2019 Pichon Baron
Buying options
Tasting notes
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Aged 18 months in oak barrels (80% new). Deep, crimson hue. Lifted, bright and intense, the accent on the fruit. Both complex and satisfying on the nose. Crème de cassis and spice notes. Layers of fruit on the palate but more freshness and poise than 2018. Plentiful tannins provide shape and length. Close to 2016 in style, just a little more persistence.
Critic scores
Average Score
Decanter
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Dark, brooding colour. High-toned perfume. Concentration and drama. Lots of tannin. Needs lots of time but should be rewarding eventually. A little bitter on the end. Neat and tight. Polished tea leaves with freshness on the end. Long and subtle with savoury notes. Impressive and well composed.
The 2019 Pichon Baron is quite closed on the nose, blackberry, bilberry and incense, with graphite and cedar developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, not quite as finessed as Pichon Lalande, but with great structure and density on the close. It needs a little more precision to develop on the finish but just give it time. (NM)
Based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot raised in 80% new French oak, the 2019 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is pure class and just a beautiful, seamless Pauillac that does everything right. Revealing a deep purple hue as well textbook notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, freshly sharpened pencils, and liquid violets, it shows the more medium to full-bodied, elegant style of the vintage yet is brilliantly concentrated, has a supple, layered mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, and a great, great finish. It's more open and expressive than Mouton and shares plenty of similarities with Comtesse with its layered, supple, just perfectly balanced and classy style. It unquestionably already offers pleasure today (and it's a good time to try a bottle, as I wouldn't be surprised to see it close down), but it will need a decade to hit maturity and it will be a 50-year wine.
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".