Château Pichon Baron 2015 2017 & 2018 (OWCx3)

The history of this famous Second Growth estate dates back to the Grand Siecle - “Great Century” - of France during the reign of Louis XIV.  The first vineyard plots of this property were close to Château Latour in the left bank appellation of Pauillac.

Château Pichon de Longueville Baron (affectionately shortnamed Pichon Baron, vs its sister Château Pichon Comtesse) is home to terroir that is considered a “winegrower’s paradise”.  Over the years, the vignerons at the estate have learned to nurture their precious vines, yielding highly concentrated and ripe fruit.  Production has been cut in half throughout the decades and the winemaking team at Pichon Baron has no qualms sacrificing quantity to ensure the quality of their wine.  Perhaps it is the close proximity to the terroir of the First Growth powerhouse, Château Latour, that lends these wines the perfect balance of strength and refinement that is so often associated with the gems of Pauillac.  Some of the best vintages are massive, flamboyant wines -- with aromas of cassis, tobacco, and cedar.  Due to their incredible fortitude, these wines have the ageing potential up to last for decades.

For those who like to give unique presents, Château Pichon Baron released a limited edition of a custom-designed Collector's Case.  The beautifully made black wood box presents 3 top-rated recent vintages of the Second Growth grand vin from Pauillac: 2015, 2017, and 2018.  These wines can age for up to 40 years, although the impatient ones among us may open them sooner.

Two configurations of the beautiful black wood case are offered:

• OWCx3 contains 1 bottle each of the 3 vintages: 2015, 2017, and 2018
• OWCx6 contains 2 bottles each of the 3 vintages: 2015, 2017, and 2018

Due to manufacturing schedule, the earliest delivery of this collector's set is March 2022.

"The 2015 Pichon Baron is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot picked between 18 September until 9 October. Apparently Christian Seely made use of four additional 80-hectolitre wooden vats that augmented his stainless steel vessels. It has a very pure bouquet with lifted blackcurrant, blueberry and graphite aromas, beautifully delineated, the oak seamlessly embroidered with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. This is disarmingly and utterly harmonious with a startling mineral core. Possibly the most sensual Pichon Baron that I have tasted at this nascent juncture, it gently unfolds in the mouth and leaves with an enormously persistent finish that leaves the senses tingling. If you want to know whether this 2015 is up there with the 2009 or 2010, the answer is unquestionably yes." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (4/27/2016), Ratings: 96-98, Drink: 2022-2050

"The grand vin represents 50% of production this year. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, the 2017 Pichon-Longueville Baron is deep garnet-purple in color and simply sings of vibrant blackcurrants, black cherries and rose hip notes with nuances of potpourri, incense, licorice and pencil shavings plus touches of cigar box and fertile loam. Medium-bodied, super intense and possessing stunning poise, it has very firm, fine-grained tannins and a beautifully silken texture, with bags of freshness and a very long, perfumed finish." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (4/27/2018), Ratings: 95-97, Drink: 2021-2042

"The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Baron is made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. The Merlot was harvested September 24-25, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested October 3-10. The wine is to be aged 18 months in barriques, 80% new and 20% one year old, and production represents 50% of the harvest this year. Very deep purple-black colored, it begins a little coy, rolling slowly and languidly out of the glass with notions of baked raspberries, blueberry coulis, crème de cassis and incense plus nuances of lilacs, truffles, damp soil and garrigue with wafts of lavender and wild sage. Full-bodied, voluptuous and oh-so-seductive, the palate reveals layer upon layer of savory, earthy and black fruit preserves, framed by wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins and lovely freshness, finishing very long and perfumed. Beautiful." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (4/23/2019), Ratings: 97-99, Drink: 2025-2050