| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
A distinctly Pauillac nose of cassis, cedar and a touch of cigar box. This is open and fruit-driven and very impressive indeed. A wine of its place and one that is impeccably made. There is lots of power here though the wine is very much in balance. Very impressive. Drink now with some time in the decanter or keep for another decade. One of the vintage’s great successes.
The 2011 Pichon-Baron has an impressive bouquet with intense mineral-driven black fruit, cedar and a lovely marine influence that comes through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very harmonious with a fine bead of acidity. Classy, sophisticated, this has plenty of breeding. Superb. This is perhaps the best bottle that I have encountered. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. 2022 - 2040
The black fruits that dominate the palate on this vintage are savoury, slightly subdued, so make sure you give them time to be coaxed out of the glass. As it opens, a floral and chiselled Cabernet expression takes over, with rose stems, smoked earth and tight cassis fruits. This is a lovely wine that shows a more subtle side of Pauillac. Tannins remain young, in that they are present at the forefront of the mouth, pressing in and slightly austere, but with juice on the finish and plenty of promise. Unrolls slowly and has decades ahead of it. 80% new oak. Jean-Rene Matignon technical director.
This splendid Pauillac estate's 2011 exhibits an impressively saturated ruby/purple color as well as notes of spring flowers interwoven with creme de cassis, licorice and background incense and toasty oak. The tannins are firm and the wine is medium-bodied and rich with layers of fruit and extract as well as a long finish. An outstanding example of the vintage, it will need 3-4 years of cellaring and should drink well for 15-20 years.
Very pretty aromas of currants and blueberries with hints of flowers. Full body with silky tannins and a fruity finish. Refined. Very polished tannins.
Tasted blind. Very deep crimson. Almost impenetrably deep. Very ambitious with the fruit, plus a saline hint, almost overpowering the (massive) tannic charge. Lip-smacking. Long and rewarding.
A wine that doesn't have the polish of its neighbour, Pichon-Lalande, in 2011, but is still a praiseworthy red in its own right. Smoky, backward and quite tannic, this was a little four square from barrel, but it's a big strapping wine that takes its richness from concentration rather than oak. It should soften with time. 12+ years.
Ripe Cabernet cassis fruit, very good structure and length, firm Pauillac elegance. Drink 2017-2030
A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot picked from 12th September until 28th or something (according to a vague Mr. Seely.) It sports a ripe, more extrovert nose than some of its neighbours, with lush blackberry, boysenberry, a touch of cherry liqueur and underneath, typical Pauillac traits of graphite and tobacco. Leaving the glass for five minutes it unwinds nicely and shows great purity. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, good grip and weight, a 2011 with real substance and chutzpah. The more I leave this in my glass, the more I like it. Very harmonious with layers of ripe blackberry and a touch of white pepper, the finish forgetting it is 2011 and not 2009. This is an outstanding Pichon Baron for the vintage. Tasted three times with consistent notes. Tasted April 2012.
This great vineyard has been producing classic Pauillac since the late 1980's when Jean-Michel Cazes of Lynch Bages took control. For the last ten years Englishman Christian Seely has been in charge and quality continues to rise. Latour-like in style, Pichon Baron has been a star performer in all our recent blind vintage tastings. Approximately 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and aged in 80% new oak. The Grand Vin has, since 2001, been produced only from the vineyards near Latour with those that used to go into the blend now making the second wine - Les Tourelles de Longueville. The breakdown is 45% grand vin, 50% Tourelles and 5% generic. Pichon Baron is very much a leading super-second these days that is making wines of First Growth quality. A deep black colour here. Currants, blackberries, spice, nutmeg and a touch of coffee on the wonderfully expressive nose. This is one of the few wines of the vintage where the sweetness and richness of fruit genuinely matches the tannic structure. Supremely classy and sophisticated, a regal Pichon Baron.
