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1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

1. If you're a Bordeaux lover, buy this wine. If you're wondering about what a maturing Bordeaux is like, buy this wine. If you've always wanted to know why people become so entrenched with Bordeaux, buy this wine. By now, you're getting the point, buy this wine. It gets better and better with age. The beautiful nose grabs your attention with is cigar box, forest floor, licorice, cassis, earth, blackberry, spice box and liqueur scents. But the party really gets going when the rich, sensuous, concentrated, silky wine hits your palate. It's smooth, polished, elegant and strong. Clearly, this is First Growth in quality. It's drinking perfectly today and I would not be surprised to find it drinking even better 20 years from now. Did I mention you should buy this wine?

   98 points - Tasted Oct 10, 2012

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2. Cassis, blackberry, tobacco, wet earth and spicy aromatics lead to a full bodied, youthful, concentrated, deep, intense Pauillac. The is power with polish. While the 1990 Pichon Baron is showing great today, it's only getting started. This is probably the best showing I've had for this wine yet. It keeps getting better and better! Well stored examples could easily last and improve for another 2 -3 decades.

   98 points - Tasted Jun 18, 2012

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3. A great wine tasting experience telegraphs its intentions from the first sniff of its perfume. The moment the cork popped, we were treated to a wave of cassis. Truffle, tobacco, blackberry, forest floor and spice aromas only added to the experience. Concentrated, rich and refined, the wine combines power and elegance. There is a lot of purity and freshness in the long, supple finish. This is drinking great today. There is no reason to wait before popping a bottle. That being said, if your bottle has been well stored, it should continue to evolve and add levels of complexity for another decade or more. This is the finest vintage of Pichon Baron made between 1961 and 2009. I think the 2010 is probably a better wine, but with a 20 year head start, the 1990 is the wine to have.

   97 points - Tasted Jan 12, 2012

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4. No matter how many times I taste this wine, I am never bored with it. Each tasting offers something new to discover. Interestingly, at this blind tasting, two bottles of 1990 Pichon Baron were opened. The first bottle was defective, the cork crumbled into pieces and the wine seemed cooked. The second bottle was stunning! Intense aromas of tobacco, spice box, leather, Cuban Cigars, creme de cassis, blackberries, earth, truffle and wet earth could not be avoided. Thick, intense, rich and concentrated, everything was in perfect balance and harmony. There was not a hard edge to be found, The finish lasted close to 60 seconds. This stunning Pauillac gets better every time I taste it. There is no reason to think that pattern is not going to continue!

   97 points - Tasted Oct 24, 2011

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5. Splendid aromas of cassis, cedar, black fruits and more were all over the place! On the palate, your senses enjoy an ocean of soft, rich, ripe, concentrated, velvety Bordeaux fruit. Fabulous texture! Everything here is in balance and the wine ends with a very, long, clean finish. After tasting so many wines, this stood out from minute one! Truly, this is one of the stars of the vintage.

   97 points - Tasted Jun 15, 2010

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6. Aromatics of cassis, choclate, tobacco, truffle and spice filled your glass. In the mouth, massive layers of ripe, dark fruit brought a smile to your face. Ripe and round in style, this plush, potent, elegant Bordeaux is the real deal.

   96 points - Tasted Jun 15, 2009

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7. This has a lot in common with the 89. The difference is, the 90 is a little more elegant with a roasted quality. The 89 also appears to have a bit more tannin and structure. Still youthful, this gem of a wine offers an ocean of ripe, spicy, black fruit, licorice, chocolate and more spice. The perfect definition of powerful, elegance. I bought a lot of this wine on release for $35. I should have purchased more.

   96 points - Tasted Oct 1, 2008

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8. This text book Pauillac offers a gorgeous nose of cassis, black fruit, spices and tobacco. Wonderful, expansive palate. Tremendous levels of concentration, depth and complexity.

   95 points - Tasted Nov 15, 2007

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9. Deep, dark, ruby color. Scents of cedar, black cherries, jammy blackberries, truffles, licorice and coffee. Full bodied. Great palate presence. Stylistically, this wine perfectly melds power, opulence and elegance. Molten, spicy cherries and licorice caress your palate. Very long, rich, luxurious finish.

   95 points - Tasted Feb 1, 2006

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10. This gets better each time I taste it. If you love Bordeaux, this is a must have wine. Earthy notes with cassis, truffles, coffee and forest scents fill the glass. The wine is very rich and full bodied. The mouth feel is deep, but not heavy. It's rich, elegant and plush. A mini Latour? In 5 years this will be a monster!

    96 points - Tasted Feb 20, 2005

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11. Black fruits, earth, and black cherries blend in nicely with oak aromas. The wine is full-bodied, but compared to the Guraud, it’s a completely different animal. The texture is very rich and silky. It’s much more opulent and at this stage than the Gruaud, and it offers more pleasure to taste

    96 points - Tasted Apr 25, 2004

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