Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2022 is the second wine of Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac, and in 2022 it reads like a serious, built-for-the-cellar Bordeaux rather than a simple offshoot. The blend is 50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot, with the wine aged 18 months in French oak, 40% new. Production is listed at 5,568 cases.
The top notes across the best reviews converge on dark fruit, floral lift, and a polished, structured frame. Vinous’ Antonio Galloni calls it “super-refined from start to finish,” highlighting “silky, polished tannins” and an élevage “that worked beautifully.” Decanter’s 94-point review is similarly enthusiastic, noting “density and richness—almost plush,” but also “muscles and power underneath the lively fruit,” and advising that it “needs a little longer.” These 94-point scores, echoed by several outlets, place the wine among the stronger second wines of the vintage and mark it as an excellent review set.
Aromatic detail is particularly consistent. Jeb Dunnuck (94) cites “cassis, graphite, leather, and cedar pencil… and a beautiful violet note,” describing a “focused, pure, precise mouthfeel.” Jeff Leve (94) emphasizes approachability within the structure, with “black fruits, flowers, and creme de cassis,” and a palate that is “juicy, fresh, lifted, elegant, round, and long.”
The Wine Independent’s Chris Kissack (94) frames it as “the more ‘Pichon’ of the two second wines,” adding that this cuvée takes “all the estate’s Petit Verdot,” and reporting 14.5% alcohol on the label. He describes “energy and drive” and a “classically defined style,” concluding, “Let’s give it at least ten years.”
More restrained takes still underline substance. Wine Spectator (92) finds a “packed core” of blackberry and currant with a “burly, earth-driven feel,” while William Kelley for Wine Advocate (91) notes it is “more Cabernet-driven,” “velvety and layered,” with “powdery structuring tannins.” Overall, 2022 Les Griffons combines Pauillac muscle with unusually fine polish for its tier, and it should reward patience.
