Château Pichon Baron launches Les Griffons Blanc Sec 2023

Château Pichon Baron has launched its first publicly available dry white wine from the vineyards of Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac.

Les Griffons de Pichon Baron Grand Vin Blanc Sec 2023 is 100% Semillon. It was made from a massal selection taken from the “finest parts” of the vineyard of Château Suduiraut — its property in Sauternes — grafted in 2018 onto twenty-year-old vines in a “cool, chalky terroir” in the northern part of our Pauillac vineyards, known as Boua.

The producer said it was “extremely pleased” with the product and said it “confirms both our faith in the quality, character and individuality of the Semillon” that it had selected, but also its “confidence in the quality and suitability of this parcel for making dry white wine at the highest level”.

Maturation

It said that after direct pressing, the wine was vinified in one-year-old oak barrels, without malolactic fermentation, and then matured in the barrel for nine months, with regular stirring of the lees, according to its tasting of the wines — and judgement of “when it was necessary”, the producer said.

With the “subtly textured” structure typical of the Semillon grape, the producer said it was a wine of “great character, fresh balanced and profound”. In addition, it was “rich and with its fine aromatic expression”, and “reflects its terroir with a marked limestone flavour”.

In terms of the vintage, it has been produced following a dry, mild autumn, which was followed by a cold, wet winter. The “very abundant” rainfall replenished the soil’s water resources, and there was 30% more rainfall than in 2022.

Vintage

Budburst started in early April this year, with frost on 5 April causing “little damage”, it said. Spring was “generally” dry and warm, and flowering took place “in very good weather conditions”. This was followed by “tropical weather” at the start of July, and a dry, hot end to the month, without any heat waves.

Early August was cool and cloudy with “very welcome rain” helping to keep a high level of acidity in the grapes. Ripening then proceeded well in warm weather conditions.

There was a manual harvest in crates on 11 September, with gentle and slow pressing in a pneumatic press for two and a half hours prior to fermentation in barrels.

Tasting notes

According to the producer, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron white 2023 reveals a pale yellow colour with a nose that is “fruity and lemony, with a hint of minerality and menthol”.

The attack is “straightforward”, and the palate is “round and fresh, with flavours of white-fleshed fruit and aromatic herbs”. The finish is “taut and mineral”. It “combines the flattering, gourmet character of Semillon with the tension of this clay-limestone terroir”, the producer said.

The wine is being launched through a select number of Bordeaux negociants this month, priced at £45 to £48 per bottle.

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