CHÂTEAU PICHON BARON 2010

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 2010

“Borderline perfection in a bottle, the 2010 Pichon-Longueville Baron (79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as truly extraordinary aromatics of crème de cassis, licorice, crushed rock-like minerality, graphite, and spring flowers. Possessing full-bodied richness, a huge, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannin, it shows the purity, grandeur, and precision that makes this vintage so remarkable. Hide bottles for another 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades.” – 99/100, Jeb Dunnuck

VARIETIES: 79% Cabernet-sauvignon, 21% Merlot
REGION: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
AGEING: 80% in new barrels, 20% from barrels of one vintage for 20 months
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 20 years ±, at an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%
SERVE: Serve at 16ºC – 18ºC, decant it ideally 6 to 7 hours before tasting
FITS TO: Pair perfectly with a Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb, Roasted Saddle of Venison, Beef Chuck with Porcini Mustard and Smoked Tea, or Roasted Quail with Mushrooms
CRITICS SCORES: JD/99, WE/97, RP/96, WS/95, JS/95

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2ème Grand Cru Classé – 1855, Pauillac Appellation | Range | Château Pichon Baron 2010

TASTING NOTE

Château Pichon Baron 2010 is very intense in colour with purple glints. The nose reveals aromas of fresh red and dark fruit, followed by an aromatic range that leads into mild spices and notes of menthol and cocoa. Powerful and explosive on the palate, the tannins are intense yet refined and delicate. Lots of volume with fleshy flavour. The finish is long and lively. This distinguished vintage has excellent ageing potential. Jean-René Matignon – Technical Director – May 2018

VINTAGE CONDITIONS

Dry conditions, low temperatures and exceptional sunshine were the three major climate factors in this vintage. This winning combination ensured the smoothest of vegetation cycles and protected the vines from disease. Thinning combined with leaf-stripping on the east-facing side of the rows proved to be highly beneficial, especially on the cooler, later-ripening plots. As in 2009, the ripening process was slow and regular. The low weight of the grapes – comparable to other dry years such as 1995 and 2003 combined with the small number of grapes per bunch, limited yields quite naturally. This low grape weight goes hand in hand with a high proportion of skin in relation to the juice, and this was an important indicator when it comes to managing the winemaking process.

Harvesting was completed from September 27th to October 18th in 17 effective picking days. The conditions were sunny and the temperatures cool. The grapes were picked and brought in the vat-house plot by plot. We began gathering our merlot grapes, harvesting the young vines first and the older vines later. From October 7th onwards we began to bring in the cabernet, in order of maturity, with particular attention to selection on the plots. The cabernet grapes provide the backbone of the wines of Château Pichon-Baron, being planted for the most part in the estate’s most historic soils. Sorting in the vat-house was highly meticulous, keeping only the very best grapes. This harvest allowed us to carry out some fine-tuning of our optical sorting, a new method we are employing which is helping us to further refine our fruit selection. The must from each plot is vinified individually. Maceration lasted 18 to 25 days, depending on the results of our tasting to check on extraction, with the anthocyans and tannins being dissolved most effectively. This is always a sign of topquality polyphenols. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in vats at a nice, leisurely rate, especially for the Merlot. This enabled us to make regular transfers of the wine into barrels, along with the fine lees, to contribute to the roundness of the wine.