2022 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron En Primeur
Released for sale en primeur this morning, 2022 Château Pichon Baron is offered for sale at £810 per six bottles and with scores as high as 96-98 points from Neal Martin, equalling his scores for Lafite and Mouton!
The style of Pichon Baron this year is structured and powerful with intense fruit concentration. Director Christian Seely and his team appear to have drawn inspiration from their sibling estate in Sauternes, Château Suduiraut, picking the fruit at Pichon Baron by tiny plots in successive 'tries'. The result is a wine with greater fruit purity and precision than in any previous vintage.
Directly opposite Pichon Lalande and just across the road from Latour, Pichon Baron is an undisputed heavyweight of Pauillac, but recent vintages, along with a new winery and the new approach in the vineyard, have made this one of the most exciting estates in the commune. As such, this is reasonably priced at £810 per six.
Offered en primeur, on allocation. Landing spring 2025.
Magnums available with £15 ex-VAT bottling surcharge, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2022 Bordeaux can be found here.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pauillac
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is a Deuxième Cru Classé estate in the commune of Pauillac. Originally part of a single estate known as Pichon with Pichon-Lalande, Pichon-Baron became a separate estate when, in 1850, in a Lear-like move, Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville divided the estate between his five children on his death bed. His sons received the Pichon-Baron lands and his daughters received what became Pichon-Lalande.
Pichon Baron continued in the ownership of the Pichon-Longueville family until 1933. The estate was in decline through the 1960s and 70s until it was acquired by AXA insurance, who installed Jean-Michel Cazes to improve quality. Cazes was succeeded by Christian Seely in 2000, ushering in a new phase of far more successful vintages.
The 73 hectare vineyard is split into 4 plots and further subdivided into many small parcels, planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
| RED | 2022 | Château Pichon Baron | 75cl | £810 per case of 6 | Château Pichon Baron 2022 / / 75cl £810 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"You are firmly wading through intense, sculpted Pauillac tannins here, gripping from the first moments with their structure and intent. Blocks of intense chocolate, slate, liquorice and black chocolate, this feels vertical and concentrated, could let more light in at this stage but that should come over ageing. Petit Verdot vinified in amphora, and they did a cold soak for every plot this year for the first time. 70% new barrels and 30% from barrels of one vintage. 94 points" janeanson.com--------"An unusually gourmand, sensual wine from this estate, the 2022 Pichon-Longueville Baron bursts with aromas of crème de cassis, sweet dark berries, licorice, lilac and pencil shavings. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with excellent concentration and a rather rich, supple profile. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, it's the result of sub-block by sub-block picking and cooler than usual fermentation temperatures. 95-97 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"A very structured and racy PB with blackcurrant, stone and black cherry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body with racy and fine tannins that are precise and focused. Elegance with structure. 81% cabernet sauvignon and 19% merlot. 96-97 points" jamessuckling.com------"The 2022 Pichon Baron is marvelous. It continues a series of vintages that have been absolutely compelling. Bright red-toned fruit, spice, rose petal and blood orange lend considerable brightness throughout. More than anything else, the 2022 impresses with its precision and magnificent balance. 96-98 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"The 2022 Pichon Baron was picked 8 September to 3 October and matured in 70% new dak. It has wonderful precision on the nose, with intense blackberry and bilberry fruit, crushed stone and graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is tensile right from the start. Taut and linear, fresh, quite saline with a nuanced touch of black pepper toward the finish. Real pedigree and sophistication here, this is a magnificent Pichon-Baron that achieves a new level of precision thanks to the more piecemeal Sauternes-inspired harvest in tandem with the new winery. 96-98 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com |
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