Château Pichon Baron 2006

The 2006 vintage in Pauillac

Vintage benchmark: 89/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: Rain at véraison followed by a dry September gave classic, balanced wines with fine freshness, without the density of 2005.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Pauillac. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

A dark robe, almost black, very dense with mauve highlights. A toasted nose, then red fruit, morello cherries, blackcurrant, evolving toward notes of ripe, black fruit. A full, fleshy, taut and harmonious palate. In the mid-palate the power expresses itself and the tannin quality is fully integrated: it is pure velvet! The breeding of the terroir expresses itself in the finish: minerality, density, precision and delicacy. This wine delights us. It represents, once again, our full commitment to producing an exceptional wine.

Blend of the 2006 vintage

Figures from the 2006 sheet

• 13 % vol.Alcohol
• 30 yrsVine age
• 180,000 bottlesProduction

Winemaking

The richness in sugars was high, and fermentation proceeded gently in order to avoid harsh extractions under high alcohol. Maceration temperatures ranged between 25 and 28°C. Maceration times, adapted to the tasting profile of each plot, lasted from 13 to 23 days. The first runnings confirmed a high concentration of anthocyanins and refined tannins. Acidity was sustained and fermentations calm. Malolactic fermentations proceeded quickly, allowing for early, rapid barreling.

Ageing

15 months in French oak barrels (80% new).

Terroir

Overlooking the Latour vineyard, the 73 ha of Domaine de Pichon Baron extend over gravelly soils of very high quality. This unique land, low in nutrients and without excess water, sparingly feeds old vine stocks whose grape production is deliberately small but of exceptional nobility. This terroir is capable of producing extraordinary wines, which the property sets out to do with excellence and consistency, respecting the original history of this vineyard. Composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the extensive Pichon Baron vineyard has been divided up into meticulously defined plots. The great 40 ha terroir of the Pichon Baron knoll is devoted solely to the production of the Grand Vin and today accounts for the greater part of its blend.