Decanter Fine Wine Index: Four vintages of Pichon Baron for collectors to keep an eye on

With its dark, pointed turrets and gleaming limestone façade Château Pichon Baron is one of the Médoc's quintessential châteaux.

A second growth Pauillac, it is renowned for the sleekness, polish and ageworthiness of its Cabernet Sauvignon-driven wines, produced from 92 hectares of vines planted in the region's famous gravels.

The estate was created in the 17th century when Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville married Therèse de Rauzan, the daughter of a wealthy and enormously influential wine merchant.

The barons de Longueville owned the property from 1694 to 1933. In 1850 the estate was split with Baron Raoul de Longueville keeping the property known today as Pichon Baron, while his sisters inherited the other half that we know today as Pichon Comtesse.

The estate was bought by insurance group AXA – part of a wider portfolio of estates under the umbrella of AXA Millésimes – in 1987.

Under the group's ownership, the estate has been extensively renovated and remodelled, with state-of-the-art winemaking facilities and cellars.

The core plot at the centre of the estate's vineyards, the 'Butte de Pichon Baron', has been used to make the grand vin since 1694.

The property also produces two 'second labels', Les Tourelles de Pichon Baron and Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, and a white wine.

Pichon Baron vintages

Looking back over the most recent available vintages, we can see that Pichon Baron has averaged a score 97-points from various Decanter critics.

This puts it in the same category as Château Cheval Blanc or Château Haut-Brion.

However, an average case price of £1,038 (per 12x75cl) is a sizeable discount to either of those other estates which clock in at over £4,000 and £3,000 a case on average respectively.

Even better news for fans of polished Pauillac, there are currently four well-scored vintages available for under £1,000.

The most surprising of these is the 2017, which received a score of 98-points during a panel tasting. Not an especially renowned vintage, one judge, Andy Howard MW, called it: 'A classic Pauillac, which is remarkable in the context of 2017 overall.'

The wine has a current market price of £960 per case. According to Liv-ex, it is down from previous highs over the course of 2022-2024 but has seen some positive gains so far this year.

Another vintage that looks good value relative to other peers is the 2020. Like the 2017 it has a score of 98-points and costs under £1,000, with Georgina Hindle calling it: 'Generous, elegant and refined'.

Both vintages look even better value when compared to the 2022, which also has a score of 98-points but currently costs just over £1,200 per case. It's the better-viewed vintage but perhaps buyers have been overlooking other wines of similar quality?

Finally, the 95-point 2021 is really a very delicious wine, especially given the otherwise rather average vintage and the 2024 with 96-points is the cheapest available vintage by far at around £838 per case.

Although they sit under Pichon Baron's score-average their relative affordability makes them tempting potential pick-ups for thirsty buyers, especially given the estate's current track record for producing standout wines even in mediocre vintages.

Château Pichon Baron: Selected tasting notes

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