Château Pichon Longueville Baron in Pauillac is one of the most stunning estates in Bordeaux. It is currently owned by the insurance company AXA Millésimes.
We had a gorgeous lunch at Château Pichon Longueville Baron. This was preceeded by a winery tour and a tasting. This posting covers the first part of the visit: The tour and tasting. A separate posting will cover the lunch.
Nicolas Santier, responsable du développement réceptif et tourisme, was our host. During the tour, we were welcomed by Jean-René Matignon, Technical Director.
Château Pichon Longueville Baron
Château Pichon Longueville Baron (often referred to as Pichon Baron) in Pauillac is one of 15 Deuxièmes Crus in the Classification of 1855. It was once part of a larger estate, owned by Pierre de Rauzan, along with Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. In 1850 the estate was divided into the two current Pichon estates facing each other as one enters Pauillac along the D2 highway.
Château Pichon Baron stayed in the de Pichon Longueville family until 1933 when the last surviving family member sold it to Jean Bouteiller, member of a family well-known in the Bordeaux wine scene. His heirs did not manage to keep the quality of the wines and in 1987 the estate was bought by AXA Millésimes. With the new owner, reconstruction of the fermenting room and cellars, and renovation of the château itself, began in 1988.
Excellent terroir across from the 1st growth Latour property, stretching south bordering the Léoville estates in Saint-Julien gives the wines elegance, balance, and finesse. Château Pichon Baron's 73 hectares are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). The average age of the vines is 30 years.
Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, and then macerated for 20-30 days, and fermented at 28-32 °C in temperature controlled stainless steel vats of varying sizes. The wine is transferred into oak barrels for aging after finishing its malolactic fermentation.
The estate also produces a second wine, Les Tourelles de Longueville. Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is the estate's latest addition.
The property is currently managed by Christian Seely.
The AXA Wine Portfolio
Château Pichon Baron, 2nd Cru Classé Pauillac, France
Château Suduiraut, 1er Cru Classé Sauternes, France
Château Petit-Village, Pomerol, France
Château Pibran, Pauillac, France
Domaine de l’Arlot, Nuits-Saint-Georges, France
Domaine Disznókö, Tokaj, Hongrie
Quinta do Noval, Douro, Portugal
AXA also owns one of the larger Bordeaux wine negociant companies, Compagnie Medocaine.
Tasting
We tasted all 3 wines. The 2016 and 2015 vintages were from barrel, the others from bottle. I have put the wine searcher average prices in US$ in brackets.
2016 Les Griffons De Pichon Baron US$49
Les Griffons de Pichon Baron has a pure, direct character. The blend’s grapes come primarily from gravelly plots of land near the Gironde estuary, a beneficial environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. Les Griffons offers a vigorous, fresh tasting experience. It is full-bodied and bursting with energy. It can be cellared for over 20 years, or enjoyed right away.
2016 Les Tourelles de Longueville US$42
Named after the turrets that embellish the château, Les Tourelles de Longueville embodies the charm of the estate. The grapes used in this wine’s blend are primarily from the Sainte Anne plot, mostly planted with Merlot, giving it a distinctive personality. Les Tourelles de Longueville is alluring, voluptuous, and a delight for the senses. It is an introduction to the Pichon Baron spirit. It can be enjoyed young, or cellared for 15 years or more.
2016 Château Pichon Longueville Baron US$161
96-98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - The 2016 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot picked between 3 and 18 October at 39 hectoliters per hectare for estate (therefore the Grand Vin will be less). It is matured in 80% new oak and 20% one year old for 18 months. It has a very intense, extremely pure bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and graphite notes; it is a straight-down-the-fairway Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with a very tensile opening, that seam of graphite penetrating the black fruit. There is a wonderful structure here, unapologetically classic in style with just the right amount of austerity on the aristocratic finish. The aftertaste is incredibly long, lingering after two or three minutes in the mouth. This is a majestic Pichon-Baron and it may well to surpass both the 2009 or 2010. (NM) (4/2017)
2015 Château Pichon Longueville Baron US$160
97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pichon-Longueville Baron is enticingly scented of chocolate-covered cherries, crushed red currants and mulberries with touches of baking spices, potpourri and bay leaves plus a hint of fallen leaves. Sumptuously elegant, refreshing and medium-bodied with gorgeous, expressive, perfumed red fruits and very fine, very firm tannins, it has a persistent, perfumed finish. Its remarkable intensity, freshness and very firm frame suggest a long-lived Pichon Baron, which should cellar gracefully for 30+ years. (LPB) (2/2018)
2010 Château Pichon Longueville Baron US$234
97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - Administrator Christian Seeley thinks the 2010 is the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron he has ever made, equaling some of the estate’s colossal wines from vintages such as 1989 and 1990. It was certainly showing well when I stopped by the chateau in January. Opaque purple, with loads of charcoal, licorice, incense and some exotic Asian spices along with abundant cassis liqueur, blackberry and hints of roasted coffee and spring flowers, it is full-bodied and opulent, with relatively high tannins, but they have sweetened up considerably and seem less aggressive than they did from barrel. The oak is clearly pushed to the background by the wine's wealth of fruit, glycerin and full-bodied texture. This sensational Pichon Longueville Baron needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and should keep 30+ years. (RP) 97+ (2/2013)
2009 Château Pichon Longueville Baron US$209
98 Robert Parker - Revealing incredible quality and performing better than it did from barrel, the 2009 appears to be the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron since the 1990 and 1989. An amazing opaque blue/purple color is followed by scents of spring flowers, graphite, smoky charcoal, incense, blackberries, blueberries and hints of coffee and chocolate. Incredibly intense, pure and flawlessly constructed with extravagant layers of fruit and richness, this offering has developed beautifully under the management of Christian Seeley. It is a voluptuous, opulent Pichon Longueville Baron that may eclipse anything they have made in the past. This brilliant wine should be at its peak between 2018 and 2045. Hedonists Gazette, August 2014
Lunch at Château Pichon Longueville Baron
Following the tour and tasting, we walked over to the chateau for lunch. I will report about it in a separate posting.
Bye-bye
Thanks to Nicolas Santier and Jean-Rene Matignon for the tour and the outstandng tasting. It was wonderful.
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