2005 Pauillac, Château Pichon Baron
About Producer
Created in the late 17th century, the Pichon greater estate was divided in 1850 between the children of Joseph Pichon de Longueville. While Joseph’s daughters received what has become Pichon-Lalande, it was his son Raoul who inherited what is now known as Pichon Baron. Pichon Baron’s vineyards cover 73ha but the production of the Grand Vin is mostly made from the best parcel, ‘Butte de Pichon Baron’, which covers 35ha and was part of the original vineyard in 1694 when the wine was first produced. In 1933, the estate was sold to the Bouteiller family of Château Lanessan. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Pichon Baron was a notorious underachiever but things quickly changed in 1987 when Axa Millésimes bought the property. Under the new ownership, thanks to massive modernisation investments, precise vineyard management and stricter selection, Pichon Baron has rejoined the exclusive club of Médoc top elite.
Varietals
Blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot and 3% cabernet franc in 80% new oak.
About Appellation
Largest town in the Médoc and slighly more elevated than its surrounding area, Pauillac has always played an important role in the wine trade, notably when the city of Bordeaux lost its privilege and monopoly of wine exports to England in the 18th century. The vineyards cover 1,213ha and sit on well-drained sand and gravelly soils, with the best sites being located on rolling mounds, called 'croupes', that reach their highest point at 30m above sea level. Cabernet sauvignon is the predominant grape variety, albeit always blended with merlot, and to a lesser extent, with cabernet franc and petit verdot. Pauillac is home to 18 grands crus classés in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, including Lafite-Rothschild, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild (since 1973) as first growths.
Tasting Notes
Expressive nose of red and dark fruits, tobacco, cedar, graphite and dried flowers, caressing mouthfeel with luscious texture, tremendous substance and remarkable depth, multilayered flavours of currant, black cherry, raspberry, plum, mocha, truffle, liquorice and mint intermingled with savoury mineral notes, racy acidity and powdery tannins leading onto an incredibly long, succulent finish. Having tamed the tannic austerity of its youth, this 2005 has finally started to come round by morphing into a multidimensional wine with faultless balance, alluring class and captivating complexity. At 18 years old, it’s brimming with outstanding fruit purity, controlled vigour and amazing freshness, with a lively energy that belies its age. In the same vein as the spectacular 2000, this magnificent 2005 is the shining exemplar that Pichon Baron has turned a corner to rejoin the exclusive club of Médoc top elite. (03/2023)