Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is a Bordeaux second growth situated in the left bank appellation of Pauillac.
Pichon-Longueville Baron's wines are a muscular and tannic Pauillac style (as opposed to its neighbour Pichon Longueville Lalande).
The château dates back to the 17th century, when entrepreneurs transformed the blank canvas that was then the Médoc into vineyards. One such property was created by Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan, whose name came later when his daughter, Thérèse, married Jacques de Pichon Longueville, the first President of the Parlement de Bordeaux. 
In 1850 the Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville decided to share the domain between his children, and the estate was divided into Château Pichon Longueville (Comtesse de) Lalande and Château Pichon-Longueville Baron.
Pichon was one of Pauillac's greatest underachievers up until the mid-80s – barely living up to its lofty second growth status. Then along came AXA, the giant insurance conglomerate.
AXA employed Jean-Michel Cazes to take charge of the winemaking and vineyards, and the turnaround was nothing short of dramatic, the estate rising to superstar status amongst Bordeaux’s elite in the 1990s. Pichon-Longueville Baron is often referred to as a ’super second’ these days, its wines belying its second growth classification. |
