Château Pichon Baron 2011

Its bigger, more famous sibling, the 2011 Pichon Longueville Baron, exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, an opulent mouthfeel for a 2011, silky tannins and no hard edges. Medium-bodied and well-endowed, it is a major success in this vintage. It should hit its stride in 3-4 years and last for 15+.

Shows a taut feel for now, with lots of cassis and blackberry fruit, lined with iron and bramble notes. Dark and well-toasted yet integrated overall, this should stretch out after moderate cellaring, as there's an ample core of dark, fleshy fruit. Best from 2016 through 2028. 15,000 cases made.

Juicy black fruits, including cherry, blackcurrant, and blueberry with an undercurrent of graphite. Medium body but an enticingly juicy and surprisingly creamy-textured mouthfeel in the context of this vintage where the tannins are so often quite grippy. This wine already provides immense pleasure on the palate. Bravo!

A Pichon Baron with currants and cocoa powder. It’s a little lean but shows lovely full body, bright fruit and polished tannins. Lovely race and finesse. Better in 2018.

Dark and a touch subdued. But scented on the palate. Lithe, very firm but well balanced and chocolatey textured. Finesse and length. (JH)

Forward in style, this allows for early drinking pleasure while waiting for your 2009 and 2010 to come around. Already open, the soft cassis, blackberry, and tobacco notes, with the right amount of freshness and firmness, can be enjoyed with little effort.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, ripe plums, a hint of dried fruit, fine nougat, candied orange zest. Juicy, red cherries, fresh structure, vivid tannins, lively, already accessible, subtle fruit sweetness on the finish, a multi-faceted food companion.

The 2011 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a classic, solid, outstanding 2011 that offers textbook cedar and lead pencil notes as well as a core of dark fruits, medium-bodied richness, ripe tannin, and a focused, chiseled, yet balanced style on the palate. It’s drinking nicely today but will last for another two decades.

82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot. 30 hl/ha. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights at the rim. Peppery Cabernet Sauvignon bouquet, fine woods, tobacco, truffle, plenty of warm plum, medium drive. Juicy palate, well established, still craving at the core due to not yet fully integrated extraction; the tannins have slightly brittle edges, so on this great steak you also sense a bit of the chop bones in its young-wine phase. Should easily reach 18/20. For now, this score should be viewed as rounded up.

Deep, dark, spicy, fruity bouquet, black berries, currants, smoke, dark tobacco, leather. Elegant, dense, fresh palate with fine tannins, powerful dark aromatics, dense, silky structure, long, full finish. 18/20 2020 - 2040

The black fruits that dominate the palate in this vintage are savoury and slightly subdued, so make sure you give them time to be coaxed out of the glass. As it opens, a floral and chiselled Cabernet expression takes over, with rose stems, smoked earth and tight cassis. This is a lovely wine that shows a more subtle side of Pauillac. Tannins remain young, present at the front of the mouth, pressing in and slightly austere, but with juice on the finish and plenty of promise. It unrolls slowly and has decades ahead of it. 80% new oak. Jean-Rene Matignon, technical director.

Violet notes emerge on the nose, typical of this cru; broad and complete for the vintage, and beginning to soften.

A splendid wine with a top-class Cabernet, rounded out by a lovely Merlot.

True to itself, Pichon Baron 2011 showcases its diversity and complexity. It creates a wonderful symbiosis between truffle nuances and the freshness of Cabernet Sauvignon, all complemented by notes of liquorice and graphite. Slightly creamy, the wine has fine-grained tannins, ideally supported by a structure that ensures freshness, expression and length. A wine on a roll!