Request a Quote

Château Pichon Baron Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

In the Pauillac wine region, beautiful Deuxième Cru (Second Growth) Château Pichon Baron is one of Bordeaux’s finest estates and the poster child for superlative claret. The wines are structured, Cabernet-led, long-lived Pauillac. Dominating the region with its architecturally splendid fairy tale Château, Pichon-Longueville’s star talking point is the bold, baroque winery, which is floodlit at night, giving first-time visitors to the area a wonderful sense of the estate’s theatricality and importance. Château Pichon Baron, historically Château Pichon Longueville Baron, has enjoyed a remarkable history in Bordeaux and has weathered prosperous and more challenging times, like so many of its neighbors.

Today, the wines of this renowned estate are justly celebrated. However, this was not always the case. In 1850, the Pichon Longueville estate was divided: Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville’s share became Pichon Baron, while his sisters’ share became Pichon Comtesse. After that, the fortunes of Longueville would slide when it was sold to the Bouteiller family in 1933. Bertrand Boutellier, who inherited the property from his father Jean, showed little enthusiasm for producing fine Bordeaux, nor was he disposed to making an essential investment in the Châteaux. The wine quality slipped, and loyal customers slowly turned away.

The property’s return to splendor occurred in the late 1980s when the family sold Longueville to the AXA Millésimes insurance firm. The company director, Jean-Michel Cazes, and his winemaker friend Daniel Llose soon began an incredible program of improvements and restoration to this historical Château. Motivated by their desire to return Pichon to its former glory, they purchased new vineyards in superior sites. They commissioned the creation of the existing modern winery, designed by Patrick Dillon and Jean de Gastines. But most importantly, a massive investment was made in understanding the Longueville terroir and its best vineyard plots, and in modern winemaking techniques, all using only the finest French oak. The results speak for themselves: Pichon Longueville is now quintessential top-notch Pauillac, muscular, powerful, and concentrated wine of real ‘breeding.’ It is also very much a wine built to last; there is never any rush to drink Pichon from a good vintage, and great years seem to last for many decades – indeed, a fitting icon for the fine work.

Château Pichon Baron, one of the highlights of our Signature Bordeaux Wine Tour, can be visited privately with exclusive VIP tastings organized by Cellar Tours.

Private Bordeaux Wine Tour

Bordeaux vineyards and wine country

Plan a private Bordeaux wine tour with expert-led visits across the Médoc, Pauillac and other landmark appellations, from First Growth estates to historic châteaux.

View Itinerary

Further Reading

aoc-aop-classifications

French Wine Classifications

July 9, 2024

Discover the rich history and traditions that have shaped French wine production, from the creation of regulated appellations to the rise of natural wines.

Read article

Author

Avatar photo

James Lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. López de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

Read more

Private wine travel experts, recommended by leading travel publications

  • National Geographic
  • Condé Nast Traveler
  • Travel + Leisure
  • Frommer's
  • Forbes Travel Guide