1966 Pichon Baron

The 1966 Pichon Baron was tasted from two bottles, the first rather enervated. The second is better with light blackberry, mint and cedar, a touch of cassis emerging with time. The palate is well-balanced with fine tannins and acidity, gentle grip, classic in style with cassis and mint furnishing the finish. Maybe there is some bottle variation here, but it is a fine 1966 on the basis of the second bottle. Tasted at the Pichon Baron Ancienne Millésime tasting.

Rather imbalanced and perplexing to taste, the 1966 Pichon-Longueville has good, dark ruby color, with just a little amber at the edge, a spicy, aggressive, cedary, black currant bouquet intermingled with decaying vegetation smells. It is big, fleshy, but disjointed on the palate, with an excess of tannin. This wine can be drunk now. No doubt the 1966 will age for another decade or more, but the wine is coarse and rustic. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 2/87.