WTN: 2002 Pichon Lalande

200 Pichon Lalande (from 375ml)

A bit stiff with lots of iron and mineral. Has some nice herb but a bit chunky and lean. Tannins are fine and starting just barely to melt into the fruit. Plenty of blackened wood and a long finish with bitter nut. Has a delicate nature under strong angular fruit with a bit of sweet perfume. Not a warm wine, nor is it generous. But it is suave, fairly smooth, complex, and shows real class. Even from 375 this is young. I wouldn't open a 750 for at least 5 years. Does this have a lot of cabernet franc in it? Has that green, peppery edge.

nice note, thanks. I think that more serious 2002s in general need more time. I don't know that Pichon Lalande has more CF than average, but they do have a larger than average % of Petit Verdot. I tend to like Pichon Lalande, but some find the green/herb offputting.

Perhaps it's the Petit Verdot I'm tasting. Had some similarities with some Loire reds, so I figured cab franc.