Pichon Baron & Lalande

Pig's head croquettes

• 1996 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Mid straw. Quite a nicely rich nose, slightly spicy with a touch of ginger. Full, quite oxidative, mineral on the finish. Long. 96 acidity all present and correct, a bit of tangerine starting to emerge on the finish. This has good energy, nothing stolid here. Quite zingy. Vibrant even. ****1/2. After an hour this is richer and broader and more obviously Bolly. More tangerine and ginger too, and the vibrancy has receded.

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Venison tartare with celeriac cream, polenta chips, pickled shimeji mushrooms and sorrel mayonnaise

• 1983 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Mid to full garnet. Cedary, maturing claret nose. A touch of tobacco leaf. Richer on the nose than the other two. 83 Baron I think. No show stopper, but very nice, mellow claret. ***1/2

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• 1978 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Leafier on the nose. One of the 78s I think. A touch of cut green pepper on the nose, quite fresh. Slightly riper through the mid-palate than the third wine, but possibly a little drier on the finish. Tannins aren't quite as mellow. There's some persistence and nuanced interest on the finish though. ***1/2

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• 1978 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Aagain, greener on the nose, and the other 78 I think. Quite lean initially on the palate, opens to a dry cedar, slightly tobaccoey and quite lean finish. A little ungenerous. Seems to go quite well with the spice of the venison tatare though. ***

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Chargrilled english veal rump with violet artichokes, aubergine caviar, crisp brain, gremolata and roasting juices

• 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Significantly darker than the previous flight. Dark ruby now. Ripe plush fruit on the nose, quite dense. Blackcurrant and slightly wet clay nose. An 89 I think. Quite rich and full and expressive on the palate with some good restraining tannin and acidity still that gives it a slightly drying finish. 89 Baron. In a halfwayhouse between rich, ripe fruit and mellow middle age. A slightly uncoordinated teenager. Needs longer now to resettle and resolve. ***(*1/2)

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• 1988 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  A bit lighter and more mellow and expressive on the nose. Cedar, quite mellow, more 88. Blackcurrant leaf, minerally palate. 88 Lalande. Lots of depth and interest here, and a little more gloss than the Baron. So far, my wine for drinking now. ****

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• 1988 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Again, richer on the nose, but less so on the palate. Initially thought 89, but probably an 88. Quite sleek and streamlined, not ungenerous, but certainly more classically, 88 styled on the palate. A little broader than the other 88, a little more licorice and slightly drier on the finish. ****

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• 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Slightly more restrained, minerally, 88 nose. A little richer on the attack than the other suspected 88. A little more coffee, and a little more cork on the finish. Ah, a corked 89. Quite a rich wine underneath. That's a shame, there's a very good wine underneath this.

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Rpoast grouse with game chips, bread sauce, pate and damsons

• 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dense ruby. Very fat in the glass. Lots here. Tannins all present, possibly a little green, but lots of oomph. Harmonious and balanced, a little less rich than the Baron and a bit more grip. ****

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• 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  More expressive on the nose, quite bright and floral and lifted. Rich on the attack but with a citrus freshnesss. Lovely, and lots of potential here. Ground coffee, orange rind, fish acidity coming through. Lovely.****1/2

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• 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Vanilla and blackcurrant yoghurt nose. Curious. Better on the palate than the nose. Yoghurt finally blows off to reveal a little more coffee and a mellow blackcurrant element to the nose. A slight dryness on the finish and not the obvious richness one might associate with 90, but opens up nicely with some air. ****

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Tarte tatin with creme fraiche ice cream

• 1997 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Half bottle. Rich, nicely mellow botrytis on the nose, not too medicinal, a touch of pineapple. Richer on the palate, quite intense but not heavy or cloying. Botrytis a little more evident on the palate. Quite intense and long. ****

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A very interesting evening indeed. The vintage character shone through - pretty straightforward just from the noses, let alone the palates, but the two chateaux were, for me, harder to split. Maybe a bit of extra richness and exuberance on the Baron, a little more elegance and density of blackcurrant fruit on the Lalande. Both lovely though. The 78s a little green, the 89s ripe and rich, the 88s a little stricter but charming. 89 Baron seems to have entered a slightly awkward adolescence cf the Alba vertical a couple of years ago. 89 Lalande tainted by minor corkiness. The 88s true to form, again the Baron a little stricter than at Alba. The 90 Baron showed well once the yoghurt nose had cleared, but the 96 really singing now but built to last. I think 88 Lalande for drinking tonight, the 89 Baron in the long run, but hopefully the 96 will run it close. A very educational and fun evening; thanks all.