France · Bordeaux

Chateau Pichon Baron

Chateau Pichon Baron (officially Pichon Longueville Baron) is a Second Growth (Deuxième Cru Classé) Pauillac estate covering approximately 73 hectares on the left side of the D2 road opposite Château Latour, planted to approximately 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. AXA Millésimes acquired the estate in 1987 and invested heavily in a striking modernist winery designed by Jean de Gastines, completed in 1991. Under AXA management, quality was transformed; the 1989 earned Parker 100 points and the 1990 scored 96 points, announcing the estate's return to genuine Second Growth form. The flagship Pichon Baron is structured, tannic, and powerfully Pauillac in character with excellent aging potential of 20–30 years. Les Tourelles de Longueville and Pauillac de Pichon Baron serve as accessible second and third labels at $30–80. With 546 lots averaging $233 per bottle, Pichon Baron trades competitively among Second Growths and benefits from consistent recent vintages — the 2000, 2009, 2010, 2016, and 2018 all scoring 95–98+ points. The high Cabernet Sauvignon proportion produces a wine more austere than Saint-Julien Second Growths, requiring 12–15 years before opening. The estate's architectural landmark status and the AXA provenance guarantee have sustained strong Asian and American auction demand throughout the 2010s.