Château Pichon Baron, Second Grand Cru Classé en 1855, est l'un des vignobles historiques de Bordeaux.
The birth of the Estate
The estate was founded in the late 17th Century. This period was known as the Grand Siècle, or "great century", in reference to Louis XIV's 1661 accession to the French throne.
In 1689 Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan, an influential wine merchant and steward of the prestigious Latour and Margaux estates, bought plots of vines close to the Latour estate to create Enclos Rauzan.
These vines were part of his daughter Thérèse's dowry when she married Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville in 1694, the year in which the Pichon Baron estate was founded. An illustrious estate, with an enduring reputation, was born. It remained in the same family for generations.
Building the Château
In 1850 the property was divided in two. Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville's section became the Pichon Baron estate. The second section, belonging to his three sisters, became Pichon Comtesse.
Baron Raoul was proud of his prestigious property, and in 1851 he commissioned the imposing château inspired by Renaissance architecture that we know today. This uniquely charming and romantic château, with its two emblematic turrets, has stood proudly at the vineyard's heart ever since.
During the Universal Exhibition of 1855, the wine was classed as a Second Grand Cru Classé according to the ranking system requested by Emperor Napoleon III, who wished to showcase Bordeaux's great wines.
In 1933 the Pichon de Longueville family sold the property to the Bouteiller family, who managed Château Pichon Baron for over 50 years.
Modernising the Estate
In 1987 the estate was bought by AXA Millésimes, whose aim is to enable great wines from vineyards with a glorious past to achieve their full potential. An architectural competition was launched in collaboration with the Paris Pompidou Centre to provide the estate with new operational buildings. The comprehensive reconstruction of the fermenting room and cellar, and renovation of the château, began in 1988.
Since then, the 19th century château's image has been reflected in an ornamental pool stretching majestically before it. And since 2008, its silvery expanse conceals an underground cellar, reminiscent of Jules Verne's Nautilus, with views of both the water and the sky. The barrel cellar complements a production process in which excellence is paramount, in the finest tradition of great Pauillac wines.
The vineyard
The Pauillac terroir
Pauillac, a Médoc appellation, is located approximately 40 kilometres to the north of Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Gironde River.
The land, which features quaternary gravel deposits and the large pebbles and sand which are typical of the appellation, is a winemaking paradise. The subsoil composition allows the retention of water to feed the roots, while the undulating relief of the gravel soils is ideal for drainage.
This exceptional terroir has a maritime climate; its proximity to the Gironde estuary lends it an increased mildness. All the right conditions come together to make the Pauillac appellation the most prestigious of Bordeaux wines.
An exceptional legacy
The Pichon Baron estate comprises 75 hectares of high quality gravelly soil. Low in nutrients and with little excess water, this unique soil sparingly nourishes the vines, whose average age is 35 years.
The estate is actively committed to protecting the environment to safeguard this exceptional legacy for future generations.
A mosaic of vineyards
Pichon Baron's vineyard is planted as follows: 66% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is meticulously divided into separate plots. Each plot receives specific care and attention adapted to its particular profile.
The terroir's best land - the "Butte de Pichon Baron" - is devoted entirely to the production of the Grand Vin, making up the majority of the blend. It is among the estate's historic plots; it was already in use in 1694, when the wine was first produced.
Pichon Baron also produces two second wines, from other parcels of its vineyard: Les Tourelles de Longueville and Les Griffons de Pichon Baron.
Source: Château Pichon Baron website
Château Pichon Baron
France
Bordeaux
2018
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot
Gravelly soil
This year, they have placed even more emphasis on the quality of the fruit by extending the cold pre-fermentation period before starting fermentation with vintage wild yeast from grapes grown in the old Cabernet-Sauvignon plots of the Plateau. Maceration temperatures ranged from 24 to 29°C. Extractions were preferably performed during midfermentation, and the duration of post fermentation maceration was refined through daily tastings. Malolactic fermentation continued apace in vats, allowing regular racking in separate batches. The wine was transferred to barrels in mid-November.
40% in new barrels, 60% from barrels of one vintage for 18 months
75cl
14,50%
16ºC - 18ºC
