1996 Pichon Baron Pauillac

91 pts - Wine Advocate

Pichon Longueville Baron's 1996 has turned out to be even better than I thought from cask. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (about 80%) resulted in a wine that has put on weight in the bottle. An opaque purple color is accompanied by beautiful aromas of tobacco, new saddle leather, roasted coffee, and cassis. It is dense, medium to full-bodied, and backward, with moderately high tannin, but plenty of sweet fruit, glycerin, and extract to balance out the wine's structure. This well-endowed, classic Pauillac should be at its finest between 2006-2022. - WA, RP (4/1999)

92 pts - Wine Spectator

Marvelous aromas of raspberry, coconut and mineral. Full-bodied, with superbly well-integrated yet powerful tannins. Chewy and fruity finish. Needs a lot of time to mellow. Much better than the barrel samples I tasted. Best Pichon-Baron since 1990. Best after 2006. 25,000 cases made. –JS WS

90 pts - Vinous

Good full ruby-red. Roasted plum, leather and smoked nuts on the nose. Silky and layered in the mouth. Sweet and suave, with a complicating mineral quality. Suggests solid extract but ultimately a wine of very good rather than outstanding intensity. Finishes with fine tannins and persistent, slow-building flavor. Fleshier and more pliant than the '98.- Stephen Tanzer (5/1999)

Producer: Pichon Baron
Vintage: 1996
Varietal: Red Blend
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-Region: Medoc
Appellation: Pauillac
Sub-Appellation:
SKU: #

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