Jean-Michel Cazes is perhaps better known as the owner of Lynch Bages than he is as the man responsible for the Pauillac super-second Pichon Baron. The man is a natural French charmer, with lots of flair and good healthy sense of humor.
Pichon-Longueville Baron is usually 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. The property, next door neighbor of Ch. Latour, was once considered the best 2nd Growth Pauillac. It had a slack period in the 70s and the early 80s, but then it was acquired by the French AXA company and things got back to top form. Monsieur Cazes has been responsible for Pichon Baron for the last ten years.
With his guidance, we were treated to a vertical tasting of 13 different vintages from this great Chateau. Jean-Michel, like most winemakers I know, does not like the rating of wine and vintages in terms of good, better, best (let alone 87, 94, 100...). He would rather strive for the wine to represent the characteristic of the vintage as closely as possible, without losing the consistency of the wine's unique nose, flavors and texture.
We tasted the bottles from 1995 backwards, but finished with the not-yet-shipped 1996.

1995 - Very dark color. Round blackcurrent-rich nose, Lots of concentrated fruit on the palate with hard tannins, plenty of acidity and medium length.
Excellent! MARK 17/20.

1991 - Dark looking. Very fruity but one-dimensional nose. Softer than the '95, medium concentration, good balance.
Very good. MARK 16/20.

1990 - Normal color. Outstanding nose, full of soft, round fruit. Highly concentrated on the palate with soft tannins and some sweetish flavors.
Superb-plus!! MARK 18+/20.

1989 - Normal color. More forward nose than the '90, gobs of black fruit bursting out of the glass. Cherries compote on the palate, immensely concentrated. Very hard tannins. Need plenty of time.
Extraordinary!!! MARK 19/20.

1988 - Normal color. Very nice fruity nose with some discernible wood. Round, fruity, medium-high concentration on the palate, tannins abound but not harsh.Excellent balance.
Superb!! MARK 18/20.

1987 - Slightly paler than previous bottles. Good, soft nose of black pepper. Pleasant on the palate though not very concentrated. A bit too acidic.
Very good. MARK 16/20.

1982 - Very slight clearing around the rim. Complex nose of leather, tobacco, mature fruit. Some tannic still felt on the palate but soft, elegant and extremely tasty.
Superb-plus!! MARK 18+/20.

1979 (en magnum) - Very nice color with some clearing towards the rim. Complex and pleasant nose of black fruit and tobacco. Not a giant, but extremely tasty.
Excellent-plus! MARK 17+/20.

1962 (en magnum) - Impressive color for a 34 years wine! Very mature yet interesting nose. Too acidic, passed its best...
Good. MARK 15/20.

1961 (en magnum) - Again impressive color. Typical old 'Bordeaux Nose' of tobacco, pencil-tip, very mature fruit. Velvety, smooth, wonderful on the palate. Highly concentrated though a tiny bit dried up on the finish.
Superb-plus!! MARK 18/20.

1959 (en magnum) - Amazing color here, almost 38 years. Hardly paling around the rim! Very little fruit on the nose but plenty of tobacco and herbs. Pleasant though a bit dried up.
Very-good. MARK 16/20.

1957 (en magnum) - 40 years and still looks young! Very developed and complex nose but too acidic in the mouth.
Good. MARK 15/20.

1996 - We finished with a wine that is not yet officially bottled. Almost jet black in color, melange of concentrated forest fruit on the nose. Very rich though far from integrated on the palate.
Will be superb!! MARK 18/20.


That's it. Quite a line, no? :)

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.