Frederic Rouzard, head of Roederer and President of Pichon Lalande, was made 10th place in The Drinks Business’s Luxury Power 50 list of 2011 and knows a few things about fine wine branding. Of course, credit must go to the stewardship the estate has had under the Rouzard family of the Champagne Louis Roederer firm. This has allowed Pichon Lalande to create wines in post-2000 vintages that are on average 3 RPJ points better than those of the previous decade. The interest generated by Mr Parker’s flagging up of potent investment prospects has already begun to be felt, as has the investment made in the vineyards which has included soil mapping and geological surveys. It is this ‘investor value potential’ that Robert Parker was highlighting when he named Pichon Lalande among his ‘Magical 20’ at a tasting of the 2009 vintage in Hong Kong during the latter part of 2011. As Asians and buyers in other expanding international markets move away from Lafite, Latour and other inflated Premier Crus, the Super-Second brands are picking up the slack and experiencing the steady, organic growth that comes with Chinese buyers turning their gaze onto labels that represent value. These estates, regularly outclassing their Second-Growth siblings in quality and occasionally even showing signs of First-growth standard, are currently feeling the benefits of maturing buying behaviour in the Far East. Next to Ducru-Beaucaillou and Leoville Las-Cases, Chateau Pichon Lalande is one of the most sought-after ‘Super-Seconds’.
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