Bordeaux 2017: The beautiful notes of the Pauillac appellation
The name Pauillac is located between Saint-Estèphe to the North and Saint-Julien to the South. With its ideal location, close to the Garonne, It boasts some of the finest terroirs in the Médoc. The 2017 vintage was very kind to Pauillac. Largely unaffected by the frost, the finest terroirs of the Pauillac appellation produced some truly great wines.
Ratings from influential critics for the Pauillac appellation:
| Name | WA | Vinous AG | Vinous NM | JMQ | WS | JS | RVF |
| Carruades de Lafite | 90-92 | 90-93 | 89-91 | - | - | 92-93 | - |
| Château Clerc Milon | 93-95 | 88-91 | 89-91 | 91 | 90-93 | 92-93 | 16,5-17 |
| Château d'Armailhac | 90-92 | 87-90 | 90-92 | 90 | 90-93 | 93-94 | 15,5-16 |
| Château Duhart-Milon | 89-91 | 89-92 | 89-91 | 90 | - | 90-91 | 15-16 |
| Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste | - | 90-93 | 91-93 | 95 | 91-94 | 92-93 | 16,5-17,5 |
| Château Lafite Rothschild | 97-99 | 94-97 | 95-97 | 95-96 | - | 97-98 | 18-19 |
| Château Lynch Bages | 92-95 | 91-93 | 94 | 92-95 | 95-96 | 17-18 | |
| Château Mouton Rothschild | 97-99 | 92-95 | 94-96 | 96 | 90-93 | 97-98 | 18-18,5 |
| Château Pédesclaux | 89-91 | 88-90 | 90-92 | 92 | 88-91 | 93-94 | 16,5-17 |
| Château Pichon Baron | 95-97 | 93-96 | 93-95 | 95-96 | 92-95 | 95-96 | 18-19 |
| Château Pichon-Longueville | |||||||
| Countess of Lalande | 94-96 | 92-95 | 93-95 | 95 | 92-95 | 95-96 | 17,5-18,5 |
| Château Pontet-Canet | 96-98 | 92-95 | 92-94 | 90-93 | 96-97 | 18-18,5 | |
| Petit Mouton | 89-91 | 90-92 | - | 91 | 90-93 | 93-94 | |
| Countess's Reserve | 88-90 | 88-91 | 90-92 | 89 | 92-93 | ||
| Château Haut Batailley | - | 91-94 | 90-92 | 90 | 89-92 | 94-95 |
WA: Wine Advocate – Parker team (Lisa Perrotti-Brown) / AG: Antonio Galloni / NM: Neal Martin / JMQ: Jean-Marc Quarin / WS: Wine Spectator (James Molesworth) / JS: James Suckling / RVF: Revue du Vin de France
With its 18 Classified Growths in 1855, We can see that the critics' ratings are very good for this appellation. Pauillac.
Unsurprisingly, the top of the ratings rankings is held by the Premier Crus Classified from 1855: Château Lafite-Rothschild And Château Mouton-Rothschild. Both received a very respectable 97-99 by Lisa Perrotti-Brown from Wine Advocate.
The hierarchy is respected for the Pauillac 2017. Indeed, the two Second Growths Classified Château Pichon Baron And Château Pichon Longueville Countess of Lalande They followed with scores of 93-95 from Neal Martin. We were impressed by the quality of both wines, with a slight preference for Pichon Comtesse.