2023 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
Coming from the deep, gravelly soils of Pauillac and based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Les Griffons De Pichon Baron was aged 15 months in 50% new French oak. Cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and scorched earth all emerge from this beautiful, medium-bodied effort, and it has a focused elegance, a nicely concentrated mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. With just over 6,000 cases produced, it's a beautiful and classic second wine that needs a few years of bottle age and will have two decades of prime drinking. Drink 2027-2045.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is elegant and so precise. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk, mint, spice, blood orange and mocha are all finely sculpted. Floral and citrus-driven top notes reappear on a long, sustained finish supported by chalky notes. This is a terrific vintage for the Griffons.
The 2023 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron just needs a little more delineation to come through, touches of baking powder and cinnamon infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a bright entry, quite rounded in texture, fine acidity with a touch of brown spice toward the finish. Give this two or three years in bottle.
Full bottle 1,344 g. 100% Sémillon, made from a mass selection taken from the finest parts of the vineyard of Ch Suduiraut in Sauternes, grafted in 2018 onto 20-year-old vines in a cool chalky terroir in the northern part of their Pauillac vineyards, known as Boua. After direct pressing (whole bunches), the wine was vinified in 1-year-old oak barrels without malo and subsequently matured in the barrel for 9 months, with regular lees stirring. Rich nose – richer than many Sémillons made outside Europe. Very smooth textured with masses of fruit and fine acidity. Still quite youthful but it could certainly be enjoyed already. Very long. This seems much livelier than the dry white of Suduiraut. A wine with a beginning, middle and end. Well done! (JR)
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".