1996 Château Pichon Baron

The 1996 vintage in Bordeaux is renowned for its excellent conditions, particularly in the Médoc, where a warm, dry summer and cool nights produced Cabernet Sauvignon of remarkable concentration and balance. Château Pichon Baron’s gravelly terroir excelled in this year, yielding wines with deep complexity, firm tannins, and vibrant freshness. This vintage is celebrated for its long-lived structure and classic Pauillac character.

July's intense heat forced early stress on the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon vines, while the deep gravel soils of the plateau provided crucial water regulation. September's cooling maritime breezes from the Gironde allowed measured ripening across Pichon's prime parcels facing Latour. The wine harnesses the vintage's power through concentrated cassis and graphite notes, while retaining the property's signature elegance and crushed stone minerality.

September rains challenged the harvest timing, but the estate's efficient drainage and deep gravel soils proved critical for the Cabernet Sauvignon. A strict selection process and delayed picking until mid-October allowed full ripeness in Pichon's prime parcels facing Latour. The wine shows the vintage's classical restraint through refined cassis notes and crushed stone minerality, carrying less weight but more precision than the powerful 2005.

September's variable conditions demanded precise harvest timing, while the estate's efficient drainage and deep gravel soils proved vital. Cool maritime influences helped moderate the late season challenges across Pichon's prime parcels facing Latour. The wine reflects the vintage's lighter structure through pure cassis notes and gravel-driven minerality, showing finesse over power.

The estate's elevated plateau position and deep gravel soils provided essential drainage through early season rains. Late summer warmth and October's clear skies proved crucial for the grand terroir parcels facing Latour. The wine shows graphite minerality, black fruit precision, and the aristocratic power that marks Pichon Baron's distinctive plateau position.

Perfect spring conditions fostered early, uniform flowering across the estate's prime gravel plateau. The deep-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon thrived through summer warmth, particularly in parcels facing Château Latour. The wine reveals cassis concentration, crushed rock minerality, and the noble structure that defines this historic Pauillac property.

Early summer heat in Pauillac concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon on the estate's deep gravel terraces, while the old vines' established root systems provided crucial drought resistance. September's mild temperatures and cooling Atlantic influences allowed for measured ripening across the plateau. The wine shows intense cassis, graphite, and violet notes with remarkable depth and precision typical of Pichon Baron's grand vin.

Pichon Baron's deep-rooted old vines thrived during 2020's drought conditions, drawing water from the estate's gravelly clay subsoils. The terroir's proximity to the Gironde estuary provided crucial temperature moderation during the season's heat spikes. The final blend reveals concentrated black fruits and cedar, supported by the vintage's fresh acidity and Pichon's signature aristocratic structure.

April frost spared Pichon's prime parcels along the Gironde, while the estate's gravel soils provided crucial drainage through persistent summer rains. The September sun offered a late-season reprieve, allowing optimal ripening for the Cabernet Sauvignon on the plateau's highest points. Careful plot selection and precise harvest timing captured classical Pauillac structure with remarkable aromatic clarity.

Pichon Baron thrived under the vintage’s cooler, dry conditions, which enhanced Cabernet purity and structure. The gravel soils retained heat for full ripeness without excess. A bold yet chiseled Pauillac built to last.