Appellations

Haut Bailly 2021

Pessac-Leognan, Grand Cru Classé

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Tasting Notes

If you had to pick an estate in Bordeaux that can rise to the challenge of a cool vintage, Haut-Bailly would have to be on the shortlist, and you can see the precision that they are able to craft here. In bottle it retains a knitted down, subdued, reserved feel, with estate signature, and plenth of blueberry, loganberry, cassis, slate, crushed rock and gunsmoke, poised and full of energy. Small 19hl/h yield, meaning that in this first year with the new cellar they used just 20 of the smallest size vats (out of 50 in total). Harvest September 27 to October 11. Axel Marchal consultant.

Score: 96 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2041 Date: 21 February 2024

Elegant and flowing with mineral, dark fruit and smoky notes. Plenty of freshness, the fruit juicy and gourmand. Grainy tannins and a saline finish. Less grand scale than recent years but harmony and balance prevail.

Score: 16+ James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2027-2038 Date: 11 May 2022

Lots of graphite and crushed-stone character with redcurrants and pine needles. Medium body with silky and layered tannins. Pretty balance and elegance. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 10% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Haut-Bailly is built around 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, the blend employing less Merlot and more Petit Verdot this year since the latter was not affected by frost. It was picked between September 27 and October 11 and matured in 50% new oak with 10% vin de presse. Allowed to open in the glass, it unfurls to reveal blackberry, briar, touches of crushed stone and cedar. The taut, fresh palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine acidity. This is back to the older style of Haut-Bailly in some ways; less opulent, in keeping with the style of the vintage, and delivering good weight on the finish, even if there is not the persistent aftertaste of previous vintages. The great virtue of this Haut-Bailly is the sapidity that marks the conclusion. The kind of Pessac-Léognan that needs to be decanted then poured at the dinner table.

Score: 93 - 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2055 Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Haut-Bailly is a dark, rather somber wine. The aromatics alone are captivating, but there are strong savory inflections from the high percentage of Petit Verdot in this year's blend. This deceptively mid-weight Haut-Bailly has plenty to offer. Spice, leather, tobacco and incense linger. The final blend also includes 10% press wine.

Score: 94 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2061 Date: 01 May 2022

A classic in the making, the 2021 Haut-Bailly wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries and wild plums mingled with sweet spices, loamy soil, raw cocoa and violets. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and concentrated, with bright acids, ultra-refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish, it's a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, only 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. With yields of a mere 19 hectoliters per hectare, it's impressively intensely flavored despite its quintessentially elegant, classically proportioned profile. In many respects, it may represent the Cabernet-driven modern-day alter ego of the superb Merlot-dominant 1998 Haut-Bailly.

Score: 94 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

The 2021 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's another elegant, pure, incredibly balanced wine from this château, offering complex aromatics (cassis, smoked tobacco, spicy wood, and earth), medium body, ripe, supple tannins, and a great finish. Hitting 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.9, this seamless beauty will drink nicely right out of the gate yet evolve for 25-30 years.

Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 06 February 2022