One of the first great bottles of Bordeaux that I was able to drink with some regularity was the 1970 Pichon-Lalande, which I began to taste fairly often as far back as the mid-to-late 1980s. I have always loved this vintage here and this most recent magnum was simply superb, offering up a classic bouquet of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, gravelly soil tones, cedar and a nice topnote of tobacco leaf. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and at its zenith, with a fine core of sweet black fruit, lovely soil signature, melting tannins and great freshness and grip on the poised, complex and perfectly balanced long finish. In magnum, the 1970 Pichon has a bit more depth and sappiness buried down deep and is really a beautiful format for enjoying the wine right now! Great juice.