- CRITICAL REVIEWS
- WINEMAKER NOTES
Jeb Dunnuck
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Vinous
2020 Chateau Pichon-Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville, Pauillac, France
Our Grand Vin Château Pichon Baron 2nd Cru Classé in 1855 comes from the very oldest vines grown on the historic plots of the estate. This authentic Pauillac offers an amazing sensory experience with its black fruit flavours and spicy hints. Château Pichon Baron shows great elegance, intensity and exceptional length on the palate. It is a wine that improves year after year and can age for over 40 years in the cellar.
TASTING NOTE
Château Pichon Baron 2020 reveals a very beautiful, intense garnet colour. The fresh, precise and complex nose offers aromas of ripe red fruit, spices, cedar and pencil lead. The attack is ample with a powerful, creamy and elegant palate. The tannins are silky and racy. The finish is long, fruit-driven and peppery.
Pierre Montégut - Technical Director - September 2022
Bottling date: June 13th 2022
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
2020 began with a historically rainy winter followed by a tropical spring. Vigilance was required in soil management and protecting the vines against mildew. Warm, dry weather then led to one of the earliest flowerings on record, two weeks ahead of the norm. The first flowers were observed between 9th and 10th May and flowering took place between 15th and 25th May. Rainfall stopped at the end of June, giving way to cool, dry weather until the onset of ripening in mid-July. Mid-veraison was reached between 23rd and 25th July on the earliest ripening Merlot plots and subsequently developed well in warm and dry conditions. Summer brought drought and sporadic heat waves until midAugust, when thunderstorms cooled down excessive temperatures and caused the Merlot grapes to swell. The later-ripening Cabernets remained small until the harvest. Picking started about ten days ahead of the norm, mostly in sunshine for the Merlots and thundery showers for the Cabernets. The Merlots and Cabernets were tannic and colourful, with acidities and potential alcohol content within normal ranges. Ripening took place in hot weather, apart from the second half of August. Thunderstorms of varying intensity, with between 80 and 120 mm of rain, struck Pauillac between 12th and 16th August, in most cases counteracting the water stress observed in early August. The Merlots once again benefited from the rainfall, with the grapes growing swiftly, unlike the Cabernets. The harvest took place from 14th to 22nd September for the Merlot and from 22nd to 30th September for the Cabernet-Sauvignon.
BLEND
76% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 24% Merlot
AGEING
70% in new barrels, 30% from barrels of one vintage for 18 months