2011 Château Pichon Baron
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Tasting notes
From a blend of 82% Cab Sauv and 18% Merlot and a respectable 13.5% alcohol raised in 80% new oak for 18 months. The 2011 Pichon Baron has a lifted, leafy nose blackcurrant nose. It is a huge mouthfull and has formidable tannin levels. Very Cabernet and on the austere side at the moment. This has the potential to age magnificently, but it will need time to reach maturity but with time will become a very classic (and classy) Pauillac. Top class.
Critic scores
Jeannie Cho Lee MW
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot. Aged 20 months in oak barrels (80% new) . Garnet hue, light at the rim. Dark and red fruit with a slight leafy edge. A touch strict but just beginning to open. Medium-bodied weight, smooth and fresh on attack. Tannins polished but a bit of bite on the finish. Doesn’t try too hard. (JL)
The black fruits that dominate the palate on this vintage are savoury, slightly subdued, so make sure you give them time to be coaxed out of the glass. As it opens, a floral and chiselled Cabernet expression takes over, with rose stems, smoked earth and tight cassis fruits. This is a lovely wine that shows a more subtle side of Pauillac. Tannins remain young, in that they are present at the forefront of the mouth, pressing in and slightly austere, but with juice on the finish and plenty of promise. Unrolls slowly and has decades ahead of it. 80% new oak. Jean-Rene Matignon technical director.
Tasted blind. Very deep crimson. Almost impenetrably deep. Very ambitious with the fruit, plus a saline hint, almost overpowering the (massive) tannic charge. Lip-smacking. Long and rewarding. (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".