Chateau Pichon Baron: The other side of the Longueville coin

The Orlando Friends Tasting Group recently conducted a vertical tasting of selected Pichon Comtesse de Lalande wines. At the time the group signaled its intent to close the loop by tasting the wines of Pichon Baron, a single unit with Comtesse prior to the 1855 inheritance-related split. In this post I explore the characteristics of the Pichon Baron environment.

The chart below shows the common beginnings of the two estates and their post-split journeys. 

Both of the estates were sold by the original owners within 85 years of the split but while Comtesse flourished under the Miaihle family, Baron floundered under its new owners. It took a further sale to AXA Millésimes, and subsequent investment in management and facilities, for world-class wines to be produced at the estate once again. This upswing began with the 1989 and 1990 vintages and reached its apogee with the 2009 vintage.

The Pichon Baron physical and built environments are illustrated in the following chart.

The climate and soils of Comtesse have been previously described and it is expected that the same conditions govern in Baron.

The current hectarage represents a 265% increase from the starting point, comparing favorably with Comtesse's 253% increase over the same period. The vineyards are divided into four blocks and 70 parcels, compared to six blocks and 65 parcels at Comtesse. There is also similarity in the distribution of planted vine varieties -- especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot -- but Baron has 1% of its vineyard dedicated to Semillon in support of its dry white wine. Comtesse has no Semillon plantings.

Vine density is approximately 9000/ha for each estate. Comtesse adheres to biodynamic farming practices while Baron farms sustainably.

Grapes brought into the cellar from the vineyards are optically sorted, said technology having been introduced with the 2010 vintage. This has led to a decrease in the amount of grapes allocated to the Grand Vin and an associated increase in second-wine grapes.

Grapes are fermented on  a plot-by-plot basis in 44 steel tanks ranging in size from 64 hL to 220 hL. Eight oak tanks (80 to 135 hL) are reserved for Merlot fermentations. Beginning with the 2022 vintage, twenty-one 750 L amphora vats are being used for Petit Verdot vinification.

Post-fermentation, the best batches of young wine are "earmarked" for the Grand Vin and are aged in new oak for 3 months. At that time a second assessment is made and the final Grand Vin lots identified. These wines are then aged for 15 to 17 months in 70 - 80% new oak.

The Pichon Baron portfolio is summarized below.

We will be tasting selected vintages of the Grand Vin in the next few days.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A vertical tasting of the wines of Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande: The estate

In our continuing exploration of terroirs and wines from regions around the world, the Orlando Friends Tasting Group has, over the course of the past year, held tasting events featuring Constellation's To Kalon wines, Continuum, Tignanello, the slopes and terroirs of Mt Etna, Chateau Montelena, and the 1997 Napa Vintage. We continue this exploratory journey with a tasting of selected vintages of Bordeaux Second Growth Pichon Comtesse de Lalande beginning first with a look at the estate.

Burgundy has had a long tradition of vineyard-specific crus and associated wines; and that tradition has translated into desired wines and elevated prices. Bordeaux producers of that period saw tradition as the "value proposition" and sought to have their wines don that mantle. It began with Arnaud III de Pontac doubling the price of Haut-Brion wines in 1660 because his estate, he said, was "special." The Bordeaux establishment built on this brazen arrest and seizure of quality by stipulating that consumers buying wines from the Chateaus were assured of quality wines because of the tradition of producing same.

In was in this environment that Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan flourished and gained repute. And it was in this timeframe that he also acquired the lands that would eventually become the residence of the Bordeaux Second Growth Pichon wines. The events kicked-off by de Rauzan's initiative are illustrated in the timeline below.

The chart shows a single family owning the estate from the time of its compilation in 1689 until 1925 when the Comtesse portion of the property was sold to the Miaihle family who, in turn, sold their holdings to the Roederer family in 2007.

The Comtesse estate grew by acquisition from 30 ha in 1855, to 40 ha in the 1960s, to 89 ha at the end of the 20th century, and 100 ha currently. The holdings span both the Pauillac and St. Julien AOCs with the majority of the vineyards resident in the former. The characteristics of both AOCs are summarized in the chart below.

Map is a screen grab from a Pichon Comtesse video

The Pauillac region is "nestled between the temperate Atlantic climate and the Gironde estuary ... a consistent microclimate ...." which has proven conducive to the production of wines of exceptional quality (grapeseek.org):

• Mild temperatures moderate the growth cycle of the vines
• Sufficient rainfall ensures healthy grape development without the vines undergoing excessive stress
• Optimal balance of sunlight promotes the synthesis of sugars and other compounds essential for creating the complex flavor profiles.

The Comtesse soils and the built environment are illustrated in the chart below. As indicated therein, significant enhancements to the vineyard have been effected under the Roederer stewardship.

Significant improvements were also made to the winemaking program as the winery implemented a plot-by-plot vinification program and movement of materiel by the gravity flow method. The improvements are highlighted below.

I will detail the tasting in my next post

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

The Medoc sub-region of Bordeaux

On October 8th, I attended a class at Decanter HQ in London led by Decanter Contributing Editor Steven Spurrier and titled Mastering the Medoc and Graves.  In a previous post, I reviewed the class as an event.  In this and subsequent posts, I will report on the regions, the houses, and the wines covered in the course.  I begin the series with a look at the Medoc.

The Medoc is a part of the larger (and storied) Bordeaux wine region which is concentrated around the Gironde estuary and its tributary rivers, the Garonne and Dordogne.  The region owes its winemaking prowess to a number of factors: (i) a temperate climate characterized by humid springs, hot summers, sunny autumns, and relatively mild winters; (ii) the warming influences of the Gironde and the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean; (iii) its soils (quartz and flint pebbles over a subsoil of marl on the left bank and clay, limestone, and some gravel on the right); and (iv) protection from the ocean winds by the Landes pine forest to the southwest.

The Medoc is divided into two sub-appellations, the Medoc to the north and the Haut-Medoc, with the Medoc covering 4700 hectares and the Haut-Medoc 4300.  The Medoc sub-appellation, called Bas Medoc in earlier times, has heavy, moisture-retaining soils which are much more suited to Merlot than the Cabernet Sauvignon which dominates in its neighbor to the south.  Many areas in the Haut Medoc have large deposits of gravel which were washed down from the Pyrenees thousands of years ago.  This gravel provides excellent drainage and ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon which does not like "wet feet."  These gravelly soils also retain warmth and, in so doing, aid in the ripening of the grapes.

The Chateaux in the the Medoc have been ranked since the 1855 World's Fair and that 1855 Classification, as well as the Cru Bourgeois classification, have been covered in a previous post.

Within the Haut-Medoc appellation there are a number of communal appellations which are renowned for producing some of the finest wines in the world.  Beginning with St. Estephe to the south of Medoc, these communes hug the Gironde until ending with Margaux at the fork which heralds the beginning of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.  St. Estephe covers 1200 hectares and its wines are considered to be rustic.  They are tannic, muscular, and long-lasting.  Pauillac is 1100 hectares in size with wines that are considered powerful, yet elegant.  There are 15 classed growths but three Premier Crus (Chateaus Lafite, Latour, and Mouton) in this commune.  St. Julien is the smallest of the communes with 900 hectares and has 10 classed growths.  Its wines age well and combine elegance with austerity.  Margaux covers 1300 hectares and its wines are thought to be the most "perfumed, feminine, and elegant."

I will cover the Graves region in my next post.

Typicity of Bordeaux: Guild of Sommeliers Blind Tasting

Yesterday The Guild of Sommeliers Foundation staged a well-conceived and well-executed Bordeaux blind tasting at the 500 E. Broward Blvd (Ft. Lauderdale) location of Morton's Steakhouse.  The tasting, titled Typicity of Bordeaux, was designed to explore and highlight the uniqueness of Bordeaux commune terroirs through tasting two flights of four wines each.  The tasted wines had been opened and double-decanted on the previous afternoon in order to increase approachability.

The tasting was led by five Master Sommeliers: Andrew McNamara (Premier Beverage), Virginia Philips (Breakers), Eric Hemer (Southern Wines and Spirits), Brian Posey (Treasury Wines), and Juan Gomez (Breakers).  Attendees were seated at five circular tables, each of which was equipped with a full complement of wine and water glasses, water pitcher, and individual spittoons.  A Master Sommelier sat at each table to assist the tasters in their evaluations.

The tasting protocol was described by Andrew McNamara and then each of the Masters gave a brief overview of the terroir characteristics of a major Bordeaux sub-region.  The wines were to be tasted and assessed as a table and then discussed room-wide.  At the conclusion of each flight, the wines for that flight would be revealed.

Flight 1

Wine 1:  This wine exhibited black fruit, violets, chocolate, mint, eucalyptus, a herbaceousness, cedar, and tobacco.  It had medium concentration, good acidity, and medium+ tannins.  This wine was later revealed to be a 2006 Chateau LaFleur Gazin, Pomerol; 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
Wine 2:  Black fruit, baking spices, tobacco, cocoa, gripping dusky tannins.  Balanced wine but austere. Later revealed to be a 2004 Chateau Malmaison, Medoc; 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine 3:  Earthy. Bell peppers. Ripe, unctuous fruit. Concentrated.  Huge tannins but balanced by acidity.  Later revealed to be a 2006 Chateau Fonplégade St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé; 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine 4:  Earthy. Smokiness, Coffee beans, mocha, pepper spice, black tea, raisinated fruit, and a gravelly note.  Huge tannins but balanced with acidity.  Later revealed to be a 2005 Chateau La Louvière, Pessac-Léognan; 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.

According to Andrew, the latter two wines were representative of the ripe, new oak style while the former were more traditional.

Flight 2

Attendes vacated the room at the end of Flight 1 so that the wines for the second flight could be poured.  Before the tasting began we were told that all four wines were from the Medoc and we had to deduce the commune and the vintage.

Wine 1:  Floral qualities, violets, roses, juicy black fruits, leather, and mint.  Great weight on the palate.  A layered wine.  Later revealed to be a 2004 Chateau Giscours, Margaux; 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot.
Wine 2:  Perfume, black plum, smoky, dry tobacco.  Feminine.  Later revealed to be a 2004 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot.
Wine 3:  Some volatile acidity? Balsamic quality. Austere. Gripping, drying tannins. Power. Pencil lead. Later revealed to be a 2004 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot.
Wine 4:  Oak dominant. Coffee, espresso, mocha, forward fruit, rust, gravel.  Muscular tannins.  Later revealed to be a 2004 Chateau Cos d'Estournel, St. Estephe; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot.

All in all this was a very informative and intriguing approach to continuing education for Sommeliers from the Guild.  Alas, we could have utilized an additional two hours and it still would not have been enough.  The time went by way too quickly.