Looks stunning, doesn't it?
Chateau Pichon Baron has a long history, and I'll mention the most important facts here.
In 1850, after the death of Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville, his estate, Pichon Longueville Baron, was divided among his five children according to his will. Two sons inherited the part known as Pichon Longueville Baron, and three daughters were granted property on the other side of the road, which later became Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.
The Bouteiller family owned Pichon Baron from the 1930s until the mid-1980s. Under their ownership, the quality of the wine didn't match its status, with the family producing thin, bland wines.
In 1987, the French insurance company AXA Millesimes purchased this property, and Jean-Michel Cazes from Lynch Bages was appointed as its manager. After a short time, he was replaced by Jean-René Matignon, who has since become the technical director of Pichon Baron. In 1988, renovation of the chateau and construction of a new cellar for vinification and aging began. Under the new ownership, the quality of Pichon Baron began to improve, especially in 2005, 2009, and 2010. The last five vintages (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018) have also been excellent.
Pichon Baron covers 73 ha of vines, with an average age of 35 years. Planted grape varieties are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.
In addition to Grand Vin, two second wines, Les Tourelles de Longueville and Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, are produced. Les Tourelles has more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, while Les Griffons has more Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot.
Pichon Baron is an authentic Pauillac wine with power, a strong backbone, and great concentration. It's got a modern touch. While it's masculine, which corresponds well with the fact that men inherited it in 1850, the other part at that time, the large property across the road, inherited by women and becoming Pichon-Comtesse, is much more feminine, with more elegance and finesse.
Wine menu for the tasting day in April 2019 at Pichon Baron, on the left and right.
Corine Ilic and Nicolas Santier from Pichon Baron's communication department
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2024 Pichon Baron 95p (barrel sample)
Tasted in April 2025. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon + 13% Merlot. 12.7% alcohol. After rigorous selection, the yield per ha was 20 hl. It's not a powerhouse wine but rather a delicate one with a silky texture and grainy tannins. It has finesse and elegance, high-quality fruit, well-integrated acidity, and a lingering finish. A seductive effort!
2023 Pichon Baron 98p
Tasted three times - last time in February 2026. Consistent notes. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon + 20% Merlot. 13.2% alcohol. Intense aroma of blackcurrants and tobacco, with a hint of mint. It is dense, concentrated, with a strong backbone, and has a vibrant, well-developed mid-palate. This wine is complete, showing great complexity, richness, and excellent length, with a long and substantial aftertaste. Tremendous effort.
2022 Pichon Baron 98-99p
Tasted three times - last time in April 2025. Consistent notes. 81% Cabernet Sauvignon + 19% Merlot. It displays a very intense nose of blackcurrants and tobacco; minty, tight, dense, fatty, and luscious on the palate with a strong backbone. Vibrant with a great mid-palate. It is a complete wine, rich in flavor and complexity, with excellent length. Mega-long aftertaste. Tremendous effort.
2021 Pichon Baron (barrel sample) 94-95p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2024. Consistent notes. 88% C. Sauvignon + 12% Merlot. There's the highest amount ever of C. Sauvignon in the blend. It was the last vintage produced by Jean-René Matignon, the estate's technical director, who retired in 2022. Minty, tobacco leaf, redcurrants, and blackcurrants, fleshy, vibrant, well-integrated tannin, fine midpalate, and long-lasting finish. Excellent effort.
2020 Pichon Baron 98p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2023. Consistent notes. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon + 24% Merlot. It has a very intense nose of tobacco and grilled bacon, is tight, dense, and luscious on the palate, and has a strong backbone. It is more elegant and feminine compared to vintages like 2018 and 2019. Nevertheless, it's a complete wine with great complexity, mid-palate, vibrancy, and excellent length. Stupendous wine.
2019 Pichon Baron 98p
Tasted three times - last time in June 2023. Consistent notes. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon + 13% Merlot. 87% C. Sauvignon + 13% Merlot. Sheer power and concentration, rows and rows of creamy blackberries and sweet tannin, remarkable complexity and depth, luscious and many layers. It's a big, meaty finish. Riveting effort.
2018 Pichon Baron 99p
Tasted four times - last time in June 2023. Consistent notes. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon + 22% Merlot. Tight, dense, and powerful with a strong backbone; fabulously complex, chewy, rich, and stunning length. Emphatic and stupendous wine! One of my favorite vintages of P. Baron, and it showed particularly well in June 2023!!
2017 Pichon Baron 96p
Tasted three times - last time in September 2022. Consistent notes. 79% Cabernet Sauvignon + 21% Merlot. Freshness. Tobacco leaves and graphite on the nose. The palate had power, elegance, fine acidity, lovely complexity, structure, and balance. More accessible than the highly heralded 2019 and 2020 vintages.
2016 Pichon Baron 99p
Tasted twice - last time in June 2023. Consistent notes. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon + 18% Merlot. It was very aromatic and intense on the nose, powerful yet elegant with finesse, simultaneously multilayered, vibrant, and superbly long in finish. It was refined, aristocratic, and fully reflected this vintage's distinguished style. Exceptional effort.
2015 Pichon Baron 97p
Tasted in April 2019. There was more spicy fruit and more "muscles" than in 2016, but this wine still had the same power and length. Fabulous stuff.
2014 Pichon Baron 95p
Tasted three times - last time in September 2019. Consistent notes. Classic Bordeaux style with tightness, a strong backbone, and a massive approach. This wine has everything it needs and requires some time to develop.
2011 Pichon Baron 93p
Tasted in June 2023. From a magnum bottle. Powerful, very C. Sauvignon with earth, crushed stones, and graphite; great depth; with still unresolved tannins. It is a classic Pauillac wine that needs many years to soften.
2010 Pichon Baron 98p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2019. Not consistent notes. It's a huge wine with power and concentration at the highest gear, dense and tight, and with unlimited longevity. Like many other wines from the 2010 vintage, I recall that this one wasn't particularly stunning or expressive from the barrel in April 2011. After bottling, it has become a different animal, improving and ultimately turning into a true superstar.
2006 Pichon Baron 94-95p
Tasted in June 2023. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. From a magnum bottle. Plenty of blackcurrants, creamy, big tannins, a strong backbone, big depth, and a long finish. Still needs to be ready. Put this wine in the cellar for at least 25 years!
2005 Pichon Baron 95+p
Tasted twice - last time in June 2023. Consistent notes. Powerful, tight, dense, and strong backbone, with great depth and complexity. It's still in its prime, so we have to wait at least ten years to gain a complete insight into this wine's further development.
2004 Pichon Baron 95p
Tasted in April 2018. Similar to 2005, the fruit here was less ripe, and the tannin could have been more perfectly ripe as well. There are many years to wait for tannin to soften.
2002 Pichon Baron (barrel sample) 91p
Tasted in September 2003. It is a well-made wine with lovely complexity, superb structure, and delicious fruit.
2001 Pichon Baron 95p
Tasted five times - last time in October 2020. Consistent notes. Perfectly ripe and beautifully aromatic. Chocolate flavors on the nose. Stylish and incredibly tasty. This wine remains a sheer beauty and joy. It was still closed when I tasted it in October 2020, 11 years after I last tasted it. It was closed and needed 10–20 years to be accessible.
1996 Pichon Baron 96p
Tasted twice - last time in June 2023. Consistent notes. Aromatic and powerful on the nose, deep on the palate, with a strong structure. It is very concentrated and has a long-lasting aftertaste. Superb wine. This was in April 2007. Sixteen years later, this wine hasn't changed that much! A textbook Pauillac wine that, over the years, has developed more nuance and become more complex. Stupendous effort! This wine can easily spend 20+ years in the cellar.
1989 Pichon Baron 96-97p
Tasted in September 2022. The level was less than 1 cm from the end of the cork! It is an incredibly youthful-tasting 33-year-old wine with a dark color, lots of freshness, and an extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon nose, featuring notes of red meat, tobacco, and cigar box. Great complexity, excellently ripe berries, grained tannins, exquisite balance, midpalate, and length. Amazing stuff from this property!! It can easily be kept for 50 more years.
1926 Pichon Baron 92p
Tasted in April 2018. Fishy (oyster) nose but tasted still alive. Better on the palate, clean, pleasing, delicate, and a fruity finish.