Pichon-Baron launches new second wine

Bordeaux classed growth Château Pichon Baron has launched a new second wine called Les Griffons de Pichon Baron.

Les Griffons will retail for around €50

The name stems from the property’s crest (pictured, bottom), which features two griffins, and the new wine will complement Pichon Baron’s former second label, Les Tourelles de Longueville, which is made from a single Merlot dominant plot at the property, called Sainte-Anne.

36,000 bottles of the new wine have been produced in its inaugural vintage – 2012 – and it will be priced at around €50 including tax.

Pichon Baron is a Pauillac-based second growth owned by French insurance firm AXA, which also owns Suduiraut in Sauternes, and Les Griffons is reminiscent of a second wine from the Sauternes property, called Les Lions de Suduiraut, which was launched in 2011 as a less expensive sibling to Château Suduiraut.

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes, owner of Château Pichon Baron since 1987, said of Les Griffons: “Crafting a great wine – one of the world’s finest – requires an uncompromisingly high standard of work on the harvested grapes. Creating another second wine was a natural step for us in pursuing our policy of strict selection to define Pichon Baron’s special terroir. Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, a wine which clearly resembles its elders yet with its own distinct character, is the result of this forward-thinking practice.”

Pichon Baron said that Les Griffons can be cellared for 20 years or more, but is ready to enjoy after 3 to 5 years.

The crest of Château Pichon Baron