Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac Grand Cru 2019
(Bordeaux, France) [JS 99] [JD 98+] [TWI 98+] [WA 97+] [DM 97] [VM 97]

About the Chateau:
Château Pichon Longueville Baron or Château Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville (commonly referred to as Pichon Baron) is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Baron is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

This great 73 hectare vineyard has been producing top class Pauillac since the late 1980's when Jean-Michel Cazes of Lynch Bages took control and re-vitalised the property. In recent years, under the ownership of AXA insurance, Englishman Christian Seely has been in charge and quality continues to rise. The vineyard is planted with 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin is now made only from fruit produced in the original vineyard that is opposite Latour and next to Lascases. Two second labels are now produced - Les Griffons (from the younger vines) and Les Tourelles de Longueville (from a specific parcel of mostly Merlot vines). Latour-like in style, it is consistently a star performer. 

Ratings & Reviews

99 Points - James Suckling:
"Blackberries and blueberries with stone and graphite. Flint and black licorice, too. So perfumed. Full-bodied, very long and linear with incredible length. The new 1990, but better crafted. Chewy, yet so tailored and wonderfully proportioned. Freshness and elegance. Wonderful depth. 87% cabernet sauvignon rest merlot. The highest ever proportion of cabernet. Try after 2026." (Dec 2022)

98+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot raised in 80% new French oak, the 2019 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is pure class and just a beautiful, seamless Pauillac that does everything right. Revealing a deep purple hue as well textbook notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, freshly sharpened pencils, and liquid violets, it shows the more medium to full-bodied, elegant style of the vintage yet is brilliantly concentrated, has a supple, layered mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, and a great, great finish. It's more open and expressive than Mouton and shares plenty of similarities with Comtesse with its layered, supple, just perfectly balanced and classy style. It unquestionably already offers pleasure today (and it's a good time to try a bottle, as I wouldn't be surprised to see it close down), but it will need a decade to hit maturity and it will be a 50-year wine." (Apr 2022)

98+ Points - The Wine Independent:
"The 2019 Pichon Baron is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little swirling to unlock notions of warm cassis, black cherry preserves, blueberry compote, and violets with touches of licorice, mossy tree bark, tar, and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and very finely grained with a fantastic, racy backbone, finishing long, lively, and fantastically pure." (5/9/22)

97+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Baron will go down as one of this château's great wines of the modern era, along with 2016, 2010 and 1989. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, sweet loamy soil and violets, it's full-bodied, velvety and layered, with superb concentration, lively acids and rich, powdery tannins. Perfumed and resonant, this is a profound young Pauillac that bears more of a resemblance to its neighbor Château Latour than to Pichon Lalande this year. Pichon Baron was one of the great deals of the en primeur campaign, and readers who purchased futures are to be congratulated on their foresight." - WK (Apr 2022)

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 Pichon-Baron is magnificent. In fact, the 2019 is one of the very finest recent vintages I can remember tasting. Cabernet Sauvignon is the highest ever in the Grand Vin at 87%. That comes through in the wine's vibrancy, explosive power and overall profile. Dark cherry, plum, gravel, licorice and incense infuse the 2019 with tremendous depth to match its virile personality. Pichon-Baron was impressive from barrel and it is again today from bottle. Superb." - Antonio Galloni  (Feb 2022)

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Firm tannic grip lands you squarely in Pauillac from the first moment, with pencil lead and charcoal reinforcing the point. This is a serious Pichon Baron, carefully extracted black fruits that barely put a foot wrong, and a firm core of acidity. Takes its time to open in the glass, and will age for decades without breaking a sweat. 80% new oak. 49% of production in this wine." - JA (May 2020