2002 Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot. Aged 15 months in oak barrels (70% new). Brick colour. Evolved aromatically with leaf and bracken on the nose. A juicy freshness to the palate but feather-light weight and feel. Tannins slightly coarse and drying on the finish. Just about run its course. (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
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Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2002 Pichon Baron has a rather slightly meaty, smoky bouquet, this bottle just a little more feral than the last. The palate is medium-bodied with gritty tannins, graphite and mint, rather hard towards the finish. I wonder if this is just past its peak? That said, it has an appealing correctness. Tasted at the château.
Inky purple in colour, holding its shape and form right through to the core of the wine, and plenty of Pauillac character to the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant nose. Touch of smoked caramel, cassis and bilberry, the fruit is less nuanced than with the 2001 or the 2000, but this is packed with slate-textured tannins and juicy minerality on the finish. Woodsmoke and ash curl out of the glass as it opens. 70% new oak. Jean-Rene Matignon technical director.
About the producer
Pauillac’s Ch. Pichon Baron, formerly known as Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron, is ranked as one of the 15 Second Growths from the 1855 Classification and is considered one of the "Super Seconds".