Farr Vintners Logo

Haut Bailly 2008

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Haut-Bailly

Label

Tasting Notes

A candidate for the -wine of the vintage,- the 2008 Haut-Bailly possesses incredible complexity. Tell-tale notes of lead pencil shavings, charcoal, damp earth, black cherries and black currants intermixed with a hint of subtle barbecue smoke are present in this classic, quintessential Graves. Medium-bodied with an emerging, precocious complexity, it is a super-pure, beautifully textured, long wine that can be drunk now or cellared for 20-25 years. Bravo!

96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

Rather pale rim. Interesting savour. Well balanced. Very harmonious and polished with lots of ripe fruit and the (considerable) tannins well hidden. Glossy stuff. What's not to like? Though it's not a blockbuster.

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2009

The 2008 exhibits superb minerality as well as the delicacy of a great culinary preparation, packed and stacked with flavor, yet light on its feet. The 2008 will compete, perhaps eclipse the sensational 2005 and 2006. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of charcoal, graphite, black currants, sweet cherries, spice box, and subtle earth. The wine possesses super purity, a medium to full-bodied, gorgeous texture, ripe, sweet tannins, and a layered mouthfeel. The acidity provides freshness, vibrancy, and delineation to all the component parts of this very concentrated yet quintessentially elegant wine. It is a sensational effort that should begin showing secondary nuances of complexity in 8-10 years, and evolve for three decades or more.In a few short years, new proprietor Robert Wilmers and his winemaker, Veronique Sanders, have raised Haut-Bailly's quality to the level of Pape-Clement, La Mission-Haut-Brion, and Haut-Brion.

95/97
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (182), April 2009

This has a lovely ripe nose of blackberry, boysenberry, earth and a touch of wild mint. Very good definition. The palate has firm tannins, well-integrated oak, very focused and superb freshness. Much more structure than I was anticipating, this could be a long-term Haut-Bailly although at the moment it is very tannic on the finish. Not an Haut-Bailly that is expressive at primeur, but one that should blossom by bottling. Tasted April 2009

90/92
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2009
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.