Château Pichon Longueville Baron Pauillac 2005

BN#178098

Château Pichon Longueville Baron

This is a wine with a great aromatic freshness with fine, delicate aromas. A distinctive sensation of fullness on the palate, with great complexity, lots of power and richness, harmoniously combined thanks to the concentrated, mellow tannins. The finish is very, very long, pleasant and full-bodied. The key word is balance - the ideal integration of the wood, the dense, stimulating tannins, length and density.

Wine Spectator

Offers crushed currant and blackberry on the nose, turning to tar and licorice. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and seamless tannins. Goes on and on. Very, very beautiful. A cross between the 2000 and fabulous 2003. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made.

Score: 94. —James Suckling, March 31, 2008.

Wine Advocate

As usual, this superb Pauillac possesses an inky/blue/black color in addition to a big, sweet nose of graphite, charcoal, burning embers, black currant liqueur, and toasty vanillin from new oak casks. Full-bodied with high but sweet, well-integrated tannins, the 2005 Pichon Baron is more backward than the blockbuster 2003 or prodigious 2000. Nevertheless, it is a superb effort whose power, length, and tannic structure suggest it should be at its peak between 2015-2035.

Score: 94. —Robert Parker, April 2008.