Pichon Baron 2017

Very dark with black core and purple rim. Seductively dark fruit and graphite. Seductive without being flirtatious, rather serious in fact. Deep with black fruit, not sweet, dry and super-smooth with a dry elegance and restraint. Extremely fine and surprisingly juicy on the finish. Long and elegant. Firm, compact and delicious. 13.1%Drink 2026-2047

The fruit is rich and ripe the nose has depth the palate mid generosity. The sweet fruit is backed by freshness firm at the back the tannins quite tight but it does open up with sweet fruit on the finish. Drink 2027-2041.

This is a classic Pichon Baron with a very strict, no-nonsense Cabernet theme which doesn’t deviate from the path! It has stunning accuracy and it is also a beautiful example of the Cabernet grape and the texture is grainy, lithe and fit. The tannins are bright and feisty without being dry and there is masses of energy and harmony here, too. Not a modernist wine at all, but the very definition of a classicist.

The 2017 Pichon Baron was picked from 18 to 21 September for the Merlot and 27 September to 3 October for the Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very sophisticated, pure and quite intense bouquet with black fruit, cedar and potent graphite aromas. This feels very focused and the 80% new oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth entry, very sleek and silky with a gentle grip. There is a lovely sweetness here, perhaps less austere than I was anticipating with a very long, quite spicy finish. Tasted four times with consistent notes. Drink 2020-2045.

This is very centered and focused on the mid-palate with beautiful currant, coffee and walnut character. Full-bodied and superfine. Strong tannins and a long and bright finish. Lots of blackcurrants and blackberries in the end.

Composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 80% new, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Pichon-Longueville Baron slips sensuously out of the glass with provocative cherry preserves, baked raspberries and fresh blackcurrants scents, leading to nuances of red roses, charcoal, tilled soil and cardamom plus a waft of forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegant, refreshing and refined, with a compelling line of soft, grainy tannins and lots of perfumed accents, finishing fragrant.Drink Date2021 - 2042

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.

A wonderfully rich and beautiful wine, intense and concentrated but with real generosity of spirit and huge persistency. It's in keeping with the more focussed and intensely intellectual style of wine that Pichon Baron has produced over the past few vintages, meaning that the austerity of the year really suits it. The 30hl/ha yield was not because of frost, but because of their low-yielding 60-year-old Cabernet vines. 80% new oak. 50% of production went into the grand vin. Harvested 18 September to 3 October, followed by an early and rapid fermentation and blending, meaning that wines were transferred into barrel by the end of November. A wine to age, and then some.Drinking Window 2026 - 2042