2021 Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
Competing for wine of the vintage, particularly on the Left Bank, Pichon Baron has pulled out all the stops to make an exceptional wine in the challenging 2021 vintage – but it came at a cost, with yields just 22hl/ha. The wine has the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon to date in the blend (88%) and it has worked a treat. There is great clarity to the blackberry, cassis fruit, with moderate concentration and great precision, making the wine both elegant and complex. Briar fruit notes mingle with cassis and a salty mineral character that leaves the palate salivating. With a long finish this is excellent. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Dark. Heady, concentrated and attention-grabbing on the nose. A bit stolid rather than rapturous. Lots of acidity as well as the intense fruit and masses of tannin. Stodgy. Needs lots of time. But, on second tasting, it was definitely more fluid and juicier – and long. (JR)
The flagship 2021 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron lives up to the billing. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot brought up in 70% new oak, it has a pure, medium-bodied, concentrated, flawlessly balanced style as well as pure cassis and subtle blue fruits, some floral, graphite, and cedar pencil nuances, silky tannins, and a great finish. It's not going to rival recent vintages in terms of concentration or depth, but it's nevertheless a brilliant 2021 that has so much to love. It's approachable and offers pleasure even today yet will ideally be given 5-7 years and enjoyed over the following 15+.
The 2021 Pichon Baron, which was matured in 60% new oak and bottled in June 2023, has an engaging bouquet, estuarine-influenced with hints of seaweed permeating the black fruit. It shows fine delineation and focus, the like we have come to expect these days. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite fleshy in style to the extent that, if poured blind, I might misconstrue it as its Comtesse neighbor, despite containing just 12% Merlot. There's also a light savory element on the finish. Very fine.
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".