12 bottles per lot
Details
Château Pichon-Longueville, Lalande--Vintage 1996
Pauillac, 2me cru classé. Château bottled
Tasting note: The 1996 Pichon-Lalande is just as awesome from bottle as it was from multiple cask tastings. For Pichon-Lalande, the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is atypically high. This wine normally contains 35-50 Merlot in the blend, but the 1996 is a blend of 75 Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc, and 5 Petit Verdot. Only 50 of the estate's production made it into the grand vin. The color is a saturated ruby/purple. The nose suggests sweet, nearly overripe Cabernet Sauvignon, with its blueberry/blackberry/cassis scents intermixed with high quality, subtle, toasty new oak. Deep and full-bodied, with fabulous concentration and a sweet, opulent texture, this wine was singing in full harmony when I tasted it in January. Given the wine's abnormally high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, I would suspect it will close down. It possesses plenty of tannin, but the wine's overwhelming fruit richness dominates its personality. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025. 96 points. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #122, April 1999
12 bottles per lot
Pauillac, 2me cru classé. Château bottled
Tasting note: The 1996 Pichon-Lalande is just as awesome from bottle as it was from multiple cask tastings. For Pichon-Lalande, the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is atypically high. This wine normally contains 35-50 Merlot in the blend, but the 1996 is a blend of 75 Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc, and 5 Petit Verdot. Only 50 of the estate's production made it into the grand vin. The color is a saturated ruby/purple. The nose suggests sweet, nearly overripe Cabernet Sauvignon, with its blueberry/blackberry/cassis scents intermixed with high quality, subtle, toasty new oak. Deep and full-bodied, with fabulous concentration and a sweet, opulent texture, this wine was singing in full harmony when I tasted it in January. Given the wine's abnormally high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, I would suspect it will close down. It possesses plenty of tannin, but the wine's overwhelming fruit richness dominates its personality. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025. 96 points. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #122, April 1999
12 bottles per lot
Special notice
(Wine sales only). Christie's charges a Buyer's premium calculated at 17.850% of the hammer price for each lot with a value up to €150,000. If the hammer price of a lot exceeds €150,000 then the premium for the lot is calculated at 17.850% of the first €150,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of €150,000. Buyer's Premium is calculated on this basis for each lot individually.
Brought to you by
Peter Mansell