Haut Bailly

2006

Wine Advocate 93: Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Haut-Bailly has a refined and pure bouquet with hints of dark chocolate infusing the precise red berry fruit. I love the way this seductively unfurls in the glass, as if a finger is beckoning you. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a keen line of acidity, quite grippy and backward towards the finish, suggesting that this will benefit from another year or two in bottle. Elegance and power here, a Haut-Bailly cruising at a high level.

James Suckling 93: Aromas of fresh herbs with some tobacco, lavender and black fruit. Earth, too. Medium to full body with tight, polished tannins. Long, firm and racy.

2011

Wine Advocate 94+: The saturated ruby/purple-hued 2011 Haut-Bailly exhibits a glorious, subtle, noble set of aromatics consisting of red and black currants, sweet cherries, graphite, truffles and a faint hint of wood spice. The wine hits the palate with the profound elegance and purity that have become so much a characteristic under Wilmers and Sanders. Still youthful, with good acidity and freshness, this brilliant, medium-bodied 2011 needs another 4-5 years of bottle age, and should evolve effortlessly for 20-25 years.

James Suckling 95: Wow. Wonderfully aromatic nose of currants, blackberries and lilacs. Full body but refined and beautiful. The quality of the tannins is exception. So fine. Lovely austerity and tension on the finish.

2017

Wine Advocate 94-96: The 2017 Haut-Bailly is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it has a wonderfully spicy nose of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and fenugreek with core of roses, warm blueberries, black forest cake and black raspberries plus hints of underbrush and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied with firm, ripe, grainy tannins, it has oodles of freshness and great finesse, continuing bright and energetic on the long, minerally finish.

James Suckling 95: Blackberry, walnut, iodine, and sandalwood aromas follow through to a full body, round and juicy tannins and an intense, flavorful finish. This shows richness with structure. Excellent 2017. Try after 2023.

2018

Wine Advocate 96: The 2018 Haut-Bailly is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it has 14.4% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to unlock a powerhouse of black fruit preserves, offering notes of blackberry pie, crème de cassis and black cherry compote, giving way to nuances of Chinese five spice, camphor, chocolate box and licorice with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with plush textured, rich black fruits, supported by a lively backbone and finishing long and spicy. It is decadently tempting to drink now, but give it 5 years in bottle to begin to see its full glory, while it should continue to transform for a further 20 years or more in cellar.

James Suckling 99: Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish. Goes on and on. Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2025.

2020

Wine Advocate 94+: The 2020 Haut-Bailly opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, sweet berries, loamy soil, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's a concentrated, rather broad-shouldered wine built around a chassis of firm, powdery tannin that asserts itself on the finish. Haut-Bailly once rivaled Haut-Brion for the title of Pessac's most elegant wine, and I would love to see the team here ease off extraction, but this remains a strong effort that will reward patience.

James Suckling 99-100: This has incredible power and drive with blackberry, black olive and graphite. It’s full-bodied, yet dynamic and agile, with so much polished and muscular tannin. Yet, it remains in harmony and balance. So much character. The head of the chateau calls it diabolical beauty. 25% less production than the 2019. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 42% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.

2023

Wine Advocate 94-96: A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon (harvested from the 20th to the 29th of September), 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of mulberries, cassis, dark wild berries, pencil lead, licorice and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and rich palate that is both layered and seamless, its deep mid-palate animated by lively acids, concluding with long, mineral, penetrating finish. Although it displays a darker, more brooding profile character than in previous years, it remains highly representative of its terroir and will benefit from some patience. It's being matured in 50% new oak.

James Suckling 97-98: I am thinking about the purity of fruit here, with blackcurrants, cassis and lead pencil. There's an underlying character of mineral and flint. The palate is dense, focused and precise, with very fine tannins that are ultra-fine and layered and go vertically down the palate. Everything is in the right place. So much polish and a svelte nature. Then hints of hazelnut and walnut to the refined texture. Sophisticated. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot.