My feeling about the 2018 Réserve de la Comtesse is pretty much the same as it was when I first tasted it en primeur. It is an attractive, gracious wine with plenty of immediacy and appeal, but not the depth of some previous editions. I imagine that mostly reflects the significant presence of young vine fruit here and the uneven quality of the growing season and vintage. I would prefer to drink the 2018 over the next decade or so.

The 2018 Réserve de Pichon Comtesse has undergone a discreet change of name since the 2017 vintage. What has not changed is that it’s a knockout Second Label. It ladles out gorgeous scents of blackberry mixed with iodine and violets, just as it did from barrel. The palate is quite rich and generous, with saturated, pliant tannins, a very fine line of acidity and hints of graphite furnishing the finish. Give it, say, three years in bottle and you will have a delicious wine on your hands.

The 2018 Réserve de la Comtesse is matured in 40% new oak, 30% one year old and 30% two years old. It has a relatively opulent bouquet, although not overdone, armed with copious blackberries, iodine and violet scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin and pure black fruit laced with graphite and white pepper, leading to quite a dense but focused finish. This is a powerful Réserve de la Comtesse that will require three to five years in bottle.

The 2018 Réserve de la Comtesse is a very pretty second wine from Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Pliant, creamy and inviting, the Reserve is attractive, but also a bit laid back relative to recent vintages in which the Réserve was perhaps a more serious, structured wine. The Réserve is built around a core of younger vine's fruit. The more accessible style is most likely explained by the natural heterogeneity of the vintage itself. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Tasted four times.