Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Sweet black fruits, earth, leather, tobacco leaf, dried herbs & a touch of carob. Although drinking well now, I would drink up as I can’t see this getting better with more time. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.1

I’ve got to be honest...I don’t think I’ve ever had a BV wine before. Being that their history in Napa runs quite deep, I figured it was time to try a bottle, and this was reasonably priced at the restaurant.

Extremely dark in the glass. Nose was spice, dark chocolate shavings and cassis dominant. Quite smooth (which I find with most ‘14s) from the front palate all the way through the finish...blackberries, black cherry, just a touch of blueberries in the mid-palate that accentuates the oak. Finish has a nutmeg and bay leaf type note. Fairly rich style cab-blend that went well with my hangar steak. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have to say this is my favorite Chateau to stand in front of and gaze. On the nose, spice, wild blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, black plum, plum, leather, cedar, dark moist soil, wet stones, mint, tobacco leaf and dark fresh & dry flowers. It's drinking nicely with silty medium-medium + tannins & full bodied. Ruby, ripe wild blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, black plum, plum, leather, cedar, dark moist soil, wet stones, crushed dry minerals, mint, tobacco leaf and violets, dark fresh & dry flowers. The acidity is round and mouthwatering. The long finish has great elegance, beauty, length, tension & balance. It's just starting to hit it's stride and has plenty of life ahead of it. Another 15-20 years. Who said 04 was a difficult vintage? This will continue to improve and will stun with another 10 years in bottle. Photos of the the exterior Chateau front & side, tasting room and Christian Seely Managing Director. Chateau Pichon Baron and Chateau Pichon Lalande were originally part of the same estate. Pichon Baron got it's name when Therese, daughter of the founder, received the estate as a dowry when she married Jacques de Pichon Longueville the first President of the Bordeaux Parliament. Chateau Pichon Baron changed because of the Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville. He took over managing Pichon Baron when he was only 19 years old! When the Baron passed away at 90 in 1850, he divided his Pauillac estate. The sons were awarded what became Chateau Pichon Baron and the daughters were given what later became Chateau Pichon Lalande. Pichon Baron went through three rough decades in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Part of the issues were, lack of investment and they machine harvested. The first really great vintages for them were 89 & 90 after Jean Rene Matignon, Jean-Michel Cazes join them and AXA Insurance Company purchased them adding capital. The 73 hectare vineyard of Chateau Pichon Baron are planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. However, the Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot are reserved exclusively for the second wine. The terroir is mostly deep gravel, sand clay soils. Pichon Baron uses 80% new French oak and rests in barrel 18 months. @ FogoDeChao

— 8 years ago

Lili Brock

10

Excellent. Sweet but not overbearing. — 9 years ago

Mark Calkin

9.2

#wsetschool Deeply ruby coloured top level Rioja with large quantity of Graciano given it that deep intensity. Pronounced nose of black cherries, red currants and cranberries, with wet leaf notes. There are smoke and toast, cinnamon and cedar from its time in oak, and of course there are tertiary aromas from bottle ageing, like: tobacco, game, leather and dried fruits. This has medium (+) tannins and acidity and an excellent long finish. — 10 years ago

Lily Mirabelle Freedman

9.0

Tomato leaf, leather, and cool funk — 10 years ago

Helen Keplinger

Owner/Winemaker Keplinger Wines

9.0

Ok not a great year but still beautiful - iodine, hibiscus, tobacco leaf, mortadella, red currant — 11 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark purple tawny and opaque x2. Has an old world bouquet in the nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco leaf, moist forest floor and leather saddle. Rich and luscious in the mouth. Tannins resolved, leaving a velvet fruit coating in the finish. Really good tonight. — 5 years ago

WC Fields

9.4

Delicious. Blackberries, forest floor, tobacco leaf, anise, pepper, cloves, mint with bitter chocolate. Decanted 90min and the tannins were an excellent foil to a prime tomahawk ribeye. “Save the neck for me Clark!” — 6 years ago

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

WineMascot

9.1

1982, amazingly this needed time to open up. Menthol and tobacco leaf lead with the finish of warm blue fruit. — 7 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.7

Outstanding. Winner of the weekend. — 8 years ago

Yianni Stone

9.4

Fourth time tasting the '78. A gem. — 9 years ago

with Haley and Matt

Kelsey Redd

9.0

Chardonnay: tropical fruit, butterscotch, pineapple, peach, nectarine. Oak character. Rich texture and a creamy mouth-feel. — 9 years ago

Christopher Legere

9.1

Good cab with fruit flavors — 9 years ago

Kari Johnson

9.6

Smooth flavor, fruity, sweet but not too sweet — 9 years ago

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

8.9

Nuanced fruit, dried tobacco leaf, over a sleek frame with powdery tannins. — 10 years ago

Morgan Harris

Head Sommelier Aureole New York

9.4

2011. Blanc. No one drinks enough of this. That's because there are so few things to which its a good partner, but it would be an incredible cheese-and-charcuterie wine. Broad and oily, there's just enough acid to keep you coming back for more. Sun-baked yellow orchard fruits dominate, but there's more exotic fruits too (mango and dried pineapple) yellow flowers, tons of almond husk bitterness, green olives, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, white cheddar. Oak is assertively present but not overwhelming. Place dominates over grapes here, as it's a mix of Clairette and Grenache Blanc and a hodge-podge of other things. — 10 years ago

Sidney Jackson

9.0

Not bad for the price def drink again! — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great vintage for DB that is still showing up at 65 yrs with notes of dried cherry, berry fruits, cedar, leather, savory spices, dried herbs, forest floor, lead pencil & tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Part 1 of the final and main event for the Fall WNH. The most spectacular lineup of wines I’ve ever seen, and an overall wonderful ending to an amazing trip with fantastic people.

A baby, but already strutting its power. This is no doubt a modern take on Bordeaux with more rich/sweet black and blue fruit than others, but it reigns in before it gets too Nap-esque as the fruit is more underripe. Mid palate and finish show dark chocolate, bay leaf and a touch of leather. Because of the style, not too adverse to opening now with a 2-3hr decant, but this will improve for many years. Bravo, @Mike R . — 6 years ago

with Mike, David and 4 others

Peter Sultan

9.4

Never tire of this, really: layers of delicate & fine red fruits, integrated tannins, that bay leaf, ground tobacco leaf urgh at its base & still oodles of time to go. So fresh. — 7 years ago

with Paul and Owen

Rose’s Cafe

9.1

Nice! Juicy with notes of oak and vanilla. 😀🍷 — 8 years ago

Noel Touchette

9.0

Great tasting especially @$2.95 a bottle!! — 9 years ago

B

10

Magnum 1985 Sassicaia. Fourth red at post-museum lunch at Il P. This wine was excellent and so different from the three '82s we tried alongside it. This one was more structured, had more and varied flavors, and a very long, smooth finish. I preferred this one, but K preceded the '82 Monfortino. — 9 years ago

Craig Williams

9.0

1.5 L bottle Other than a really poor quality cork that crumbled upon removal, this wine remains a youthful dark red with black currant, tobacco leaf-savory soy aromas. In good shape for such a modestly extracted wine. Demonstrates the strength of quality harvest conditions, which '94 was in many ways. — 9 years ago

Nathan Evans

9.0

Delicious! Very aromatic and sweet! — 10 years ago

Tim Herrmann

9.7

Decanted for an hour, this was intensely aromatic with a complex melange of flavors--vanilla, figs, cherries, green olives, tobacco leaf, cinnamon, and chalky dust--while staying light on its feet with refreshing acidity, resolved, silky tannins, and medium body. Even at this price, I'd call this a value. — 10 years ago

DAL 9000

9.1

Very smooth initial flavor. Light bodied plummy that fills the nose with red berries after swallowing. More intense after it breathes. — 11 years ago