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Bordeaux
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Château Pichon Baron (also known as ‘Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville’) is in the commune of Pauillac, close to Château Latour, and was ranked a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
Originally purchased by Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan as a dowry for his daughter, the estate was formed upon her marriage to Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville in 1694. When Baron Joseph Pichon de Longueville died in 1850, the estate was divided between his sons and daughters into ‘Pichon Baron’ and ‘Pichon Comtesse’ respectively. The Bouteiller family acquired the estate in 1933 and it remained family-run until 1987 when AXA Millésimes took ownership and appointed Jean-Michel Cazes, formerly of Château Lynch Bages, to run its operations. Current managing director, Christian Seely, has been in post since 2001.
The 73 hectares of vineyard are planted at a density of 9000 vines per hectare with Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The ‘grand vin’ represents 45% of production and comes from the oldest vines of the original estate where gravel soils predominate.
Strict selection during the manual harvest and at the winery is followed by vinification on a plot-by-plot basis creating as many as 40 base wines from which the final blend is crafted. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon has increased from the mid-2000s to reach close to 90% in recent vintages. Ageing lasts between 18 and 20 months in 80% new oak barrels.
There are two second wines of distinct styles: Les Tourelles de Pichon Longueville, a Merlot dominant blend first produced in 1986, and Les Griffons de Longueville, a Cabernet-rich blend that was launched in the 2012 vintage. Les Tourelles comes from the Sainte Anne plot where the more clay-based soils are best suited to Merlot, whereas Les Griffons is a true ‘second wine’ being sourced from the same terroir as the ‘grand vin’.
AXA Millésimes own a large portfolio of wineries both in France and abroad. Neighbouring Pauillac property Château Pibran and its second wine, Château Tour Pibran, are made in the cellars of Château Pichon Baron.
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