Rencontre with Nicolas Glumineau

Nicolas,

You have been the Managing Director of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande since 2012. This iconic Pauillac estate embodies the elegance and emotion of a great Médoc wine.
You are an expert in precise blending, seamlessly marrying science and art with balance and humility, bringing life to every vintage you craft with brilliance.

You oversee Comtesse with the Rouzaud family, who acquired the estate in 2007 and also own Louis Roederer Champagne. Together, you continue the pursuit of excellence and tradition, remaining faithful to the essence of Pichon Comtesse.

With 100 hectares of vines averaging 30 years in age, the vineyard lies on an exceptional terroir of Garonne gravel over a clay subsoil: an ideal setting to express the complexity and finesse of the grape varieties. Currently undergoing a transition, the vineyard aims for a predominance of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Merlot and Cabernet Franc, to fully express the unique identity of this Second Grand Cru Classé on the banks of the Gironde.

You and your team do not simply produce a great wine of the region: you honour a legacy, a culture, and the sentiment of a way of life rooted in time. Your ambition is to offer the taster a tangible experience—because, as you believe, “wine is a civilisation.”

For us, this phrase is a way of describing wine and its complexity through imagery, to avoid overly lengthy explanations. It often involves drawing parallels with music or architecture. In that regard, the estate’s renovation project in 2013 reflects our desire for transparency, clarity, and purity: just like in our wines. That’s why we chose vast glass surfaces combined with raw materials like wood and steel. Of course, we needed space, but above all, we aimed to create a simple, functional workspace, a humble design of the new vat room.

What’s fascinating about working for a family rooted in the world of wine is how communication becomes much more fluid. They understand the vineyard, the wine, and above all, what is truly priceless: they grasp the notion of long timeframes and the energy it takes to build a strategy, from planting to expressing passion and ardour through the wine, which ultimately remains the true hero of the story.

The expression of these emotions relies on a kind of intuition, shaped by the past and by our tasting experiences. Each year, a new chapter is written. Comparing vintages is both demanding and essential. During blending, we keep the estate’s history in mind and draw inspiration from familiar taste profiles. What fascinates me is that this shared personality in the wines doesn’t come from taste alone. There’s something deeply inspiring that stems from the place itself, from its atmosphere, not just the vineyard, but also the estate’s legacy.

I moved from Château Montrose, where the wines are known for their extraordinary power and density, to Pichon Comtesse, where refinement and elegance are central to its identity. Beyond that stylistic contrast, the way Pichon Comtesse communicates about its wine is deeply tied to its feminine character. The Comtesse, often contrasted with its neighbor the Baron, is defined in part by a higher proportion of Merlot in its blend. Add to that a lineage marked by women in leadership, and it was already, in some way, a kind of marketing before its time. Everything was already in place to convey a personality, a spirit, a figure, one that now expresses itself in the glass.

Just a few days after I arrived, I asked Xavier, the cellar master since 1998, to open a vertical tasting so I could immerse myself in what Pichon Comtesse’s wines had to express. I expected a selection of about ten emblematic vintages. In reality, I found myself facing a lineup spanning from 1970 to 2010. It was a fascinating day… but a very long one!

After a few hours, I invited the technical team to join me and share in the experience. The conclusion we reached was quite revealing: despite the image and communication often associated with Pichon Comtesse, the vintages we preferred leaned much more toward the spirit of Pauillac than that of Margaux or even Pomerol. Yet those appellations are sometimes used to describe Comtesse, even though we are firmly rooted in Pauillac. So the real question is: why does this comparison persist?

The great vintages of Comtesse show a much stronger Cabernet Sauvignon signature than I had imagined at the time. Looking back at the archives and blend compositions, we found that years like 2009, 1996, 1982, or 1989 were made with at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a touch of Cabernet Franc and around 20% Merlot.

So it’s no coincidence that the blends we’re crafting today also revolve around a dominant Cabernet Sauvignon base. What’s exciting is that this gradual evolution is leading us toward profiles that we truly love. Profiles that also confirm the proportions we ultimately aim to cultivate in the vineyard.

Thank you for this question… one we could spend hours discussing, and still never reach a definitive answer! So, my response will be deliberately didactic.

When the Rouzaud family acquired the estate, their very first request was a geological map of the soils. It simply didn’t exist! So, a complete one was created for all 100 hectares, divided into 80 plots, an immense undertaking that took several years. Once completed, the geological map was overlaid with a map of the varietal plantings. Unsurprisingly, we found Merlot planted in areas where, geologically speaking, Cabernet Sauvignon would have been a better fit.

It’s this generation, mine and my team’s, that has been entrusted with that deep restructuring work: uprooting, fallow periods, replanting about 4 to 5% of the vineyard every year. The soils rest for two to three years before being replanted, and every decision is based on thorough analysis of the plant material. It’s a massive renewal effort and a key strategic challenge for the estate. Our long-term goal is to reach a vineyard composition of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 to 18% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, a target we hope to meet around 2030.

This restructuring has also enabled us to experiment with organic and biodynamic practices. There were no certainties at the outset. My discussions with Jean-Baptiste, cellar master at Roederer, were especially helpful. His first reaction was: “Take your time. You’ll need it. Do it because you want to understand and to learn.” That stayed with me.

I believed it was worth trying to convert a vineyard, over 20 years old and previously under sustainable farming, to organic or biodynamic practices. However, the major mistake would be to decide after just five years that it doesn’t work.
Even if I can’t explain everything, what we’ve put in place is rigorous, well-documented, and carried out with a spirit of scientific observation. But why, for instance, do I feel confident in saying that with the 2020 vintage, we reached another level of depth? I don’t have an absolute answer. Was it biodynamics? Human and technical investment? The passion behind every precise gesture? It’s likely the confluence of all these elements.

In our profession, science is invaluable but empiricism, nourished by patience and observation, remains essential.

It means never compromising on quality. There’s a demand for truth. With each vintage, the aim is to make the most accurate and genuine selection, without being influenced by volume, yield, or financial concerns.

We are obsessed with authenticity, balance, the right action, one that allows the wine to express exactly what we intended to create. There’s even an exercise we like to do once the final blend is determined: we compare it to three or four previous vintages. For example, 2024 will be put in perspective alongside 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. There’s no denying it: we have a very good vintage, even if the quantity is low.

If we believe that our mission is to reveal a terroir, if we believe in this exceptional terroir, if we believe that the vine is a remarkable living being, capable of resilience and adaptation—then, with the knowledge we have today, despite the challenges of climate change, we can make a great wine that remains true to the character of its origin.

That’s the level of demand that drives us. And it’s the only thing truly worth saying:
“Taste it. It’s a Pichon Comtesse wine, regardless of the year.”

Because it’s in a wine’s ability to evolve, to keep conveying its personality, that we measure the truth and sincerity with which it was crafted.

I would like it to be said that we were caretakers, stewards with a mission. That we passed something on, that we worked with conviction for future generations, so they too can one day be proud to work for Pichon Comtesse.

Switching to organic farming was initially an experiment. But I knew that if we could successfully develop this approach over 5, then 10, then 15 hectares in a convincing way, we could consider extending it to the entire vineyard.

Since 2018, a year marked by strong downy mildew pressure, then 2019, which I call “the year of the deckchair,” and 2020, when the pressure was also real (like in 2009, by the way), we were already using 95% of products authorized in organic farming and biocontrol.

I wrote a long message to Jean-Baptiste and Frédéric to share our progress and tell them we were about to reach the remaining 5%. That was in March 2021. Two months later, it rained continuously… It was a difficult year for everyone. But beyond the tough climatic conditions, we had to explain, reassure, and convince the field teams, particularly the tractor drivers. The situation really tested their trust.

In just one season, we learned more than in five. It was an ambitious decision, made possible by the family’s support. In reality, we were almost ready. Maybe 2021 wasn’t the ideal year to start, but it was very revealing: it allowed us to measure the necessary investments: more tractors, more drivers, more human resources.

Another essential decision, when I arrived, was to build a trusting relationship with Xavier, our cellar master, and Stéphanie, our oenologist, both present since 1998. I had to find the right words to humbly say to them: “You have made great wines. I’m coming with my experience, and together, we will progress.”

When you make wine, you touch on emotion, so it is inevitably subjective. We needed to open a space for dialogue. So we organized the right tastings to convey messages, but also communicate openly, collectively enrich our “library” of tastes, and ascertain the direction we want to take.

When tasting vintages from the 1990s to 2000s, I felt that we could seek a bit more density in the mid-palate. The attack was very smooth. But how do you achieve more density?

For me, density is like a tube whose diameter you choose, and which remains full from start to finish. It is the ripe cabernet sauvignons that provide this framework, this direction. And if you wrap this structure with the flesh of a ripe merlot that still retains freshness when tasting the berries, then you get what you’re looking for: density.

The balance also depends on other choices: the proportion of new oak, the choice of coopers, the level of toast. Every decision is designed to preserve the harmony of the wine, its energy.

Perhaps this quest for balance also reflects the makeup of our team: men, women, an intergenerational group, some having experienced two different managements. This diversity feeds a more refined, more demanding approach.

I am also fascinated by the aromatic expression of the grape, even before alcoholic fermentation. It feels like you’re tasting Pichon Comtesse right from the juice. There is a marker I love: these blue fruits, somewhere between blackberry and raspberry, complemented by floral nuances from lilac to peony.

This aromatic brilliance of purity and complexity combined with the wine’s angular and mineral tannic structure gives this unique vibrancy perceptible from the 2020 vintage onwards. And that is simply amazing.

I find it truly remarkable to think that I have the chance to take care of Pichon Comtesse. I often tell myself that it’s incredible! Maybe because I’m not from Bordeaux, and my parents were not connected to the wine world at all… There are so many opportunities, encounters, but also a lot of hard work.

I love this estate because, above all, it is a working farm with a strong sense of belonging to a family. I even talk about the wine as if it were a character, a bit like us, someone we work for.

The richness we talk about comes from the fact that we consider the vine growers as the essential link in the wine. It’s not me who prunes the vines or connects the pumps, but I am present every day, in contact with the teams. The respect and love for the estate is reflected in the wine. We don’t alter anything; we reveal.

The freedom to create, independence, trust, and a deep respect for great terroirs. There is a genuine commitment in each of the family estates to reveal a cru without any form of falsehood.

ur ambition – which might seem idealistic across 100 hectares – is to one day achieve 100% grand vin. We are halfway through the restructuring plan, and the goal is to complete it so that each parcel fully contributes to enriching the grand vin. Our terroir is concentrated about 80% around the estate, with a few more distant parcels that remain consistent with the whole. The first attempts at a second wine at the estate date back to the 1940s, but it was from 1973 that this production became systematic. So it is a “vintage” second wine.

I’ve always had the idea of making a white wine, but it’s important to understand why, and above all to gain the owners’ approval. They already produce “a little” white wine in Champagne. This project remains discreet, with only four hectares dedicated to it. The ambition is to produce a white wine that can age, complex and of high quality. The creation of a dedicated label will only be considered if we manage to make a very good wine, because no one is expecting a white wine from Pichon Comtesse!

This project is above all a source of pleasure, an adventure starting from a blank page, which we have been nurturing from the beginning to bring it to the highest level. Today, the plot in production is planted with 75% Chardonnay and 25% Savagnin, on fine sandy gravel soils resting on a clay subsoil, with a slight slope.

Asking technical questions about the white wine also leads us to renew our perspective on the red wine. I consider this a very valuable intellectual enrichment for the entire team.

A film: Blade Runner by Ridley Scott

Music: the latest album by The Cure, Songs of a Lost World, especially the monumental track End Song.

Book: Les Montagnards de la nuit by Frisson-Roche

A refreshing activity: ski touring

A vintage: the 2020 at the estate and more broadly the 1989 Bordeaux vintage

A dish: scrambled eggs with truffle

A memorable bottle: La Mouline 1976 from Domaine Guigal and Martha’s Vineyard 1974 from Heitz Cellar

A scent: vine blossom

A perfect Sunday: some sports, rest with family, reading

If 2019 were a character: Thom Yorke from Radiohead, for his power and intensity

If 2020 were a character: Kate Bush, powerful, poetic, ethereal, complete

Propos recueillis par Marie-Pierre Dardouillet, Cépages communication pour Vignobles et Châteaux
Photos : Marie-Pierre Dardouillet