Borderline perfection in a bottle, the 2010 Pichon-Longueville Baron (79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as truly extraordinary aromatics of crème de cassis, licorice, crushed rock-like minerality, graphite, and spring flowers. Possessing full-bodied richness, a huge, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannin, it shows the purity, grandeur, and precision that makes this vintage so remarkable. Hide bottles for another 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades.

The tannins here have more of a physical presence in your mouth than with Comtesse, as is so often the case with these neighbours. Beautifully constructed, this is poised to open up but remains extremely closed right now. It ripples with power and layers of black fruit, truffles, olives and smoked earth, totally wonderful and another hit for Pauillac in this brilliant vintage. You can set this back down in your cellar and feel utterly confident that it will deliver for decades to come. Drinking Window 2022 - 2050
Tasted by Jane Anson (at BI London, 30 Jan 2020)
Part of Pauillac regional profile plus top wines to try

Administrator Christian Seeley thinks the 2010 is the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron he has ever made, equaling some of the estate’s colossal wines from vintages such as 1989 and 1990. It was certainly showing well when I stopped by the chateau in January. Opaque purple, with loads of charcoal, licorice, incense and some exotic Asian spices along with abundant cassis liqueur, blackberry and hints of roasted coffee and spring flowers, it is full-bodied and opulent, with relatively high tannins, but they have sweetened up considerably and seem less aggressive than they did from barrel. The oak is clearly pushed to the background by the wine’s wealth of fruit, glycerin and full-bodied texture. This sensational Pichon Longueville Baron needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and should keep 30+ years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #205, Feb 2013)

This continues to develop in the right direction. There is a wealth of concentration to the fruit on the palate, as well as in its tannic structure. But the tannins are as ripe as the fruit, giving you freshness, energy, and a non-stop wave of sweet, ripe, dense fruits that fill your palate. It is impossible not to see the quality of this wine, but patience will be rewarded. Give it a few more years of bottle age and this is going to be a stunning vintage for Pichon Baron. Drink from 2025-2055. Tasted July 2022

The 2010 Pichon-Baron is simply one of the greatest wines produced under Christian Seely's tenure. It has a stunning bouquet with penetrating black fruit, wilted violet and a touch of sea spray, a distinctive marine note verging on shucked oyster shells. The palate is very well balanced with fine grain tannins, layers pf graphite infused black fruit and a very detailed, captivating finish. Brilliant. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

Good deep ruby-red. Ripe, exotic nose offers scents of dark berries, black cherry, graphite, peat, iron, flowers and chocolatey oak. Very ripe and impressively dense, showing compelling depth to its lush dark berry and graphite flavors. A sexy sugar/acid balance gives this sharply delineated wine very good early balance but its powerfully structured, very long finish suggests that it will be long-lived. Big tannins are wonderfully smooth for the vintage. July 2013

Solidly built, with a roasted edge to the steeped fig, blackberry and black currant flavors, quickly followed by brambly tannins and notes of bay leaf and espresso. Stays dark and tarry through the finish, with superb drive and verve. Best from 2017 through 2030. — JM

A dense and layered wine with lots of ripe and sweet fruit. Loads of currants, plums and tar. This is concentrated and almost jammy with velvety tannins. Powerful. Chewy. Try in 2020.

– jamessuckling.com, November 2013

2nd Growth Pauillac (13.7%) [79CS/21M] Faintly herbal edge to the nose – red fruit dominated! A wine of considerable concentration, lively acidity and fine, firm tannin. Dark, ripe black and red fruit behind the finely sinewy and muscular tannin; long, complex, close knit, hugely satisfying and mouth and throat coating, with great, spice filled length; grand long term Pauillac, sapid, sinewy, complete and impressive! 2025-50 [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011]

Quality 946 | Brand 983 | Economics 828 |
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2010 vintage, 784 Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 28 of the world's top wine lists, including Marea Economics: Below its peer group average price of £117 for the 2010 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017