Fully developed, this is a text-book example of a great Pauillac combining power, concentration, a touch of sternness to the tannins, and layers of ripe, spicy, peppery currants, tobacco leaf, cigar box, forest floor, and crisp, spicy red berries on the palate and in the finish. A short decant is all that is needed here. Drink from 2022-2035. Tasted July 2022

A remarkable vintage for Pichon Longueville Baron, 1990 is one of this estate’s two or three finest wines made in the last 40 years. Still inky/blue/purple-tinged to the rim, it reveals an extraordinary bouquet of charcoal, incense, creme de cassis, blue and black fruits, and a hint of licorice as well as an impressively long finish. While drinkable, its evolution is extremely slow, and I would not be surprised to see it last another two decades or more. June 2009

The 1990 Pichon Baron is a formidable wine, one that I have tasted innumerable times. This bottle, the only "youngster" served during a tasting of venerable bottles, demonstrates how Jean-Michel Cazes and Daniel Llose took it by the scruff of the neck and showed what this vineyard is capable of. Copious blackberry, cedar and mint notes gush from the glass, an underlying graphite element becoming more pronounced with time. The palate is beautifully balanced with superb delineation, sidestepping the precocity of the vintage to deliver razor-sharp, intense flavours, seamless oak integration and a crescendo that leaves you wanting more on the finish. Stunning. Tasted at the château. Aug 2022

Approaching its 26th birthday, this has an enticing grilled-fruit nose and still feels full of vivacity. The tertiary flavours are showing through with tobacco and hay, but are accompanied by welcoming cooked blackberry fruits. This is the exact blend of elegance and power that you want in an old Médoc. Full of crackling autumnal pleasure. 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot. Drinking Window: 2016 - 2025
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 30 Jan 2016)
Part of Comparing Bordeaux's two Château Pichon estates

More tobacco and cedar character on the nose, with hints of ripe fruit. Full-bodied, yet fine and sophisticated, with elegant tannins and a long finish. This is always a top-quality red. '89/'90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Feb 2005

Full medium ruby. Nose at once subtle and flamboyant, with slightly roasted aromas of currant, cedar, lead pencil and minerals. Large-scaled, sweet and rich, with utterly primary fruit suggesting a long future ahead of it. Tasted next to the '89, this was a much more massive and somewhat softer wine. Very long on the finish, with big but smooth tannins. Of more recent vintages, only the 2000 has a chance to be in the same quality class as the '90 and '89. Drink 2004 to 2025. July 2002

This is a wine that has shown extremely well in blind tastings, even next to the first growths, but to judge from this perfectly stored bottle, it may just be starting to lose its gorgeous fruit. Very deep, vibrant crimson. Rich, vivacious nose. Thick sweet and glorious. It clearly was absolutely great and I may be being mean to deprive it of a score of 18. JR Aug 2018