I have drunk an awful lot of 1978 Pichon-Lalande over the years, as this was one of the current vintages of the wine in the market when I was first discovering great wine during my university days and it could be bought for about eighteen dollars a bottle back in the early and mid-1980s. Consequently, this was often the wine I would splurge on when a great bottle was required back at college. It has always been one of the very best Médocs of the 1978 vintage, as perhaps the slightly green edge to 1978 works so well with the higher Merlot content in the cépages of this wine. This most recent bottle at our vertical was very similar to one I shared with friends in Germany last year, with the wine offering up a superb and absolutely à point bouquet of dark berries, cassis, a touch of tobacco leaf, gravel, iron, cigar smoke and still a lovely topnote of menthol from the Merlot in the blend. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and perfectly resolved at age forty-one, with a lovely core of fruit, impeccable balance, melted tannins and lovely focus and grip on the complex and vibrant finish. A beautiful vintage of Pichon-Lalande that is now at its apogee.

This has a very expressive nose, a touch of greenness but ebullient black fruits, tar, graphite and cedar all with very fine definition. The palate is medium-bodied, quite sweet and silky on the entry with good acidity, notes of black cherries, iodine and an almost sorbet like character towards the finish that shows a surprising amount of glycerine. This is certainly a great success for the vintage, kudos to the late-Michel Delon for fashioning such great wines in modest growing seasons. (NM)

The 1978 Pichon Lalande is deep brick in color. Fragrant notions of rose oil, Earl Grey tea, dried figs, and spice cake emerge from the glass, leading to hints of iron ore and tobacco leaf. The palate is elegant, refreshing, minerally and refined, finishing with a spicy lift. Fully mature now, a well-preserved bottle of this vintage should continue at this plateau for another 5-10 years before it really starts to fade. 1978 was the year that May-Eliane de Lencquesaing took over the estate. (LPB)