This is opulent with fleshy tannins and spiced dark fruit, again showing a restrained core of tannins that was so obvious at the Bordeaux 10 Years On tasting in London a few weeks ago. It's just a brilliant wine, one that will age effortlessly from here, and is still not quite ready to give up its secrets. It's concentrated and confident and hard not to fall in love with. The vines for the grand vin come from the plateau opposite Latour and were the heart of the original Pichon estate.

Bold, smoky and chocolatey, this is a concentrated and massive wine for the Medoc, the alcohol showing slightly at the bold warm finish. Where is that T-bone steak? Drink or hold.

The 2009 Pichon-Baron continues to amaze - a benchmark wine of recent years. The bouquet gushes from the glass, offering blackberry, melted tar and graphite aromas seamlessly integrated with the new oak, all very precise and quite mineral-driven. The palate is well balanced with supple tannin, a superb line of acidity, immense purity, and less voluptuousness than its peers, but more class and restraint. This is evolving into one of the standouts of the vintage from Pauillac and unusually, it surpasses the 2010. Show-stopping!

Revealing incredible quality and performing better than it did from barrel, the 2009 appears to be the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron since the 1990 and 1989. An amazing opaque blue/purple color is followed by scents of spring flowers, graphite, smoky charcoal, incense, blackberries, blueberries and hints of coffee and chocolate. Incredibly intense, pure and flawlessly constructed with extravagant layers of fruit and richness, this offering has developed beautifully under the management of Christian Seeley.

With a structure that runs between acidity and dark smoky tannins, this is a wine with potential opulence. It's very rich in character, dense and dark. The black plum flavors are dominant, along with excellent acidity. For the long-term.

This delivers a massive core of black Mission fig, black currant paste and roasted fig fruit, backed by alder wood, bay leaf, singed cedar and maduro tobacco. The finish lets a racy iron note take over. Long and authoritative, with gorgeous acidity giving the balance for long-term cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2030. 13,000 cases made. –JM