Pichon Baron 2003 one decade on.

Aug 19th, 2013 Jayne Pearce ,

The Pichon Longueville Baron 2003 (US$121/$1452 case BBR) was the product of a particularly hot summer which resulted in a wine higher in alcohol thanks to all those sugars (13.4%); the somewhat lower acidity and consequential earlier consumption. As a year of birth gift to our son, we bought a case of the Baron and imagined opening the first bottle on his 18th birthday but already this vintage is said to be ready for drinking until 2025 (Parker). We hope that by 2021 it wont have faded too much for him to fully appreciate. I needed something impressive (hopefully) to go with a NYE Beef Wellington and so it was decided the Baron was a good bet. Parker had announced that the 2003 was the most powerful the chateau had ever made so I was keen to see just how bold it was. Despite giving the wine time to breathe it still held some slight restraint but this could just have been my pre-conceived expectations.

The intense ruby-purple gave way to a slight watery rim. A dark fruit nose with slight savory cigar was followed up with plums and black currants on the palate and some earth and vanilla notes.

Given the vintage, the acidity was higher than I had anticipated, delivering a fresher mouthfeel. The tannins were round and silky so was not totally convinced there was sufficient tannic grip to handle the filet and all of the full flavors of the Beef Wellington. I will just have to wait and see how the Baron handles a slightly less protein-strenuous meal next New Year.

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