2017 Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot. Aged 18 months in oak barrels (80% new) . Ruby-garnet hue. Red- and dark-fruit aromas on the nose but ever so slightly diffuse. Palate more precise. Generous fruit, touch of vanilla oak and finely honed tannins. Attractive but serious at the same time, the power and structure deceptive. (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Enjoyable, softening in structure even at four years old, with an enticing grilled quality to the blueberry and blackberry fruit. Less concentrated than the 2016 vintage, as is typical for the 2017s even in a muscular appellation such as Pauillac, but with charm and finesse, and supple tannins. Crushed mint leaf character on the finish adds to the feeling of a well-handled, confident wine. 80% new oak, 30hl/h yield (not because oft the frost that affected many in the vintage, but because of their low-yielding 60-year-old Cabernet vines).
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Meaty, smoky and rich with sweet blue fruit on the nose. The palate is more tamed, with finely etched structure and fresher but still dark fruit bursting through. Good energy, with a sinewy, chewy and long finish. (TP)
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".