1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

Z,

Here is a thread from Sept. about a '96 Bordeaux tasting, not sure if they tasted your bottle or not since I did not read it.

DAWGS TASTING - SEPTEMBER 30, 2006

Thanks for the link sean, unfortunately, it's not there.

I had it a few months ago and it was drinking wonderfully. In fact, we had a blind tasting of 1995 and 1996 vintages of Spottswoode, Fisher Wedding Vineyard, Flora Springs Hillside Reserve, Pichon Barnon, Smith Haut Lafitte, and Chateau Lagrange. The 96 Pichon Baron was my favorite, and amongst the whole group of about 15 people, the 96 Spottswoode and the 96 Pichon were virtually tied, and well above the rest of the pack. Enjoy the wine. I'm sure it will last another 5 to 10 years if you want to hold it.

I wouldn't worry about it being over the hill for AT LEAST another 6 or 7 years, and it will probably last a good 10+.

zblang --Pichon Lalande usually has plenty of Merlot in their blend (as much as approx. 40%), so the wine matures at a faster rate than most Pauillacs. However, the 1996 Pichon Lalande only had 15% Merlot, so I would expect the 1996 to take a lot longer to mature.

I agree with Winetarelli, I would hold off till approx. 2011. I think you will be rewarded!

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
zblang --Pichon Lalande usually has plenty of Merlot in their blend (as much as approx. 40%), so the wine matures at a faster rate than most Pauillacs. However, the 1996 Pichon Lalande only had 15% Merlot, so I would expect the 1996 to take a lot longer to mature.

I agree with Winetarelli, I would hold off till approx. 2011. I think you will be rewarded!

I'm glad you agree with me latour, but you may want to re-read the name of this thread.

winetarelli -- thanks, my bad! Anyway, I still agree with your maturity window, and even moreso now! Pichon Lalande wines usually mature before Pichon Baron wines. However, I prefer Pichon Lalande in most years. What's up with the name change?

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
What's up with the name change?

The name change... ah... a few people who I thought might be glancing at this board would have recognized the handle instantly. I didn't necessarily want them to know that I post here so I changed it to something that I figured everyone here would be able to figure out but that they would never be able to figure out.

If the wine is well stored, you have at least 20 years of positive evolution to look forward to in the 96 Pichon Baron.

I think you are being optimistic counting on 20 years of positive evolution. Here is my tasting note on the wine from a blind tasting of more than 100 1996s in Bordeaux in September:

Gorgeous aromas of crushed blackberries, currants and citrus fruit. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a fruity, herbal aftertaste. A little hollow on the mid-palate. Ready to go. 90 points

Thanks for the reply James. I truly appreciate it! (I appreciate everyone else's input too, don't worry )