Château Pichon Baron

Château Pichon Baron sits right in the heart of Pauillac, just across from Château Latour. The story starts way back in 1694 when Jacques de Pichon Longueville married into the Rauzan family and got this beautiful vineyard as part of the deal. For generations, the estate stayed whole under one family name. Then in 1850, Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville divided the property between his children. His two sons got what became Pichon Baron, while his three daughters received the part that turned into Pichon Comtesse. The fairytale château you see today was built in 1851 by Baron Raoul, and it earned its Second Growth classification in 1855.

The vineyard covers 73 hectares on some of the best gravel soils in Bordeaux. Half the estate shares identical terroir with Château Latour, which tells you everything about the quality here. These deep gravelly soils drain perfectly and reflect heat back to the vines, helping the grapes ripen beautifully. The best parcel sits right in front of the château, planted with old Cabernet Sauvignon vines from 1943. The estate is planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot across 70 different parcels.

The estate went through tough times in the 1960s and 70s, producing wines that didn't match its classification. Everything changed in 1987 when AXA Millésimes bought the property. They brought in Jean-Michel Cazes and later Christian Seely to run things. The team completely renovated the cellars, designing an award-winning underground facility beneath a reflecting pool in front of the château. They replanted vineyards, introduced hand harvesting and rigorous sorting. The winemaking is precise, with different vat sizes for each parcel and even different vessels for each grape variety. Merlot goes into oak vats, Petit Verdot into amphora since 2022, and Cabernet Sauvignon into stainless steel. The estate holds environmental protection certification since 2000.

Château Pichon Baron produces three wines. The Grand Vin comes only from the oldest vines on the best parcels, aged 18 to 20 months in 80% new oak barrels. It's pure Pauillac power with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, built for decades of aging. Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is the second wine, created in 2012, blended from parcels near the Gironde estuary with a Cabernet Sauvignon lead. Les Tourelles de Longueville, named after the château's turrets, leans more on Merlot for a rounder, more approachable style. Recent vintages like 2009 and 2010 scored perfect 100 points, showing the estate now rivals First Growths in quality.