Last year, the son of my travel companion arranged for us to visit winemaking estates...in the Bordeaux region of France...including the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande...
Located in the Pauillac appellation...its 89 hectares of land look across the road toward (not to be confused with) the Château Pichon Longueville Baron...before they were divided in 1850, together they formed the larger Pichon estate from which their names are derived...the Comtesse de Lalande portion of the larger estate went to the original owners' three daughters, one of whom managed the estate that now bears her name...
The Château is a working winery...owned since 2007 by the Rouzaud family...who also owns the Louis Roederer Champagne house...it grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes...and the wines it produces are formally classified as second growth...or Second Cru...
During our visit, we were invited to see Le Château de Verre...the House of Glass...once the Comtesse' home, she had it designed to reflect the Hôtel de Lalande where her husband had spent his childhood...it includes a stunning collection of antique glass (one of my mom's passions)...encased in gorgeous, lighted glass cabinetry, I got few suitable images as there was much reflection and I had left my polarizing lens behind...
We felt fortunate to visit as the Château was being prepared to greet wine merchants from all over the world...about to descend on Bordeaux for the annual week-long event to assess the 2009 vintage...anticipated to be the most extraordinary vintage since 1982...
A handful of images from this visit are posted on my home page...