Château Pichon Longueville Baron, 2ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2018
It's been no secret that we've been in the Pichon Comtesse corner for a little while. This year it's more of an even contest. We were really impressed by Christian Seeley and team's effort. It is still modern, flamboyant and big, but there is a precision, focus and taut muscularity that makes this really compelling. We tasted this twice with similar results. Initially introspective, then it begins to reveal beautiful floral griotte fruit and ripe damsons. This is much more classical and restrained than recent efforts. There's nothing blousy here, it's all cool cassis and minerals; generous but no excess. The tannins are really impressive; they coat the palate and grip the mouth with fine detail. Flavours build and weave over the mouth. Complex, really well measured, with lingering cassis and gravel, salt and spices; finely detailed and very impressive. The most serious Baron for some time. Bravo. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot.
critic reviews
The 2018 Pichon Baron has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off with savory notes of black olives, sauteed herbs, chargrill, and beef dripping, over a core of crème de cassis and stewed plums. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy, the palate takes a slight dip in the middle, finishing with good length, if a little warm.
An exceptionally successful vintage at Pichon Baron, juicy, concentrated and finessed, with powerful yet well balanced bilberry and blackberry fruits. The sense of complexity and nuance builds from beginning to end, coming in waves of baked earth, crayon and liquorice bud, with a slate texture to the tannins that slows the progress down through the palate and promises great things ahead. 80% new oak. They had to fight against mildew as everyone did, but came out a little better than some, at around 32hl/h yield. Jean-René Matignon technical director.
The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot, aged for 18 months in barriques, 80% new and 20% one year old. Production of the grand vin represents 50% of the harvest this year. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose bursts from the glass with flamboyant scents of stewed black plums, creme de cassis and Black Forest cake, plus suggestions of Indian spices, unsmoked cigars, pencil shavings and espresso. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and spicy.
The 2018 Pichon-Baron is matured for 18 months in 80% new oak. It has retained its quite extroverted, almost audacious bouquet featuring copious scents of blackberry, blueberry and mint, though I might contend that it still needs to show more Pichon Baron DNA. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins and firm grip, quite assertive and perhaps more austere than I expected in the mouth. Plenty of graphite here, much more than in barrel, and a foursquare finish. This 2018 Pichon-Baron will require 5–8 years in bottle because it is one of the more tannic Pauillacs of the vintage, but could also be one of the most rewarding for those with patience and a cool, damp cellar.