2021 Chateau Pichon-Baron - 2eme Cru Classe Pauillac

Decanter.com – 95 pts – GH: *Inviting, fragrant nose with pink flowers and red berry fruit. Pure and elegant with a crystalline aspect to the fruit, juicy and lively balance. A super, classic take that I really love: firm and appealing mineral grip, a sense of power and drive but also delicacy and finesse. Reflecting the vintage, it's light and delicate but persistent from start to finish, with tension. Linear but well contained, a solid effort.* - 11/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts - PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholznuancen, etwas Brombeerkonfit, zartes Cassis, tabakige Noten, mineralischer Abklang. Mittlere Komplexität, feine rote Herzkirschen, integrierte, reife Tannine, frisch und lebendig, Rote Ribiseln im Abgang, salzig und animierend. (9/1/2024, trinken/lagern +25).* - 03/2024

Vinum Magazin – 18/20 pts: *Komplexe, rauchig-mineralische Ausbauaromatik; besitzt die besondere Rasse des Jahres mit den gleichsam pfeffrigen, erfrischenden Gerbstoffen, der schlanken und doch sehr dichten Art, der besonderen Spannkraft und sehnig-fruchtigen Länge.*

WeinWisser – 19+/20pts – GL, TW: *88 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 % Merlot, 70 % in neuen Barriques, 23 hl/ha, 50 % Grand Vin (bei 73 ha Rebfläche), 12.9 Vol.-%, Menge: –38% Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, schwarzer tasmanischer Bergpfeffer, Wildkirsche und Brasiltabak, dahinter zarte Fliedernoten und helles Malz. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, herrlicher Extraktfülle sowie beeindruckender Tiefe, balancierter Rasse und engmaschigem Körper. Im sehr konzentrierten Finale mit viel Energie, edler Cassiswürze und fein körniger Adstringenz. Spiegelt den Jahrgang perfekt wider. Dank des höchsten Anteils an Cabernet Sauvignon grandios strukturiert. Gehört in seiner Klasse zu den Besten.* – 04/2022

JancisRobinson.com – 17,5/20pts – TP: *88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot. Deep ruby colour. Bready with black coffee and blackcurrant fruit on the nose. The palate is focused and linear, a little hint of rosemary set against pure dark fruit. Vertical and firm, this is a relative vin de garde for the vintage, needing time for the persistent, mouth-coating but precise tannins to integrate into the fruit. An impressive wine for the vintage. One for those looking to lay down a 2021 for the longer haul.* - 11/2023

Vinous.com – 96 pts – AG: *Dark and brooding in bearing, the 2021 Pichon Baron is a somber, mysterious wine. It is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. Graphite, leather, spice, mocha and dried herbs meld together in a wine of power, precision and contemporary classicism. It's one of my early favorites in this vintage. I won't be too surprised if it turns out even better than this note suggests.* - 12/2023

Vinous.com – 93 pts – NM: *The 2021 Pichon Baron, which was matured in 60% new oak and bottled in June 2023, has an engaging bouquet, estuarine-influenced with hints of seaweed permeating the black fruit. It shows fine delineation and focus, the like we have come to expect these days. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite fleshy in style to the extent that, if poured blind, I might misconstrue it as its Comtesse neighbor, despite containing just 12% Merlot. There's also a light savory element on the finish. Very fine.* - 11/2023

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 96 pts – JL: *One of the wines of the vintage owes its character to having used the highest percentage of Cabernet in the history of the estate in the blend at 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, followed with 12% Merlot. Concentrated, rich, deep, fresh, and complex, the wine is packed with racy, energetic currants, cherries, plums, peppery spices and lift. There is concentration, and purity to the fruits that linger and expand. This is even better in the bottle than it was in the barrel, which is always the mark of a great wine. This is a perfect example of what a top, classically styled Pauillac should taste like. This is the finial vintage produced by the incredibly talented, long-time technical director, Jean-Rene Matignon. With a few more years of age, this could score even higher. Drink from 2028-2060.* - 03/2024