Chateau Pichon Baron 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2010

Rocking stuff that continues to show well, the 2010 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron bursts from the glass with ripe, darker currants, spice, leather, and cedar pencil notes. Full-bodied and layered on the palate, it’s incredibly concentrated and powerful, with beautiful overall balance. It's a complete, satisfying, textbook Pauillac that has so much to love. Count yourself lucky if you have bottles in the cellar. Give it a solid decant if drinking any time soon, and it will keep for another 30+ years. Drink 2025-2055.

Ticks all of the Pauillac boxes and then some - powerfully sculpted tannins, muscular and confident, crushed rocks, crayon and liquorice root, cassis and bilberry, slabs of cocoa bean and espresso. At the height of its powers. Jean-Rene Matignon technical director. 80% new oak.

Administrator Christian Seeley thinks the 2010 is the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron he has ever made, equaling some of the estate’s colossal wines from vintages such as 1989 and 1990. It was certainly showing well when I stopped by the chateau in January. Opaque purple, with loads of charcoal, licorice, incense and some exotic Asian spices along with abundant cassis liqueur, blackberry and hints of roasted coffee and spring flowers, it is full-bodied and opulent, with relatively high tannins, but they have sweetened up considerably and seem less aggressive than they did from barrel. The oak is clearly pushed to the background by the wine’s wealth of fruit, glycerin and full-bodied texture. This sensational Pichon Longueville Baron needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and should keep 30+ years. A prodigious, blockbuster effort from Pichon Longueville Baron, the 2010 is reminiscent of this estate’s titanic offerings in 1989 and 1990, but may be even greater with 30 years of longevity. It was absolutely compelling on each of the three times I tasted it. Black/purple-colored with super concentration and richness as well as full body, it offers an awesome display of creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, licorice, camphor and spring flowers. Stunningly pure and unctuously textured with high but sweet, well-integrated tannins, this superstar of the vintage is definitely a wine to purchase as a future.

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Pichon-Longueville Baron delivers expressive scents of baked black cherries, plum preserves and crème de cassis with hints of cedar chest and bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and lovely freshness with bags of energetic black fruits and a long, wonderfully pure finish.

The 2010 Pichon-Baron is simply one of the greatest wines produced under Christian Seely's tenure. It has a stunning bouquet with penetrating black fruit, wilted violet and a touch of sea spray, a distinctive marine note verging on shucked oyster shells. The palate is very well balanced with fine grain tannins, layers pf graphite infused black fruit and a very detailed, captivating finish. Brilliant. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

A dense and layered wine with lots of ripe and sweet fruit. Loads of currants, plums and tar. This is concentrated and almost jammy with velvety tannins. Powerful. Chewy. Try in 2020.

Cool blue and black fruits, crayon and floral scents. Bright, fleshy and round at first but quite serious and then lean where the fruit quickly fades, leaving chalky tannins and a metallic tang. Feels like power over poise, but there is cooling menthol and a long finish, with lingering tannins and gentle fruit expression.