Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Pauillac, 2022

Name: Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Pauillac
Brand: Château Pichon-Longueville
Price: 200.74 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2020 2022 2023

justerini & brooks tasting note

From plots nearer the river with more gravel (than the Tourelles). More intense, darker and more mineral. Tightly wound with red fruits and more polished tannins. Quite sleek and glossy, impressive with high acidity level interwoven with lots of glycerol and cherry pit fruits.

critic reviews

94/100Chris Kissack,The Wine Independent

The more ‘Pichon’ of the two second wines, in the 2022 vintage Les Griffons is 50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, this cuvée taking all the estate’s Petit Verdot. A very elegant style on the nose, with layers of fragrant and perfumed chalk over lightly desiccated dark red cherry fruits. The palate conveys a great sense of energy and drive, with finely polished fruits, texturally taut and bright, with dark red cherry, currant, tobacco and black pepper, alongside a finely strung frame of tannins which interplay with the acidity to create a taut structural frame which runs into the finish. A very classically defined style which I like more now than I did when tasted as a barrel sample;I think this will evolve beautifully given time, despite its second-wine status. Let’s give it at least ten years. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2042

date of review 06/2025

93/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Medium to full intensity ruby red, intense and concentrated, this is muscular and fully charged, good slate texture, with smoked caramel and mocha showing the fingerprint of the vintage. 40% new oak, Pierre Montégut director.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2036

date of review 03/2025

94/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2022 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron was very impressive from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a kind of unassuming bouquet that unfolds in the glass. This is very nuanced, with hints of black truffle filtering through the black fruit and a little <em>sous-bois</em>. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and beautifully balanced with a fresh, slightly citric finish. I like the energy in this Les Griffons and it should age well in bottle.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2052

date of review 02/2025

90-92/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is the more serious of the estate's two second wines, with Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Merlot dominating the blend. Revealing aromas of dark berries, cherries, spices and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with powdery tannins and a more structured profile than Les Tourelles.

date of review 04/2023