Les Griffons de Pichon Baron

2019: Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2019 has an intense purple colour. The delicate bouquet offers aromas of black fruits, followed by subtle woody and spicy notes. The attack is generous, full, and structured with ample tannins. The balance is rich, harmonious, and taut, with mineral notes. It lingers lazily on the palate with a sleek finish. A wine with great ageing potential, characterised and precise.

James Suckling 93: Attractive, modern style with assorted, ripe summer berries, layered with upbeat, toasty oak. The palate is fresh and gently muscular tannins serve this wine well. Try from 2022.

Vinous 91: The 2016 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is quite powerful and dense. Aging, and specifically, the barrel regime of 18 months in oak (60% new) has left the 2016 with a heavy toast/torrefaction quality that at present overpowers the dark fruit and Cabernet aromatics the wine showed from barrel. Frankly, I liked the 2016 more en primeur.

Decanter 91: This is closer to the signature of the grand vin than that of the Tourelles de Longueville as it comes from soil with a higher gravel content. It represents 30% of production. Beautiful, rich dark purple in colour from a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot, a more classic interpretation of a Médoc second wine than Les Tourelles. This is gorgeous, with a sense of restraint behind the deep, plump fruit. 18 months in 60% new oak reinforces the silky tannins. I like this very much.

James Suckling 91-92: Tight and focused with linearity to the way the blackcurrant and dark-chocolate character. Medium-bodied, fresh and clean. Shows brightness.

Vinous 92: The 2017 Les Griffons de Pichon-Baron is a powerful, serious wine endowed with tremendous character and personality. It is especially somber in this vintage, with tannins that need time to soften. The oak is very nicely balanced now after élevage and bottling, and the wine has plenty of textural density and richness to match. Dark fruit, chocolate, spice and wild flowers build into the sumptuous finish.

Decanter 91: Cabernet-dominant in personality; tight on the finish, with lovely purity and fine tannins. There's some excellent black pepper spice from 5% Petit Verdot - which has only been added to the blend for the past five years. This is a serious wine, with real presence, and layers of liquorice, blackcurrant, hawthorn and tobacco.

Wine Advocate 89-91: The Cabernet Sauvignon-based expression of Pichon Baron’s second wine contains 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron has expressive notes of cassis, crushed black cherries and black raspberries with hints of lavender, underbrush, Provence herbs and tilled soil. The palate is medium-bodied and incredibly elegant with great freshness and very fine tannins, finishing earthy.

James Suckling 92: Blackberry, plum, cocoa and gravel aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine tannins framing a solid core of spiced black fruit. Tight, mineral finish. Very fine and balanced. Try from 2024.

Vinous 93: The 2018 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is a heady, wild Pauillac. An exotic mélange of inky black fruit, chocolate, spice, grilled herbs, espresso and new oak gives the Griffons its extroverted personality. The tannins need a bit of time to soften, but there is plenty to look forward to. This is an especially dense, rich Pauillac.

Decanter 90: Gentle redcurrant, raspberry and soft woodsmoke. Bushed tannins and less closed-off in feel, although there is the characteristic Pauillac bite on the finish.

Wine Advocate 91-93: The 2019 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is a blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 59% Merlot, harvested from the 18th of September to the 11th of October. It is being aged in French oak barrels, 60% new, for 18 months. The production of this wine represents 23% of the harvest. Very deep purple-black colored, is comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant black cherries, warm cassis and preserved plums scents, plus hints of lilacs, underbrush, dried Provence herbs and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energetic black and blue fruits, framed by finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Impressive!

James Suckling 92: Blackberries, dried herbs, wet earth, graphite and tar on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine tannins. Classically styled and fresh. Drink after 2024.

Vinous 90: The 2019 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron has a slightly evolved nose, red fruit mixed with melted tar and mixed herbs. The palate is better with firm tannins, fine acidity, quite a solid wine with admirable grip on the finish. Enjoy this over the next 10 to 12 years. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Decanter 91: Blackcurrant florality on a nose of ripe fruit. Expressive. This has grippy, bramble fruit tannins but they don't overwhelm too much, giving the dark fruit the foreground, aided by liquorice and coffee. It has juice but also a sombre tone.

Wine Enthusiast 94: This is the second wine of Pichon Baron. Its juicy richness echoes the top wine of the estate with its structure and powerful fruits. The texture though has a lightness that means it will mature relatively quickly. Drink from 2026.