91-94

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

Deep ruby-red. Black raspberry, sweet cherries and minerals. Concentrated, intensely flavored and very youthful, yet sweet and expressive. Lovely floral perfume in the mouth and on the finish. Like an M&M, with its firm shell and creamy, yielding middle. Easy to taste, and very easy to like. Sexy juice.

96

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

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.