Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I remember when the 2005 Pichon Lalande was reviewed by RP, 89. I saw that & said, you would have to get in the way of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage to be that sad. I still bought 6 at a bargain basement price. A very good idea post 20 yrs+. Both Pichon’s don’t have a modern day history of getting in the way of a good vintage.

I also bought this one. 18 yrs in bottle and still acending. This will hold 5 more yrs and will last another 10 yrs properly stored.

I have visited Bordeaux 11 times. This chateau visually is still my favorite. It was showing a picture of this chateau to Sofia that launched our first visit. Sofia loved it and we have stared at it multiple times on every visit.

It was in our visit in 2007, I stood in the estate vineyard, looked & tasted their soils. After doing so, I said, “I get it.” I understood everything about what I was tasting in Left Bank Bordeaux’s early in my wine journey.

Sofia and I had dinner w/ Christian Moueix not long after the 2005 vintage was hyped/released. She asked him, when did you know you had something special?” He said, “as soon as I tasted the fruit at harvest.”

Tonight, it shows that it is a close relative, a sibling to Pichon Longueville. Cork, perfect.

The nose shows; classic left bank traits. Ripe, dark, brooding fruits, bright, mid berries, red cola, leather, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, led pencil, dark rich earth, limestone, dry river stone, hint of mushrooms, dark, red, fresh & withering florals.

The fruits on the palate show everything outstanding from the 2005 growing season. Ripe, juicy, brilliant; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, baked/poached strawberries & some hovering raspberries. Dark chocolate bar to pudding, red cola, anise, dark spices w/ palate heat, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, pronounced graphite, dry tobacco, leather, limestone, dry twig, dry river stone, moist clays, moist herbs, cedar to sandalwood, withering & dry, dark flowers, red roses, some lavender & violets, beautiful rainfall acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure, length w/ an elegant finish that lasts minutes and lands on spice & earth.

13.4 ABV. Nice.

#TheTwoHourRibcap

This held up vacuumed sealed the same night, refrigerated & enjoyed exactly a week later. — 6 months ago

Michael J Lanni Jr

8.9

A great blend of five grapes. Enjoyed with grilled chicken thighs and oven roasted mushrooms. Combo of berries and a hint of pepper. Smooth and stately finish. — 8 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1975 vintage. From magnum. Decent fill and cork. Decanted and tasted after two hours. Medium body. Nose remained angular and sharp throughout but flavors vacillated between finesse and brutish. Not the star of the night, yet impressive nonetheless. Out of magnum, looks to have 5-10 more years left of quality in store. 3.5.24. — 2 years ago

John Osgood

9.5

The perfect pizza wine. — 7 years ago

Vincy

9.5

A very complex wine with big muscular structure. Earthy smell at the beginning, Graphite, pencil shaving, tobacco leaves, coffee beans, very strong tannic but change to silky after hours. Decanted it for more than 5 hours it showed a different way. Really impressive for this Sunday night. — 8 years ago

Karen Dickson

8.9

I plowed through a spicy sausage stuffed green pepper with this as a companion. Floral notes and an exotic sandlewood flavor. Finish was thin, but I'm not complaining — 9 years ago

Tanya Henderson

8.9

Fruity Bold Plum Flavor Not for Nancy — 10 years ago

Emily P

9.2

What's Hungarian for "sweet but not syrupy"? — 10 years ago

Oskar Brauer

9.2

The sweet, sour or acidity very balance — 11 years ago

Robert Love

9.5

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Gorgeous nose of black currant, liquorice, and asphalt. Big and bold in the mouth, but not overripe, with integrated tannins, nice acidity, and a lingering finish of dark fruit and spice. Good now through 2025. — 11 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Pichon Baron 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A commanding and traditionally styled Pauillac delivering power, precision, and aristocratic structure, driven by a 66% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Semillon support. Dark fruit density, mineral authority, and refined oak integration create a wine that feels impactful today while clearly engineered for long-term evolution and layered complexity.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, graphite, pencil shavings, cedar, cigar box, crushed gravel, subtle dark cocoa and savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm yet polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant structural tension, tightly knit acidity, and a long, authoritative finish that builds rather than fades.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, lamb rack, beef Wellington, venison, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.

Verdict
A textbook expression of elite Pauillac: powerful, elegant, disciplined, and deeply age-worthy. The wine delivers immediate presence while clearly signaling even greater complexity and harmony with time in bottle.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is serious wine, fierce yet controlled, deeply impressive without arrogance, and loaded with finesse under the horsepower. A bottle that earns respect with every sip and promises an extraordinary future in the cellar. — 6 months ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Finally talked this dude into drinking.

I don't know, maybe I'm getting old but aged Riojas are starting to taste/feel weighty to me. It's very good. Muddled fruits, resolved tannins, nice and round, leather notes. But somewhat boring. Probably my mood.

92+ points — 8 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.8

Royal Tokaji – 5 Puttonyos Aszú 2016
Tokaj – Hungary 🇭🇺

Overview
A classic Tokaji Aszú, made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea (noble rot), then macerated with must to create Hungary’s legendary sweet wine. The 5 puttonyos designation signals a rich yet balanced level of sweetness, around 120 g/L residual sugar. (Educational note: “Puttonyos” refers to the traditional baskets of aszú berries added — the higher the number, the sweeter and more concentrated the wine.)

Aromas & Flavors
Lush apricot, honey, and candied orange peel at the forefront, layered with quince, dried fig, and lemon curd. Hints of saffron, ginger, and toasted almond bring exotic spice and complexity.

Mouthfeel
Velvety and lusciously sweet, balanced by vibrant acidity that keeps it lifted. Full-bodied yet precise, with a long, honeyed finish that leaves both richness and freshness.

Food Pairings
Perfect with blue cheese, foie gras, or fruit tarts. Also excellent with roasted nuts, crème brûlée, or simply savored on its own as a meditative dessert wine.

Verdict
A benchmark Tokaji — rich, layered, and perfectly balanced. The 2016 vintage of Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Aszú offers indulgence and structure, proving why Tokaji has been called “the wine of kings.” 👑🍷

Did You Know?
Tokaji Aszú is one of the world’s oldest regulated wines — protected since 1737, nearly a century before Bordeaux’s 1855 classification.

Collector’s Rarity 📌
Royal Tokaji’s Aszú wines are globally sought after, and a 5 puttonyos 2016 bottling represents both a collectible dessert wine and a piece of vinous history — 10 months ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

Yellow delicious apple and white peach. Very honeyed as well. This is exactly how I like my morning granola. It's been twenty years since I've been to Hungary. This is a great reminder that I've got to get back. — 6 years ago

with Anita

Pietro Amirkhanian

9.2

Honey, saffron, thick and super yummy — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.1

1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣0️⃣

🗞 Rubic Cube, PacMan, Modem, 1Gb 29Kg
🎵 Another Brick in the Wall, Another One Bites the Dust
🎥 Empire Strikes Back, 9 to 5, Stir Crazy, Airplane
🗣 Who Shot JR, Here's Johnny!
🌍 4.39B

The fruit’s just hanging in there on this £144 Ducru

🍷 Ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Herby driven dusty musty cellar w/ cherry, blackcurrant, date & prune in a light charred smokey sooty oak

👄 Med body of faded black & red fruits w/ a cocoa & liquorice tone

🎯 Med mixed berry fruit tickle w/ liquorice & mocha — 9 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

I don't understand Caymus-haters. Sure, the setting didn't hurt, but with a half-hr decant the nose was rich cassis, vanilla. Showing a little age, the dark red fruit, tobacco and oaky-rich tannins were smooth as silk. Ready but could go for 5-10 years. Not sure I could've picked this out from an '05 Special Selection I tried a few months back. — 10 years ago

Justin Ennis

10

This is the 1985 Napa Cab and was tasted out of 5 liter. This wine was excellent! Herbal notes with a touch of saddle. I was so surprised by how much red fruit was on the pallet with a wine this old! Amazing! — 11 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2020 vintage. With @Beth Novak . Decanted and tasted after one hour. Medium body. Nose practically leapt out of the glass with plenty to discuss. Flavors a bit more subdued but definitely present. Just enough back-end, tannic presence to hold court. This should be absolute dynamite in 3-5 years. Initial visit a bit over two years ago (9.5) and was more explosive but will cede that to the last impression getting more air time. Said then that this was my fave since the 1991 vintage and sticking by that. 1.2.26. — 6 months ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

Happy New Year!

94 points — 7 months ago

Michelle Connely

9.0

For me, subtle tannins, balanced acidity and flavors of blackcurtant, dark chocolate and cedar spice. Consumed 11/16/25 w steak. — 8 months ago

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9.1

The 2013 Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, aged for 20 months in oak barrels, has a perfumed, honeyed bouquet with mango and yellow plum. It doesn't quite have the complexity of the 2014. The palate is well balanced with a pure entry, a keen line of acidity, orange zest-tinged honeyed fruit and nougat and hazelnut notes on the finish. The palate has a tad more complexity than the aromatics, but overall, it is very fine, if not the long-term prospect of other vintages. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2024)
— 2 years ago

Bob Stackman

9.0

Very tasty old vine Zin! Smooth and is it, “fruit-forward”, yes that is it. — 5 years ago

Jason Jones

9.4

Young but nice after a 6 hour decant. Seems ageless. Served blind and most people thought it was 3-5 years old. — 8 years ago

with Erin

Mirelsa Modestti

9.3

Red fruit has never been as regal. The visual experience is bathed in red elegance. A hint of licorice in the nose, followed by an explosion of berries all over the place, and then the most beautiful silk as it fades into a long, subtle farewell. A beautiful surprise every time. — 8 years ago

Alessandro Cantarelli

9.6

the best wine made in my home valley. It uses the same process as Amarone but it is smoother and fresher without loosing complex structure and strong cherry and caramel — 10 years ago

Al Doyle

9.3

What a surprise. Apparently there were three of these just lying around in Missouri. Who knew? Obvs we ripped through them all. — 10 years ago

with Kenneth, Koko and 1 other

Mike Lee

9.4

A monster of a wine! This takes me back to all of the wonders of our last Paso trip. Merry Christmas, you filthy animals!!! — 11 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.4

Wow!
Yes a bit sweet, but amazing Hungarian late harvest. — 11 years ago

Lowell Minick

9.5

Wine and BBQ...perfect match — 13 years ago