1961 Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
The 1961 Pichon Baron has a light hue. I find the nose a little musty and not quite as cohesive as the ex-château bottle that I encountered in March 2022, just a little faded compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with quite dry tannins, gentle grip and a little hollowness vis-à-vis its contemporaries, with an austere, slightly dusty finish. I have had better than this. Tasted at the 1961 dinner at Ami restaurant in Hong Kong.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 1961 Pichon Baron, a wine that I have drunk three times before, finally produces a bottle that fits the billing. The bouquet is wonderful with vibrant, concentrated black fruit laced with cedar and mint, aromatics with a spring in its step. That telltale briny note emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite structured and concentrated, not as complex as its peers but there is good grip and spiciness on the finish. This has the substance to last, though it will not meliorate after six decades. Tasted at the Pichon Baron Ancienne Millésime tasting.
After having some mediocre bottles of this wine, the last several times I tasted it, it performed well. Still dark ruby with an orange edge, the 1961 Pichon-Longueville has a big, spicy, damp-earth, cedary bouquet, and rich, fat, substantial flavors that lack the multidimension of the finest 1961s. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 2/88.
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".