| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This classic Graves property is managed by Véronique Sanders. The vineyard is planted with 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot.
I obviously underrated the 2016 Château Haut-Bailly on release, and it easily tops out my scale. A hypothetical blend of the 2009 and 2010, it has the opulence and sexiness of a ripe, sunny vintage (à la 2009) paired with incredible purity, concentration, structure, and elegance (à la 2010). Incredible aromatics of cassis, liquid violets, cedar pencil, flowers, and minerals give way to a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered Haut-Bailly offering ultra-fine tannins, flawless overall balance, nothing out of place, and the class to drink well today yet evolve for 30-40 years. Absolute perfection in wine, this is a modern-day Legend from director Veronique Sanders. 2023 - 2063
The 2016 Haut-Bailly is brilliant on the nose with exquisite delineation and focus: blackberries, potpourri, crushed stone and hints of violet petal. This is utterly seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, perfectly judged acidity, very cohesive and almost Pauillac-like towards the finish. This is a very classy Haut-Bailly as you would expect, and the length is stupendous. Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château. Drink 2023-2055.
Wonderful aromas of tobacco, sweet fruit and licorice follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins that caress every inch of your palate. Love the length and subtlety to this young wine. Gorgeous. Drink after 2024.
The 2016 Haut-Bailly is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. The nose opens with beautiful floral notes of violets and lavender accented with earthy notions and sparks of crushed rocks over a core of kirsch, cassis and wild blueberries. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, it has layer upon layer of red, black and blue fruits intermingled with earth and mineral hints leading to a very long, perfumed finish.
Hugely successful, a wine where the architecture becomes clearer with every minute that it remains in your mouth. Each strand of those softly-spun tannins really stands out, giving effortless support to the cassis, charcoal, tobacco and slate. Over it all, the most appealing, gently curling woodsmoke comes right on up through the palate. The whole effect is of a soft, caressing texture that manages to also be hugely intense. A wonderfully complex layering of flavours, absolutely no doubt that this is going to age beautifully. Harvest lasted for 12 days but was spread out over four weeks. Alcohol levels are the same as last year because they had no blockages of ripening. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc aged in 50% new oak. 3.7pH.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2050
Tasted blind. Not quite appetising enough on the nose. But racy and fresh on the palate. Dry finish – very appetising on the end.
Drink 2025 – 2038
This classic Graves property is managed by Véronique Sanders. The vineyard is planted with 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot. The relatively high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon for the appellation results in wines of good structure and grip. Floral yet smoky on the nose with an elegant, perfumed fruit character. The palate is succulent and fully ripe on entry, with polished tannins building to provide a firm grip and chalky structure to the dense, ripe fruit at the core. Laser-like precision with hints of smoke, kirsch and savoury spice, there is a long, fine and lifted finish to this impressive effort from the Chateau.
Brooding black fruits the nose has the richness of ripe fruit the palate is sweet with depth of flavour in the middle. Discreet integrated tannins support with the rich black cherry and cassis at the backed underpinned by bramble freshness. 2025-42
Winemaker Gabriel Vialard puts the freshness of his wine down to the cold nights during the growing season, especially in September. Whatever the reason, this is an excellent Haut-Bailly with remarkable focus, precision and balance, stylish, scented oak and a long, satisfying finish. 2026-36
The 2016 Haut-Bailly has a concentrated bouquet with more floral scents than its peers, violets and iris petals infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Quite mineral-driven, leading to a vibrant finish full of tension. There is classy winemaking behind what is clearly a very classy wine. It might have shut down in recent months, hence my slightly lower score, but expect that to rise again. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2026 - 2050
The 2016 Haut-Bailly was mightily impressive when tasted from barrel. Now, matured in 50% new oak and bottled at the end of April 2018 (they prefer to bottle before spring here), it has a very well defined bouquet of black fruit, graphite, crushed stone and light rose petal aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with quite grippy tannin. This Haut-Bailly feels pure and classic in style, offering well-judged acidity and a sophisticated, quite tensile finish that lingers long in the mouth. I suspect this might close down in a year or two and deserves perhaps 8 to 10 years in bottle to show what it can really do. The best Haut-Bailly in the modern era? For certain. Drink 2026-2050
The 2016 Haut Bailly is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc picked between 26 September until 18 October. Coming in with 13.6% alcohol and an IPT of 81, which is quite close to 2010, this was quite closed at first and so I allowed my sample 15-20 minutes to open while discussing the vintage with Véronique Sanders and technical manager, Gabriel Vialard. It has a classic bouquet that is certainly less opulent and extravagant than recent vintages. This is more controlled and focused, beautifully delineated with blackberry, cedar and Earl Grey aromas that gently waft from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine-grain tannin, sappy with superb delineation and real weight and presence in the mouth. There is just the right amount of spice and salinity, the latter beckoning you back for another sip and there is a haunting pencil lead note that forms the closing credits on the aftertaste. What a brilliant Haut-Bailly, perhaps the best that I have tasted in almost 20 years of tasting at this estate. Drink 2024-2060.
This young wine shows such pinpoint precision with a full body, dense fruit and gorgeous intensity. Muscular yet toned and beautiful. It really builds on the finish. Very fine-grained. So long and beautiful. Sophisticated power. Oyster shell and iodine undertones. Traditional style yet with a modern interpretation. Savory.
Rather floral nose. Ripe and broad. Quite chewy and structured. Cool and pretty dry. Pretty chewy! Lots of dynamism.
Drink 2025-2040
