Pichon-Longueville-Baron Pauillac 2018

100 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$222 list] This great estate in southern Pauillac, facing the Latour vineyard, is at the top of its game. In this release, the tannins are as impressive and dense as the black fruits. Together they form a harmonious ensemble, richly structured, concentrated from the many old vines in the blend, and very ageworthy. Drink from 2027. Alcohol 14.5%. (May 2021)"

99 points Yohan Castaing (Decanter): "Generous aromatics of dark berry fruit, caramel, and spice are clear indicators of a warm vintage, but there are also floral notes and no heaviness whatsoever. There is juicy, savoury substance on the palate, sustained by gossamer tannins of surprising delicacy, but lurking underneath is the power so characteristic of this vintage. A few years of cellaring will be needed for the terroir expression to hit its stride. Drinking Window: 2025-2070. (Dec 2021)"

98 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Incredibly dark in color, the wine pops with Cuban cigar, cedar, herbs, tobacco leaf, red and black currants, forest floor and peppery spice box aromas. This could be the most concentrated, powerful vintage of Pichon Baron ever produced. The wine is very concentrated, full and deep. Yet, with all this depth of flavor, everything remains perfectly balanced. The tannins are ripe. Full-bodied and lush on the palate, with layers of sweet, ripe, dark red fruits in the finish, the wine really sticks with you. Jean-Rene Matignon feels this is his best vintage. I am not sure I agree. But if it is not, it is damn close to it! The wine blends 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. Due to its immense power, this is the only vintage of Pichon Baron aged in 100% new oak, however, the oak is already fully integrated into the wine. (Mar 2021)"

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "A beautiful, majestic Pauillac that reminds me a little of the 2000, the 2018 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron checks in as 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot that was brought up in 80% new French oak. It shows the estate's more pure Cabernet, focused, elegant style yet offers full-bodied richness and serious depth of fruit as well as awesome notes of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, and wet stone-like minerality. With building tannins, a fresh, focused texture, and a great finish, it's not for those looking for instant gratification, and I suspect it will need a solid decade or more of cellaring, but it will evolve for 50 years or more. It's a profound 2018. Drink: 2031-2081. (3/11/21)"

97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Suave and sophisticated, the 2018 Pichon Baron is a real head-turner. Silky, polished tannins wrap around a core of inky dark red/purplish berry fruit. More than anything else, the 2018 impresses for its exceptional balance. All the elements are so impeccably balanced. That will make the 2018 easy to drink relatively early, although my preference would be to leave it in the cellar for the better part of the next decade. Rose petal, spice, blood orange and mint add brightness and perfume on the long, finely-knit finish. Drink: 2030-2058. (Mar 2021)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "A very polished and pure expression of Pauillac, but don't go to sleep on it. As charming and vibrant as the cassis, cherry preserve and blackberry paste flavors are, they have a latent saturated feel. And then there's a serious network of iron girders supporting it all, along with sweet tobacco, floral and worn cedar accents. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2050. (3/31/21)"

97 points James Suckling: "Aromas of blackcurrants, blueberries, ash and cedar with hints of conifer. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined with polished, toned tannins that are creamy and compact with a silky texture. Energetic and driven. Try after 2026. (1/27/21)"

97 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "I think outside of the first growths there are very few estates that transmit the essence of Pauillac, combined with that of the estate, through into the wines. And Pichon-Baron, at least the Pichon-Baron of today (not the mid- to late-20th century) is certainly one of those estates. This is a hugely expressive wine, the aromatics leaping from the glass, sweet and savoury at the same time, with black plum, black olive and black cherry on one side, and a swirling melange of pencil shavings, graphite, soot, black pepper and currants on the other. The overarching suggestion is one of structured intensity and the palate seems keen to follow up on that, with plenty of minerality and dried black fruits, set over a frame of rich and sooty tannin. Hugely impressive, transmitting the power of the vintage through into the glass, this will nevertheless come good in time. It’s just that it might need fifteen or twenty years to get there. (Feb 2021)"

97 points La Revue du Vin de France: "No missteps for three decades now. And 2018 and 2019 add to the legend. You certainly won't have to rush to taste the 2018, which is still on the back burner. The material is superb, concentrated, energetic and profound. The wine impresses with its length and persistent aromas. (2023)"

96+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot, aged for 18 months in barriques, 80% new and 20% one year old. Production of the grand vin represents 50% of the harvest this year. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose bursts from the glass with flamboyant scents of stewed black plums, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake, plus suggestions of Indian spices, unsmoked cigars, pencil shavings and espresso. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and spicy. Drink: 2025-2050. (Mar 2021)"

96 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot). An exceptionally successful vintage at Pichon Baron, juicy, concentrated and finessed, with powerful yet well balanced bilberry and blackberry fruits. The sense of complexity and nuance builds from beginning to end, coming in waves of baked earth, crayon and liquorice bud, with a slate texture to the tannins that slows the progress down through the palate and promises great things ahead. 80% new oak. They had to fight against mildew as everyone did, but came out a little better than some, at around 32hl/h yield. Jean-René Matignon technical director. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2028-2046. (12/8/21)"