Tom Garland

9.5

+2 hour decant(decent sediment). A marvelous dark magenta color. On the nose: perfumed red fruit, potting soil, graphite, cedar lined cigar box, herbaceous. Taste: Powerful, structured wine with red fruit, currants, planting soil, spice, and a cedar-minerally-mocha lingering and evolving finish! YUM! — an hour ago

with Brenda

Jan de Weerd

9.2

Nice easy drinking Syrah. Distinct earthy inky notes only Charles Smith can reflect in his wines. Learned it perfectly pairs with Kerrygold Dubliner cheese 👍👍👍 — 3 months ago

with Tammy

Doug Powers

9.5

Cigar box, cassis, lovely, complex and layered on the palate, long, lingering, very clean and fresh finish, this bottle is hitting on all cylinders, beautiful old Bordeaux to go with the rib roast!! — 3 months ago

with Jim

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Beast! Big, burly, brooding, and bawesome.
Rich and gamey with smoky olive brine and savory layers of earth. Tucking a couple away. — 2 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

Always a great La Mish experience drinking their 66. This was in perfect condition drinking half its age showing red & black fruit, smoke, cedar, leather, sweet savory spices with cigar ash & tobacco — a month ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

Classic La Mission nose showing mostly black fruits, with notes of smoke, cedar, licorice, leather, mocha, underbrush & cigar ash. Just entering its prime with many years ahead — 2 months ago

Louis Martin

9.4

Smooth, hint of sour cherry, cigar and leather flavor, bolder than a normal Margaux due to the higher level of Petit Merlot in the blend, paired beautifully with a rich pumpkin ravioli dish. — 3 months ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.3

2016 out of magnum. Cigar box. Ripe tannins. Beautiful. — a month ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Pichon Baron 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A commanding and traditionally styled Pauillac delivering power, precision, and aristocratic structure, driven by a 66% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Semillon support. Dark fruit density, mineral authority, and refined oak integration create a wine that feels impactful today while clearly engineered for long-term evolution and layered complexity.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, graphite, pencil shavings, cedar, cigar box, crushed gravel, subtle dark cocoa and savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm yet polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant structural tension, tightly knit acidity, and a long, authoritative finish that builds rather than fades.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, lamb rack, beef Wellington, venison, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.

Verdict
A textbook expression of elite Pauillac: powerful, elegant, disciplined, and deeply age-worthy. The wine delivers immediate presence while clearly signaling even greater complexity and harmony with time in bottle.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is serious wine, fierce yet controlled, deeply impressive without arrogance, and loaded with finesse under the horsepower. A bottle that earns respect with every sip and promises an extraordinary future in the cellar. — 2 months ago

Louis Martin

9.3

Burst of blackberry aroma, earthy and smoky, with a hint of cigar aftertaste. Juicy and delicious, more than held its own with the Lafite Rothschild we also had at same dinner! — 3 months ago