Château
Pichon Baron

Vintage conditions

Dry conditions, low temperatures and exceptional sunshine were the three major climate factors in this vintage. This winning combination ensured the smoothest of vegetation cycles and protected the vines from disease. Thinning combined with leaf-stripping on the east-facing side of the rows proved to be highly beneficial, especially on the cooler, later-ripening plots. As in 2009, the ripening process was slow and regular. The low weight of the grapes - comparable to other dry years such as 1995 and 2003 combined with the small number of grapes per bunch, limited yields quite naturally. This low grape weight goes hand in hand with a high proportion of skin in relation to the juice, and this was an important indicator when it comes to managing the winemaking process. Harvesting was completed from September 27th to October 18th in 17 effective picking days. The conditions were sunny and the temperatures cool. The grapes were picked and brought in the vat-house plot by plot. We began gathering our merlot grapes, harvesting the young vines first and the older vines later. From October 7th onwards we began to bring in the cabernet, in order of maturity, with particular attention to selection on the plots. The cabernet grapes provide the backbone of the wines of Château Pichon-Baron, being planted for the most part in the estate's most historic soils. Sorting in the vat-house was highly meticulous, keeping only the very best grapes. This harvest allowed us to carry out some fine-tuning of our optical sorting, a new method we are employing which is helping us to further refine our fruit selection. The must from each plot is vinified individually. Maceration lasted 18 to 25 days, depending on the results of our tasting to check on extraction, with the anthocyans and tannins being dissolved most effectively. This is always a sign of top-quality polyphenols. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in vats at a nice, leisurely rate, especially for the Merlot. This enabled us to make regular transfers of the wine into barrels, along with the fine lees, to contribute to the roundness of the wine.