19 40
www.pichon-comtesse.com
