One of the vintage's high points is the 1979 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, a superb wine that wafts from the glass with notes of blackcurrants, cigar box, loamy soil, truffles and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit, melting tannins and lively acids, it's a fully mature, beautifully savory Pauillac that shows no signs of decline from a good cellar.

Undoubtedly a top success for the vintage, Pichon-Lalande's 1979 exhibits a dark garnet color with some amber at the edge. It offers a fragrant, cedary, roasted herb, and cassis-scented nose. Rich, with medium body, well-integrated tannin, and some acidity, this is the quintessentially elegant style of Bordeaux that is found nowhere else in the world. Anticipated maturity: Now-2004. Last tasted 6/97