2015 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Château Pichon Baron traces its history to 1694, when vineyards belonging to Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan formed part of the dowry of his daughter Thérèse upon her marriage to Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville. The original estate was divided in 1850, with Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville retaining the portion that became Pichon Baron. He commissioned the château’s distinctive twin-turreted building in 1851, four years before the estate was classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. AXA Millésimes acquired the property in 1987 and began an extensive programme of restoration and modernisation.

The estate encompasses 92 hectares of predominantly deep gravel soils in the southern part of Pauillac, close to Château Latour and the Gironde estuary. These nutrient-poor, free-draining soils encourage the vines to root deeply and are particularly well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon. The historic Butte de Pichon Baron occupies the finest ground and provides most of the Grand Vin, with only a strict selection from the oldest vines and strongest parcels making the final blend.

Pichon Baron is managed by Christian Seely, with Pierre Montégut as Technical Director, Alexandra Lebossé as Winemaker and Aymeric Hervy overseeing the vineyards. The 2015 vintage was produced during the long tenure of former Technical Director Jean-René Matignon. Detailed parcel management, rigorous selection and carefully controlled barrel maturation define the estate’s approach, producing Pauillac of power, precision and exceptional longevity while protecting the vineyard for future generations.

The 2015 Château Pichon Baron is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot, selected from the oldest vines on the estate’s finest historic plots. Winter rainfall replenished the soils before a warm, dry early summer encouraged water stress and thickened the grape skins. Storms during August and September helped complete ripening without excessive concentration. Merlot was harvested from 18 to 25 September, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon from 1 to 9 October.

Individual parcels were vinified separately in stainless-steel and wooden vats, including four additional 80-hectolitre wooden vats introduced for the vintage. Following fermentation, the strongest lots were reserved for the Grand Vin and assessed through repeated tastings before the final blend was assembled.

The wine matured for 20 months in French oak barrels, comprising 80% new oak and 20% one-year-old barrels. It was bottled on 16 June 2017. Already entering a rewarding phase, it will benefit from several hours in a decanter and has the concentration, tannic structure and freshness to continue developing for decades.