Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 94 points
This is a great Pichon-Lalande wallowing in its maturity. Here it retains that enticing tobacco-infused nose with leather and a touch of thyme, the palate beautifully balanced with tarry black fruit, vibrant acidity, mellow and supple with a touch of game coming through. Supple with firm tannins marrying naturally on the finish that has the texture (though not alcohol!) of a tawny port. I suspect this has no intention of ameliorating further and alongside the 1983, these are the Pichon Lalande’s to start depleting in your cellar. (9/2010)
John Gilman - 93 points
Outer quote mark While I have been a big fan of the 1985 vintage in Bordeaux for many years and have written quite a bit about these wines in recent times, I had not tasted a bottle of the 1985 Pichon-Lalande since I cannot remember when. I sold this wine right out of the blocks in my merchant days and always liked it well enough, but in my formative years, I found it a bit too “weedy” and did not end up cellaring it for my own collection. I think this was the only vintage of Pichon-Lalande I did not buy for my cellar in that era, as I started laying in the wines with the 1981 vintage and bought them every year (even the 1984 and 1987) up through the 1989, before my buying habits (and my more limited cellar budget in those days) turned towards Burgundy. But, I skipped the 1985 and that was too bad, as the wine has aged quite beautifully and is now drinking with great style and grace. The bouquet is a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee, cigar wrapper, a dollop of fresh herbs, gravel, black tea and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and beautifully complex, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, melted tannins and fine length and grip on the very classy finish. This is not a powerful vintage of Pichon, but it is an utterly complete one! Inner quote mark (10/2019)
Specifications
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Sub-Region | Pauillac |
| Classification | 2nd Growth Medoc |
| Vintage | 1985 |
| Grape | Cabernet / Merlot |
| Volume | 750ml |
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