Pichon Baron - Pauillac 2009

Wine Advocate

96

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/18/2019

Decanter.com

95

byStephen Brookthe11/15/2017

A super-ripe vintage, but with relatively low acidity in many cases, meaning the wines may not go the same distance as the 2010s. But top Bordeaux is often full of surprises. This has a lush and flamboyant black-fruit nose with mocha tones. It is plump and concentrated with generous fruit, and it's more lavish than 2010 even if it's showing less grip. There's splendid depth of fruit and a spicy mid-palate, and though the acidity may be slightly lower than is needed for an ideal balance, this still shows persistence and force.

Wine Advocate

96

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Pichon Baron 2009 is a great wine destined to last for many years. It has a very well defined bouquet with blackberry, creme de cassis and still some vanillary new oak that needs bottle age to be subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. This is beautifully composed and pure with an unerring symmetry. It is tightly coiled and very precise, yet the finish has enormous length. Outstanding. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

96

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Saturated deep ruby-red. Pungent, brooding, very ripe aromas and flavors of cassis, blueberry, licorice, bitter chocolate, espresso and minerals, along with hints of spices and underbrush. Large-scaled, rich and deep, with superb chewy ripeness and terrific mineral lift. At once plush and powerful, boasting the texture of a first growth, with a near-perfect sugar/acid balance. The palate-staining finish features substantial ripe, chewy tannins and rising length. This should evolve gracefully in bottle for two or three decades.

Wine Advocate

98

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

Revealing incredible quality and performing better than it did from barrel, the 2009 appears to be the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron since the 1990 and 1989. An amazing opaque blue/purple color is followed by scents of spring flowers, graphite, smoky charcoal, incense, blackberries, blueberries and hints of coffee and chocolate. Incredibly intense, pure and flawlessly constructed with extravagant layers of fruit and richness, this offering has developed beautifully under the management of Christian Seeley. It is a voluptuous, opulent Pichon Longueville Baron that may eclipse anything they have made in the past. This brilliant wine should be at its peak between 2018 and 2045.

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

Amazing aromas of ripe currants and plums with flowers. Full body, with super fine tannins and wonderful fruit. It is energized. Better than I remember it from barrel. Reminds me of the 1990 PB. Try after 2020.

Wine Spectator

95

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2012

This delivers a massive core of black Mission fig, black currant paste and roasted fig fruit, backed by alder wood, bay leaf, signed cedar and maduro tobacco. The finish lets a racy iron note take over. Long and authoritative, with gorgeous acidity giving the balance for long-terme cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2030.-J.M

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

93-96

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(67% cabernet sauvignon and 33% merlot; 13.8% alcohol; ph 3.81; IPT 88; 80% new oak) Deep red with purple highlights. Lovely, scented nose hints at red berry cocktail, dark plum, blackcurrant and minerals, plus a hint of sweet spices. Then very smooth on the palate, with ripe black fruit and delicate spice flavors framed by lively acids and satiny tannins. Finishes long and pure, with a lingering black pepper note. A wonderfully complex wine that owing to its perfectly balanced, almost weightless mouth feel will probably always be deceptively easy to drink, even though it will last longer than you or I. In fact, this is the most refined, sophisticated version of Pichon-Baron I can recall at a similarly young age. One of the top wines of the vintage.

Le Figaro

94-96

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

Robe sombre. Nez intense, épicé. En bouche, le vin est souple et élégant, hyperconcentré (IPT 88), mais cela ne se voit pas, car l’extraction s’est effectuée tout en douceur. Un des plus élégants de l’histoire. 67 % cabernet-sauvignon, 33 % merlot.

timatkin.com

96

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2010

13.76% alcohol. 67CS, 33M A year in which Pichon-Baron outperformed Pichon-Comtesse. Christian Seely describes this as a vintage in which “we went for finesse instead of over-extraction” and he succeeded in my view. Black fruits, some spice on the nose and palate, with acidity cutting through the chocolate and coffee bean oak. Fine tannins on the palate. 20+ years.

Le Point

18

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Fruits noirs, épices, encre, prune, bouche ronde, veloutée, bien mûre, longue, large et longue, très beaux tanins avec beaucoup de moelleux en milieu de bouche, souple, onctueux, très charnu, mais avec beaucoup d'élégance. O=2018 G=30 ans

TAST

17,5

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

Grande robe, mais le vin n’est pas encore tout à fait en place : le volume de bouche est immense mais ses merlots pour le moment l’alourdissent un peu et cachent la minéralité habituelle donnée par le terroir. Il faudra suivre avec attention son affinement progressif durant l’élevage qui devrait, vu ses dimensions de départ, le conduire à de plus hauts sommets. 17,5/20 ou plus

Wine Advocate

95-97

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Tasted at the château and at the UGC. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, picked between 24th September and the 9th October, cropped at around 35hl/ha and bestowed with 13.76% alcohol. This has a very tight nose at first, demanding coaxing from the glass. Very fine definition, a strict linearity at first, opening up a glacial pace, graphite, smoke, small black cherries, a hint of bilberry and crushed stones. The palate is full-bodied with brilliant definition and focus, even finer tannins than the stupendous 2008, very rounded and supple and yet with a firm linear backbone. No frills at the moment, just pure concentration. Wonderful persistency towards the finish. Top class. Tasted March 2010.

Wine Enthusiast

95-97

byRoger Vossthe4/30/2010

Big ripe fruit, packed with classic blackcurrant flavors, topped with wood and sweet, juicy fruit tannins. An impressive, solid wine yet very elegant at the same time.

WeinWisser

19

byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2010

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot. Sattes Purpur-Granat. Parfümiertes, bereits sehr fruchtig wirkendes Bouquet, schwarze Kirschen, Cassis und eine Andeutung von Brombeergelée mit Kräuterhauch, etwas Melisse und Minze, wird an der Luft immer wuchtiger. Sublimer Gaumen mit viel Saft in den rundlichen, geschmeidigen Tanninen, gebündeltes langes Finale. Erinnert an die Primeurprobe des Jahrgangs 1990, jetzt aber mit direkteren Aromen und mehr Perfektion. 2017–2032

Falstaff

94-96

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Mineralisch, tabakig unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, feiner Zwetschkentouch, etwas Nougat. Komplex, stoffig, präsente, feste Tannine, knackig strukturiert, haftet gut an, süße Beerenfrucht, ein Langstreckenläufer, feiner Bitterschokotouch, Vin de Garde.

Wine Advocate

93-95

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

An inky/blue/purple color is followed by aromas and flavors of incense, flowery black currants, and subtle smoke and oak. This full-bodied 2009, which exhibits wonderful intensity, purity, and length, is an exceptional effort, but in this vintage, it must take a back seat to some of its peers, such as Pichon Lalande, Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages, not to mention all the first-growths. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful wine that should drink well for 30+ years. (Tasted three times.) Drink 2010-2040.

Periodic Review of Wine

96-98

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

Another massive effort from Pauillac, which is similar to Lalande in size. It reminds me of a barrel sample of the noteworthy 2006 vintage. The wine boasts a deep saturated purple color followed by an extraordinarily complex nose of flavor, while intermixed with mushroom juices. The full-bodied, dense, well-endowed fruit provides this Baron with amazing appeal. This vintage comes across as more refined than the 2006. Be patient, as this Baron is relatively youthful and backward with loaded tannin. A stunning achievement in the vintage! Maturity period 2016-2040.

Wine Spectator

92-95

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Loads of currant and blackberry, with mineral and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with ultrafine, very long tannins. Really builds on the palate. A racy style, with excellent length.

Jancis Robinson

18

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

33 hl/ha, older vines. Two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one third Merlot – they say Merlot quality in 09 was very Cabernet Sauvignon-like. IPT (total polyphenol index) 88, TA 3.4 g/l. One of the most concentrated vintages ever – from fruit not extraction. Very very dark crimson. Very mineral and grown up. Lovely lift and great, polished tannins. Very fresh and fine tannins with density and lift on the finish. Very sophisticated. Lots of mass. Remjnds me a little of their 1990, though the yields were very much lower in 2009. Very glossy and confident. Very sophisticated. 13.8% Drink 2018-2030