CHÂTEAU PICHON BARON PUTS THE ‘VINE’ IN ‘DIVINE’
A review of this historic Pauillac vineyard’s ‘Discovery Visit’ wine tour
According to the Universal Exhibition of Wine in 1855, Château Pichon Baron is a Second Grand Cru Classé. Earning silver at Emperor Napoleon III’s eternal ranking system is no small feat; however, Château Pichon Baron definitely takes gold with their vineyard tours.
On a recent trip to France, I decided to make the journey from Paris to the wine-lovers heaven and visit a few vineyards. Château Pichon Baron made the list and has inspired me to detail the grape plantation’s history and tour offerings, as well as review my experience, and provide a few tips for those making the pilgrimage to Bordeaux in the future.
HISTORY
For those who are unfamiliar with this property, it is an incredibly historic vineyard with roots (pun intended) dating back to the 17th century when Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan, a wine merchant, purchased plots of land to create his own brand, ‘Enclos Rauzan.’
When his daughter, Thérèse, was set to marry Baron Jacques Pichon de Longueville in 1694, the vineyard was offered as her dowry. About 150 years later, in 1850, the property was bisected by descendants of the family and became two operational vineyards: ‘Pichon Baron,’ which was managed by Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville, and ‘Pichon Comtesse,’ which belonged to Baron Raoul’s three sisters.
A year later, in 1851, Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville commissioned the now iconic château as a sign of prosperity. (It can be noted here that the Baron only paid for the front of the building, which was, coincidentally, the side that faced his sisters’ property, to be ornamentally designed while the rest of the building remained plain). Four years later, the vineyard earned its Second Grand Cru Classé distinction.
The property was then sold in 1933 to the Bouteiller family, who looked after the vineyard until its sale to AXA Millésimes in 1987. Since AXA’s acquisition, there have been numerous expansions, additions, renovations, and investment into the historic vineyard.
OFFERINGS
There are four different experiences that are provided in English or French. Each of the private tours includes a presentation of the property from the vineyard to the cellar, a detailed explanation of the terroir, and a historic overview of the estate. You should note that all of these are subject to availability and by appointment only.
I’ll also note that the vineyard currently produces four wines: the self-titled ‘Château Pichon Baron,’ ‘Les Griffons de Pichon Baron,’ ‘Les Tourelles de Longueville,’ and, most recently, ‘Les Griffons de Pichon Baron Grand Vin Blanc Sec.’
Below you will find a breakdown of each of the experiences with information on the duration, price, and tastings:
The Discovery Visit:
Duration: 1h00 - 1h30
Price 50 euros per person.
Tasting of 3 wines: Les Tourelles de Longueville 2019, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2019, Château Pichon Baron 2019
The Prestige Visit:
Duration: 1h30
Price 80 euros per person.
Tasting of 4 wines: Les Tourelles de Longueville 2019, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2019, Château Pichon Baron 2019 et Château Pichon Baron 2017
From Bordeaux to Napa Valley Visit:
Duration: 1h30
Price 150 euros per person.
Tasting of 4 wines: Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2019, Château Pichon Baron 2019, Outpost Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 and Outpost Howell Mountain «True Vineyard» Immigrant 2019
Tasting of 6 Wines:
Duration: 2h00 - 2h30
Price 250 euros per person.
Tasting of 6 wines: Les Tourelles de Longueville 2019 and Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2019, along with a vertical tasting of the Grand Vin Château Pichon Baron: Château Pichon Baron 2019 - 2018 - 2017 -2016
If you are unable to commit to a full tour, you are more than welcome to visit the gift shop, which carries a variety of Pichon Baron’s vintages, leather goods, glassware, and wine related merchandise. The shop is open Monday to Saturday, from 9 AM - 12:30 PM & 2 PM - 5:30 PM.
OUR EXPERIENCE
About an hour drive north of Bordeaux, the 17th century property is divinely perched on the left bank. Its entrance is as grand as one would expect for the crown jewel of a French insurance company’s ‘vinvestment’ (a word I just made up that combines wine, ‘vin,’ with investment).
Château Pichon Baron’s imposing, yet beautiful château was the first thing we saw as soon as we arrived through the gated entrance of the property. As we drove to the reception area, we marveled at the Slim Aarons-esque turquoise pool, endless vines, and beautiful, modern reception area. We’ve all heard that ‘looks aren’t everything’… but they are something.
We then met our guide, Manon. Her expert, certified-sommelier knowledge provided us with a fabulous, detailed evaluation of the terroir, the multiple tiers of wines offered, and, during the tasting, a breakdown of all the notes and qualities.
Our tour began in the vineyard, continued past the historic chateau through the winemaking facilities, and ended with a tasting of three wines. The tasting did not include anything to eat; I wish it had, considering our tour began at 10am. On the bright side, our tasting was not rushed and we were able to take our time savoring the wines. As taste buds and wine preferences are entirely personal, I won’t discuss the actual tasting of the wine. I enjoyed the selection. You may; you may not!
All in all, I would say Château Pichon Baron provided a wonderful tour and tasting. Their facilities are clearly well-looked after and their staff was extremely professional and welcoming. I recommend paying them a visit!
TIPS
Before I get into some of the logistical pointers, I’ll note that when we checked in, Manon asked if we had any other tastings scheduled that day; this would influence the speed at which she conducted the tour. Since we didn’t have anything, she was able to slow down and answer tons of our questions. If you want to get the most out of your Pichon trip, be sure to add in huge time buffers between tastings!
Okay, now onto some of the travel strategizing…
Château Pichon Baron is located in the small town of Pauillac. If you’re a wino, you might recognize the name from other labels, such as Château Latour, which sits right down the street from Pichon Baron. In close proximity, an eight minute drive to be exact, you can also find Château Mouton Rothschild. Another four minutes in the car and you will arrive at Château Lafite Rothschild. I point all of this out to demonstrate how you really can’t throw a stone in Pauillac without hitting a top-shelf vineyard (if wines were displayed on shelves). In order to get the most out of your visit to Aquitaine, I recommend visiting a couple vineyards in the same area per day. Most of the elite estates require appointments that are made months in advance, so don’t sleep on the scheduling of your visits!
In terms of actually getting to the château, be sure to arrange transportation in advance. We emailed the vineyard to enquire whether they would be able to book a car for us back to our hotel in Bordeaux (Hôtel Burdigala), but they informed us that it would be difficult to find a car to take us that far. The best options are to either hire a driver for the day or rent a car (and make sure you have a sober designated driver).
If you’re also planning to stay in Bordeaux, be sure to add a travel time buffer to whatever your navigational tool of choice predicts. This is a vineyard far from the noise and pollution of the freeway. As such, it relies on narrow, one-lane country roads that are easily congested. On our particular trip, we experienced a 15 minute stoppage due to construction on one such road. Good thing we left early!
Château Pichon Baron is located at the following address:
D2, 33250 Pauillac, France
The historic property is open to visitors daily with a prearranged appointment. To schedule a tour, reach out to the vineyard’s guest services teams at:
Phone: +33 5 56 73 17 17