Château Pichon Baron 2009

Revealing incredible quality and performing better than it did from barrel, the 2009 appears to be the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron since the 1990 and 1989. An amazing opaque blue/purple color is followed by scents of spring flowers, graphite, smoky charcoal, incense, blackberries, blueberries and hints of coffee and chocolate. Incredibly intense, pure and flawlessly constructed with extravagant layers of fruit and richness, this offering has developed beautifully under the management of Christian Seeley. It is a voluptuous, opulent Pichon Longueville Baron that may eclipse anything they have made in the past. This brilliant wine should be at its peak between 2018 and 2045.

Straight away the deep, rich colour tells you that this is a sexy, powerful wine, barely hitting the next stage of evolution at seven years old. The nose is rich and spicy, and carries through perfectly onto the palate of exotic, spiced plum flavours with a tarry, liquorice edge. Great confidence on display. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot.

Bold, smoky and chocolatey, this is a concentrated and massive wine for the Medoc, the alcohol showing slightly at the bold warm finish. Where is that T-bone steak? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Aged 20 months in oak barrels (80% new). Youthful crimson hue. Fresh and floral on the nose. Plenty of intensity and poise. Identical on the palate, the fruit juicy, the tannins strong but integrated. Manages power and charm. Only just opening and still a long way to go. (JL)

Showing a bit of lightning to the color, the wine combines power, concentration, supple textures, density, complexity, and opulence. Not a typical vintage for Pichon Baron. But who cares? Typical is overrated. Sensual and showy on the palate, the wine is long, creamy, rich, and shows a real staying power on your palate and in the lingering finish. This is one of the top vintages produced by the departing Jean Rene Matignon. Drink from 2022-2055.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, delicate brightening on the rim. Fine floral nuances, a hint of liquorice, notes of red berries, mineral touch, orange zest, multi-faceted bouquet. Fine fruit sweetness, ripe cherries, peppery savouriness, vivid tannins that still appear somewhat brittle, tapers off on the finish, salty, lemony notes in the aftertaste, still needs time. Definitely wait, will only become accessible in five years.

Delicate ruby with pronounced garnet reflections. A very vintage-typical Nose: ripe, lascivious and highly seductive, yet precise. Beautifully ethereal notes complement this. It simply possesses a sensual dimension that captivates many. On the Palate, this delicacy impresses with its playful character, fine spice and enormous length with a brilliantly sweet spice composition in the finish. Just entering its first drinking window.

Deep, dense, concentrated bouquet, black berries, currants, prunes, dark chocolate. Dense, velvety palate with fine tannins, dense structure, dark, complex aromas, long, dense finish. 19/20 drink - 2050

Crayon, cigar and cedarwood aromatics, relatively subdued because this is tightly packed with still-chewy tannins, but there is so much waiting underneath. Give this another few years, or a good few hours in a carafe, to fully appreciate how the dense brambly fruits unroll and expand outwards through the palate. Great quality, with muscular tannins that ensure the ripe fruit remains engaged and at the very beginning of their life. An exceptionally successful wine. 80% new oak. Jean-René Matignon technical director.

Silkiness and firmness in the tannin mark the first moments on the palate, then the wine remains tight. You can feel all the potential, but you need to be patient. For now, less pure than the 2008.

Massive and full-bodied, it pours forth a flood of fruit. Refined.

Supple and elegant, highly concentrated, yet imperceptible, with a silky smoothness. One of the most elegant wines in history.

Brilliant with freshness and precision, the 2009's bouquet focuses on fruit with an impressive symbiosis between maturity and freshness. The palate is dense, opulent and endowed with fleshy tannins that impart power, yet do not lack charm either and create a fine foundation alongside the acidic structure. Such amplitude, serenity, harmony and persistence in this truly great wine.