Why it matters
The producer
The estate's vineyard covers 73 hectares. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 60% of the planting, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 4% and Petit Verdot 1%. The vines average 30 years old, with 9,000 planted per hectare and double Guyot training.
The 1855 classification lists Château Pichon Longueville Baron among fifteen Deuxièmes Crus, the French term for Second Growths. In 1850, Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville and his three sisters divided the property. His portion became Pichon Baron, while their section became Pichon Comtesse.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Château Pichon Longueville Baron sits in the commune and appellation of Pauillac in Bordeaux's Médoc. An appellation is a regulated geographic name for wine, so Pauillac fixes the place attached to the estate's bottles. The property is read as a Pauillac château within Bordeaux, with the appellation naming its geographic origin.
Wines to know
The range in view
The estate's vintage bottlings show different proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Château Pichon Longueville Baron 2021 is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, aged in 70% new oak. Château Pichon Baron 2020 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot. Château Pichon Baron 2016 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot.
Les Tourelles de Longueville is the estate's second wine. The range therefore places vintage variation beside a separate second bottling.