Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron

Château Pichon Longueville Baron

Pauillac château making Cabernet Sauvignon led red wines across changing vintages.

At A Glance

Field: Detail
Region: Bordeaux
Appellation: Pauillac
Classification: Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux classification
Principal grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

The Producer

The estate's vineyard covers 73 hectares. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 60% of the planting, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 4% and Petit Verdot 1%. The vines average 30 years old, with 9,000 planted per hectare and double Guyot training.

The 1855 classification lists Château Pichon Longueville Baron among fifteen Deuxièmes Crus, the French term for Second Growths. In 1850, Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville and his three sisters divided the property. His portion became Pichon Baron, while their section became Pichon Comtesse.

AXA Millésimes purchased the estate in 1987. The acquisition was followed by extensive investment, including a new fermentation cellar and comprehensive modernization of the technical facilities.

Place

Château Pichon Longueville Baron sits in the commune and appellation of Pauillac in Bordeaux's Médoc. An appellation is a regulated geographic name for wine, so Pauillac fixes the place attached to the estate's bottles. The property is read as a Pauillac château within Bordeaux, with the appellation naming its geographic origin.

Wines

The estate's vintage bottlings show different proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Château Pichon Longueville Baron 2021 is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, aged in 70% new oak. Château Pichon Baron 2020 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot. Château Pichon Baron 2016 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot.

Les Tourelles de Longueville is the estate's second wine. The range therefore places vintage variation beside a separate second bottling.

In The Glass

Château Pichon Longueville Baron 2021 opens with cool red and blue fruit, blueberry, vanilla and cola. It is medium bodied and concentrated, with silky tannins and bright acidity.

Château Pichon Baron 2020 shows layers of rich dark, black and dark red fruit, followed by smoke, tobacco, Cuban cigars, spice and dark chocolate.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Château Pichon Longueville Baron 2021. Its label joins the estate name, Pauillac appellation and vintage to a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot bottling. Les Tourelles de Longueville is the separate second wine, so the first pour stays with the wine carrying the estate name.

Final Word

Château Pichon Longueville Baron is a Pauillac Second Growth led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Les Tourelles de Longueville as its separate second wine.

Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron