Les Tourelles de Longueville 2016

Les Tourelles de Longueville is the first second wine from Château Pichon Longueville Baron.  It now has a sibling second wine: Les Griffons de Pichon Baron.  Les Tourelles de Longueville is made from a single Merlot dominant plot at the property, called Sainte-Anne.

This Pauillac “Super Second” powerhouse produces some of the most muscular, energetic, and age worthy wines in its class.  Perhaps this is due to the close proximity to Château Latour, but either way the wines of Château Pichon Longueville Baron are forces to be reckoned with.  The grand vin from this estate demands some time before it expresses its fullest potential.  For those who want to experience these intense, masculine wines without having to wait as long – Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is the perfect wine.  

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. It was the fashion of the day for estates to be passed amongst the noble families through marriage or inheritance, and the story of Château Pichon Longueville is no different.  After the marriage of Therese de Rauazan to Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville in 1697, the estate was created.  Eventually the property was passed to Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville who managed the property at the age of 19.  He divided the large estate in two before his death.  The estate he gave his two sons would later be known as Château Pichon Baron, the illustrious “Super Second.”  The other one he gave to his three daughters became known as Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, which is called "Pichon Lalande" for short among wine connoisseurs.  Interestingly enough, wine critics believe that Pichon Baron has a more masculine style and Pichon Lalande has a more feminine one.  

After a period of neglect in the mid 20th Century, AXA Millésimes, the vineyard investment arm of a global insurance company, purchased the estate and vowed to restore it to its former glory.  The legendary Jean Michel Cazes of Château Lynch Bages took over management of Château Pichon Longueville Baron and turned things around.  

Château Pichon de Longueville Baron is home to terroir that is considered a “winegrower’s paradise.”   Production has been cut in half throughout the decades and the winemaking team at Château Pichon de Longueville Baron has no qualms sacrificing quantity to ensure the quality of their wine.  Some of the best vintages are massively extracted, flamboyant wines -- with aromas of cassis, tobacco, and cedar.  For Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, the blend is a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, heavily favoring Cabernet.  The Cabernet vines grow on a finely graveled portion of the property, and some do eventually go into the grand vin.  Current style is less emphasis on extraction, allowing the fruit to shine through, while presenting nature's true stories of the terroir.

"The 2016 Les Tourelles de Longueville is a blend of 58% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot (from young vines that are destined to go into the Grand Vin one day, according to Christian Seely), matured in 30% new oak for 12 months. It offers a mixture of red and black fruit on the nose, just a touch of melted tar with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a powerful opening, dense black fruit tinged with graphite, a solid Deuxième Vin with a slightly aloof finish (at least at the moment). There is a pleasant graphite note lingering long on the aftertaste that completes a fine Pauillac to enjoy over the next 12-15 years." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (4/28/2017), Ratings: 90-92, Drink: 2021-2040

''The more Merlot-dominated cuvée, the 2016 Les Tourelles de Longueville is a beauty in 2016 and is a fare click better than the 2015. Fleshy, forward, medium to full-bodied, and straight-up sumptuous, with lots of cassis, cedary herbs, and spice-driven aromatics, it’s another terrific wine from this estate. It’s certainly the more approachable of the trio and ideal for drinking over the coming 10-15 years.'' Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur (2/28/2019) Ratings: 92 Drink: 2019-2034