Chateau Pichon Baron in Pauillac has really progressed since the acquisition of the property by owner Axa in 1987. Some good wines previously produced including an excellent four year stretch from 1959 to 1962 including the surprising 1960 with those three other outstanding vintages. However they are today back at the deserving Second Growth classification received in 1855 with a solid run of complex lower yielding mature vines (using more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend) resulting in outstanding wines from 2015 to 2023 inclusive. Managing Director of AXA Millesimes Christian Seely was at our Vancouver International Wine Festival on February 28, 2014 conducting a vertical of his wines from 2010 to 1990. He stated that the recent history was “in two phases of first 1987 to 2000 of less know how producing higher yields and secondly 2000 on paying more attention to small details in the vineyards and much lower yields with better selection”. Christian describes it as “72 hectares of which 38 are great gravel best plots of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and to the west on richer clay soil is mostly Merlot used earlier in the Grand Vin but now more in their second wine Les Tourelles de Longueville.” He described the present terroir as “The Renaissance of Pichon Baron with a personality defined by old vine Cabernet Sauvignon grown on a plateau bed of gravel”.
On April 1, 2025 our Vancouver Group of Eight held meeting # 129 at Blue Water Cafe featuring nine vintages of Pichon Baron from 2009 back to 1982. We started with the legendary small appellation of CHATEAU-GRILLET 2011 run by the Neyret-Gachet family from 1830 until the 2011 acquisition by Artemis Domaines (Pinault family). This was their first year but the Viognier was so special combining delicate minerality with tight power and elegance. A beauty.
The Pichon Baron were served in two flights youngest to oldest and your scribe has ranked them personally with the first place deserving a much higher score than 9th but all really showed very well indeed. The tasting confirmed that even with higher yields the unique terroir really shone through in top vintages like 1989 & 1990. The future for this property is very high indeed.
2009 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
This very dark almost black younger vintage is 70 CS & 30 M with 80% new oak. Impressive powerful depth of fruit with harmonious balance. Juicy exuberant ripe accessible young but not too ripe as still built to age. Slight label change in 2009 from “sickly griffins” to “healthy vigorous “ ones. Christian fav is the twin 2010 of 79CS/21M where “the purity & freshness of the fruit are masking the tannins”. Two degrees higher average temperature in 2009 than 2010 that was cooler. Rank 4th (best future)
2000 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Not as dense as some recent ones but open bouquet with delicious finesse and balance of integrated tannins. Showing beautifully on a lovely drinking plateau now at 25 years. Not as fantastic as show stopper 2000 Lynch Bages Pauillac written up last week here. Enjoy. Rank 3rd
1998 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
More herbaceous but less Pauillac definition forwardly with spices and less tannins. Easy mellow smooth ready but missing depth in the mid-palate. Drink presently. Rank 8th
1996 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Surprised at being the lightest rim of the First Flight. Structured tannins with high CS 80 + 20M with 70% new oak in almost a Napa-like eucalyptus style. Christian stated “high yields in 1996 of 385,000 bottles and since 2000 only half that production of the Grand Vin at 170,000-190,000”. Solid but a bit disappointing for this top vintage. Rank 6th
1995 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
More colour depth as Christian noted back in his 2014 seminar that “smaller grapes for more skins and intense juice than 1996″ but spicy less ripe Merlot over lesser amount of CS on the nose. Evolving more quickly but losing fruit. Better when paired with the tasty excellent mushroom rabbit course. Rank 7th
1990 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Deep but paling edge with stylish beautiful lead pencil, cedar, cigar box Pauillac definition. Good texture with earthy flavours plus drying a little bit on the finish but nonetheless excellent. Christian called it “one of the great years with a fresh style but yields of 73CS & 27 M were way too high at 67+ hl/ha”. Some tasters ranked it first or tied for first but your scribe believes 1989 has purity with more elegance. Rank 2nd.
1989 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Another great twin year with 1990. Very textbook Pauillac definition! Complex pure fruit aromatics with exotica. Wow. 65% new oak worked perfectly here using the same cepagement as 1990. More intense richness from the riper hotter opulent year but is holding the fruit wonderfully precisely together throughout. Also improved the best with airing and warming opening up showing more development over the dinner. Collected this 1989 vintage since Wine Spectator named it in 1992 as their Wine of the Year. Superb choice by them that your scribe has respected and enthusiastically enjoyed over many decades for the “breathtaking” quality. WOTN for me and Fred Withers agreed. Rank 1st
1986 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Colour OK but not as dark as many 1986 Bordeaux. Not that clean with a touch of TCA corkiness. Less depth and less weight. Simpler. Not best bottle but seem to have missed the mark this time. Last vintage of the Bouteiller family ownership since the 1930s before Axa purchase. Your scribe has tasted better bottles of it than this one. Rank 9th
1982 CHATEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC:
Good bottle and drinking lovely but drier with less fruit than the glorious Fifth Growth Pauillac Grand Puy Lacoste 1982. Nice elegant mature finish. Leaner and was showing more fruit a few years ago but sings better with the culinary treat course of beef two ways. Drink up. Rank 5th
2003 CHATEAU RIEUSSEC SAUTERNES:
Deep dark usual Rieussec look. Rich powerful caramel/toffee notes with honey that pairs nicely with the prominent ginger in the ice cream.
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