2022 Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac, Bordeaux

81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot. Cask sample. 

Dark fruit with an edge of char and toast. Smooth attack, the tannins plentiful but suave. Lovely texture. Restrained but plenty in reserve. Ageing potential. 14.3%.

Drink 2032 - 2050

You are firmly wading through intense, sculpted Pauillac tannins here, gripping from the first moments with their structure and intent. Blocks of intense chocolate, slate, liquorice and black chocolate, this feels vertical and concentrated, could let more light in at this stage, but that should come over ageing. 

Petit Verdot vinified in amphora, and they did a cold soak for every plot this year for the first time. 70% new barrels and 30% from barrels of one vintage.

Drink 2030 - 2047

The 2022 Pichon Baron, 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, is deep garnet-purple in color. It swans out with gregarious notions of blackcurrant jelly, baked black plums, and Morello cherries, giving way to hints of lavender, cedar chest, and cumin seed plus a touch of cinnamon.

The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with bright, bold, black and red berry layers, complemented by firm, grainy tannins and impressive tension, finishing long and savory/spicy. It will need time, but promises to be amazing.

Drink 2030 - 2067

An unusual gourmand, sensual wine from this estate, the 2022 Pichon-Longueville Baron bursts with aromas of crème de cassis, sweet dark berries, liquorice, lilac and pencil shavings. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with excellent concentration and a relatively rich, supple profile. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot results from sub-block by sub-block picking and cooler than usual fermentation temperatures.

A very structured and racy PB with blackcurrant, stone and black cherry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body with racy and fine tannins that are precise and focused. Elegance with structure. 81% cabernet sauvignon and 19% merlot.

The 2022 Pichon Baron is marvelous. It continues a series of vintages that have been absolutely compelling. Bright red-toned fruit, spice, rose petal and blood orange lend considerable brightness throughout. More than anything else, the 2022 impresses with its precision and magnificent balance.

Drink 2032 - 2052

I loved the Grand Vin 2022 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, based on 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that will spend 18 months in 70% new oak. It's not the most showy or exuberant 2022, yet it shines for its incredible class, purity, and balance. It has a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated profile no surprise) with its focused, precise, inward style that still brings stunning depth and richness.

Cassis, graphite, espresso roast, crushed stone and spring flowers are just some of its nuances, and where many 2022s are broad and mouth-filling, this stays tight, compact, and focused, with a beautiful mix of elegance, concentration, and richness. The 2022 is pulled from 48% of the total production, and it will warrant 7-8 years of bottle age and have 50+ years of overall longevity.

The 2022 Pichon Baron was picked 8 September to 3 October and matured in 70% new oak. It has wonderful precision on the nose, with intense blackberry and bilberry fruit, crushed stone and graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated.

The palate is tensile right from the start. Taut and linear, fresh, quite saline with a nuanced touch of black pepper toward the finish. Real pedigree and sophistication here, this is a magnificent Pichon-Baron that achieves a new level of precision thanks to the more piecemeal Sauternes-inspired harvest in tandem with their new winery.

Drink 2030 - 2070

Beautiful fragrance, lots of fresh and ripe black and red bramble fruit - so alive and expressive on the nose with liquorice, wet stones and cedar spicing. Smooth, ample and full in the mouth, but not overly textured or plush. There’s a real refinement to the tannic structure, clearly giving the frame to the wine but detailed and precise with edges of liquorice, slate, dark chocolate, cedar and tobacco. 

It balances richness, intensity and concentration with sleekness, bright acidity and a real charm to the juicy fruit. Rich and tense, just giving a hint of its potential; clearly powerful but totally seductive too.

A sublime wine in the making. Ageing 18 months in French oak, 70% new, 600% one wine.

Drink 2030 - 2047