2017 Château Pichon Longueville Baron

The 2017 Château Pichon Longueville Baron is a poised and beautifully classical Pauillac from one of Bordeaux’s most revered Second Growth estates. Crafted from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, it captures the elegance and precision of the 2017 vintage with remarkable purity and finesse. Long celebrated for producing some of the Médoc’s most profound and ageworthy wines, Pichon Baron has created in 2017 a particularly sensual and harmonious expression that will delight both collectors and enthusiasts.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2017 Pichon Baron presents a deep, concentrated ruby-purple color with a vibrant rim, reflecting both its youth and intensity. The nose is extremely pure and finely etched, opening with layered aromas of blackcurrant and ripe blueberry, followed by notes of graphite, crushed stone, cedar, and a polished, beautifully integrated oak character. With air, subtler tones of violet, tobacco leaf, and a hint of cocoa emerge, adding complexity without ever overwhelming the core of dark fruit. On the palate, this is medium to full-bodied yet wonderfully refined, with very fine-grained tannins that give structure without harshness. The wine glides across the mouth in a seamless, almost disarming way, offering flavors of cassis, black cherry, and blue fruits framed by pencil lead, cigar box, and a distinctive mineral backbone. There is a lovely tension between ripe fruit, fresh acidity, and savory complexity, leading into a long, lingering finish that gently fans out and continues to evolve in the glass. While already accessible in its youth thanks to its sensual texture and harmony, this 2017 has the balance and structure to age gracefully well into 2040 and beyond.

Production
Château Pichon Longueville Baron is rooted in the gravelly, well-drained soils of Pauillac in the northern Médoc, where deep layers of gravel over limestone and clay provide ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon to thrive. In 2017, the grapes—79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot—were harvested between 18 September and 9 October, parcel by parcel, at optimal ripeness to preserve both aromatic clarity and freshness. The fruit is carefully sorted and vinified in temperature-controlled vats, allowing gentle extraction of color, tannin, and flavor. After fermentation, the wine is matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, 80% of which are new, with the oak regimen meticulously managed so that the toast and spice nuances blend seamlessly with the natural fruit and terroir expression.

Food & Serving
The 2017 Pichon Baron is a quintessential partner for refined, flavorful dishes, especially classic red meat and game. Think roast lamb with rosemary, ribeye steak, venison with juniper, duck breast, or well-aged hard cheeses such as Comté or mature Gouda. It also pairs beautifully with dishes featuring mushrooms, truffle, or earthy root vegetables, which echo its graphite and mineral notes. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F); if enjoyed in its youth, decant for 1–2 hours to fully open the bouquet and soften the tannins. As the wine matures, a shorter decant (30–45 minutes) is usually sufficient to let the aromatics bloom without losing finesse.

Producer
Château Pichon Longueville Baron, often simply called Pichon Baron, is one of Pauillac’s great historic estates, classified as a Deuxième Cru (Second Growth) in the famed 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Its vineyards lie on some of the appellation’s most prized deep gravel ridges, just south of Château Latour, giving it a reputation for producing wines of impressive power, structure, and longevity. Over the past several decades, significant investment and meticulous vineyard and cellar work have elevated Pichon Baron to a level that many consider on par with some First Growths. The estate is widely admired for combining Pauillac’s hallmark intensity and graphite-driven character with increasing precision, purity, and elegance, and its top wines are consistently among the most sought-after bottles from the Left Bank.