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A beautiful wine, with layers of ripe fruit, berry, cedar, vanilla and light spice. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Very, very classy stuff.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 94 WSSomewhat closed and reticent after bottling, but still impressive, this 1995 possesses a dark ruby/purple color, as well as an oaky nose with classic scents of cassis, vanillin, cedar, and spice. Dense and medium to full-bodied, with softer tannin and more accessibility than the 1996, but not quite the packed and stacked effect on the palate, the 1995 is an outstanding textbook St.-Julien that will handsomely repay extended cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.Robert Parker | 91 RPVery good ruby-red. Currant, tobacco, game and roasted nuts on the expressive nose. Full, supple and sweetly oaky. Also wears its oak more gracefully. Very long on the finish, with ripe, tongue-coating tannins.Vinous Media | 91 VM

This is surprisingly delicate and fine now with currant and spice character and hints nuts. It is full body with refined texture and a beautiful finish.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 1995 Pichon-Baron is a wine that tasted extremely well several years ago, but I wonder how well it is continuing to evolve. The bouquet feels a little smudged, scents of iodine and cassis merging with blackberry and pencil lead; it is a little meandering and missing a sense of focus. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, crisp acidity and good density, but it doesn’t possess the clarity and detail of more recent vintages. Solid, but lacks flair. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 91 VMA stylish, elegant, more restrained style of Pichon Baron, with less obvious new oak than usual, this deep ruby/purple-colored wine offers a pure black currant-scented nose with subtle aromas of coffee and smoky toasty oak. In the mouth, the wine displays less weight and muscle than the 1996, but it offers suave, elegant, rich fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, surprisingly lush style. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2016.Robert Parker | 90 RPBlackberry, with violet and currant undertones. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. A little tight still. Give it some time. This is layered and rich. Classy. A little better than I remember.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 90 WSRipe but fresh, with cedary and flinty blackberry and plum fruit still lingering on. Drinking Window 2014 - 2030Decanter | 90 DEC

A wine of extraordinary intensity and accessibility, the 1995 Cos d’Estournel is a sexier, more hedonistic offering than the muscular, backward 1996. Opulent, with forward aromatics (gobs of black fruits intermixed with toasty pain grille scents and a boatload of spice), this terrific Cos possesses remarkable intensity, full body, and layers of jammy fruit nicely framed by the wine’s new oak. Because of low acidity and sweet tannin, the 1995 will be difficult to resist young, although it will age for 2-3 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2025.Both the 1995 and 1996 vintages of Cos d’Estournel were even more impressive in late 1997 than earlier in the spring.Robert Parker | 95 RPUtterly classic Saint-Estèphe notes of earthy black currants, tobacco, and cedarwood emerge from the 1995 Château Cos D’Estournel. This beauty is medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a terrific sense of concentration paired with considerable elegance.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDGorgeous blackberry, toasted oak, Indian spice and light sweet tobacco on the nose. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a caressing texture. Pretty and refined. Holding back. Give it time. --’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 1995 Cos d’Estournel was matured in 100% new oak and according to the estate was intentionally picked at a higher ripeness level than previous years. It is definitely showing more maturity than the 1996 Cos d’Estournel with more bricking evident on the rim. Similarly the nose does not convey the same vigor and fruité as the following vintage, with notes of cigar humidor, woodland and autumn leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, which is probably its best quality. It is a little drier than I would like, although the acidity is well judged and there are attractive notes of clove and bay leaf towards the finish. It translates Saint-Estèphe typicité but just falls short of the superior wines produced from the modern day onwards. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical at the property.Vinous Media | 91 VM

What sumptuous pleasures await those who purchase either the 1996 or 1995 Pichon-Lalande. It is hard to choose a favorite, although the 1995 is a smoother, more immediately sexy and accessible wine. It is an exquisite example of Pichon-Lalande with the Merlot component giving the wine a coffee/chocolatey/cherry component to go along with the Cabernet Sauvignon’s and Cabernet Franc’s complex blackberry/cassis fruit. The wine possesses an opaque black/ruby/purple color, and sexy, flamboyant aromatics of pain grille, black fruits, and cedar. Exquisite on the palate, this full-bodied, layered, multidimensional wine should prove to be one of the vintage’s most extraordinary success stories. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2020.The 1995/1996 vintages are two of the greatest back to back efforts Pichon-Lalande has ever produced, including the 1982/1983 vintages.Robert Parker | 96 RPOffers a juicy, lively core of plum, cassis and blackberry, studded with anise, violet and singed vanilla notes. Everything pulls together seamlessly on the finish, with a well-embedded graphite spine. Sneakily long.—Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2035. Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep red-ruby color. Currant, loam, tobacco and smoky oak on the nose. Silky, sweet and tender in the middle palate; leather, game and chocolate notes add complexity to the wine strong currant component. Showing slightly less harmoniously than the ’96, perhaps due to the bottling, but this thoroughly seductive wine has all the components for future greatness.Vinous Media | 92+ VMIn contrast to the 2015, this vintage has a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend, along with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The colour shows no sign of age, although the nose has less aromatic force than one would have expected. It does show charm and elegance, however. The attack is fresh and limpid, and the moderately concentrated fruit is backed by firm tannins. There’s plenty of grip here, but it lacks a little punch and persistence. Still highly enjoyable and finely balanced. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028Decanter | 91 DEC