At Christmas Eve dinner, 2011, at 701 Restaurant (food ok at best, poorly prepared at worst, service not very good). WIth Francie, Max and Emily. This 25 year old Pauillac is still drinking perfectly. THe color shows evolution but plenty of dark red-purple and a surprisingly small redbrick edge. On the palate and nose this is a prototypical bordeaux with blackberry, mint, cigar box, cedar, spicy vanilla oak. After some time the aroma took on the classic "St Julien nose" quality of leather/tobacco that makes sense since Pichon is on the border of St Julien and Leoville Las Cases. Acid is nicely balanced with the fruit and tannins have mostly melted away. Very long finish with a touch of heat. I'd think this has the fruit, acid and tannin to be drunk as late as 2018 with great pleasure. 94 points from me.
Parker's latest (2003) note:
Also 94 points. Just now emerging from a very clumsy dormant period, Pichon-Lalande’s dense ruby/purple-colored 1986 still has the color of a 4 or 5 year old wine. This is the most tannic and backward Pichon-Lalande after 1975 and before 1996. The wine was completely closed down until just recently. The wine shows notes of cedar, black currants, earth, spice box, and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, very concentrated, intense palate with a still noticeable tannic structure, a relatively big, muscular style for Pichon-Lalande. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 5/02.
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