Haut Bailly 2009

Pessac-Leognan, Grand Cru Classé

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Tasting Notes
Right from the first moment you look at this wine you can see that it remains young, concentrated and full of life. Clear smoked caramel on the nose, the texture is supremely silky and seductive, creamy in a way that sits against the taut precision of most vintages of Haut-Bailly and yet still maintaining control and poise. The aromatics are young and seductive, and the terroir has not yet fully overtaken the vintage expression, but it will do in another five or six years. A huge success. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2020-2050 03 July 2020
The 2009 Haut-Bailly has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, liquorice, hints of star anise and boysenberry jam, opulent and vivacious, a little glossy perhaps? The palate is medium-bodied with very supple and lithe tannin matched with a fine bead of acidity. Lovely balance here, fine tension with a insistent grip, layers of black fruit laced with cedar and graphite towards the very Pauillac-like finish. Superb. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting. Score: 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2045 01 March 2019
Tasted at the chateau, the sample taken 16th March from a pre-blend of the Merlot and three lots of Cabernet (probably no pressed wine this year) and a second sample at a negociant. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc with 55% new barrels. A very deep garnet/black colour. This has a very refined nose of blackcurrant, raspberry, wild hedgerow, a nice minerality all with very good delineation but very tightly wound at the moment: this really does demand coaxing from the glass. With further aeration, that minerality is really coming through nicely (much more so than at the chateau!) The palate is full-bodied with a soft entry, grippy tannins, structure on the entry, dense black ripe fruit with an underlying stoniness. It is the follow through, like a wave crashing onto the back palate that really marks this wine out, with very fine persistency and minerality towards the finish. Silky and slightly creamy in texture towards the finish. Superb. Tasted April 2010. Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 28 March 2010
I have had this wine now four separate times since I wrote my official review after bottling of the 2009s. It goes from strength to strength, and it is not surprising that it is now one of the perfect wines of this great, great vintage - the finest vintage of Bordeaux that I have tasted in 37 years covering that epicenter for world-class quality in wine. Much of it is attributable to winemaker Véronique Sanders and her boss, Robert Wilmers. Their incredibly draconian selection process and their enormous investments in both the viticulture and the estate as well as the winemaking facility have paid off brilliantly over the last decade. The 2009, which has an opaque ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, blackcurrants and spice, hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, saturated and rich mouthfeel, but an elegant and ethereal quality that is difficult to articulate. It is rich, complex and tastes as if it were the vinous equivalent of a remarkable haute couture creation from the late Coco Chanel. It is full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety-textured, sumptuous and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s tend to be, given their richness of fruit, low acidity and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade away, and this wine is set for 50 or more years of longevity. Kudos to Haut-Bailly! Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2065 01 April 2015
The 2009 Haut-Bailly has an opaque ruby/purple color, a beautiful nose of lead pencil shavings, crème de cassis, blackberry and plum, followed by an intense, super-concentrated mouthfeel that is expansive and savory, with beautifully integrated tannins and low acidity, as most wines in this vintage possess. There is still plenty of freshness and liveliness from this great terroir. The finish goes on for close to a minute and the wine, while still a young pre-adolescent in terms of its evolution, is absolutely spectacularly complex and enjoyable already. This is a 40- to 50-year wine that will probably be surpassed in its longevity by its younger sibling, the 2010. Score: 100 Robert Parker, Hedonists Gazette, robertparker.com 01 June 2014
A dense ruby/purple-tinged color offers up notes of forest floor, subtle wood smoke, mulberries, black cherries, cassis and a hint of lead pencil shavings. There is even a floral component lurking in the intricate aromatic profile. The wine is medium to full-bodied with wonderful intensity that builds incrementally and has a long, silky, luscious finish. There is plenty of tannin, but it is largely concealed by the wine’s beautiful fruit and ethereal complexity. Given its virtually perfect balance, this brilliant Haut-Bailly should age effortlessly for 3-4 decades. This is a tour de force in winemaking, particularly for readers seeking the quintessential example of a Bordeaux that combines compelling complexity and finesse with significant flavor authority and intensity. I suppose we could see this coming as American owner, Robert Wilmers, along with his winemaker/manager, Veronique Sanders, continue to push the envelope. Yields were extremely low in 2009, and the final blend was an intriguing concoction of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. It came in just under 14% natural alcohol, which makes it among one of the more powerful Haut-Baillys produced. However, power is not the hallmark of this wine. This terroir is known to produce relatively light wines, and by reducing yields and picking riper fruit, Wilmers and Sanders have achieved a level of concentration and intensity that is unprecedented for Haut-Bailly. That said, they have not lost any of these wines’ stunning elegance, finesse or aromatic complexity. (98+ Points) Score: 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2016 01 March 2012
The greatest Haut-Bailly ever made? One can’t speak enough of the job Veronique Sanders has done in 2009, allied with the owner, the American banker Robert Wilmers, who has given her carte blanche authority. Tiny yields have resulted in the most concentrated Haut-Bailly I have ever tasted. Eclipsing even the 2005, the 2009 (a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc) possesses 13.9% natural alcohol. Dense purple to the rim, it exhibits a precise, nuanced nose of mulberries, black cherries, black currants, graphite, and a singular floral component. A wine of profound intensity and full-bodied power, yet stunningly elegant, and never heavy or massive, it builds incrementally on the palate, and the finish lasts over 45 seconds. Remarkably, there is not a hard edge to be found in this beauty. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were harvested between October 7 and 14, which explains their phenolic maturity. The wine’s extraordinary freshness, elegance, and precision are nearly surreal. This tour de force should age brilliantly for 40+ years. (96-98+ points) Score: 96 - 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-50 01 April 2010
Aromas of blackberries, wet earth and mushrooms, follow through to a full body, with a solid core of fruit. Velvety and delicious, yet wonderfully structured. Muscular wine. Best ever? Try in 2018. Score: 97 James Suckling, - Maturity: 2018+ 15 February 2012
Lovely sweet berry and plum aromas, with hints of sandalwood and cedar. Full-bodied, with milk chocolate, berry and vanilla bean character. Thick and dense tannins, but balanced and very pretty. Sneaks up on you. Really powerful in tannins. This could be better than the fab 2005. 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 percent Merlot and 3 percent Cabernet Franc. Score: 95 - 98 James Suckling, Wine Spectator 31 March 2010
Deep ruby. Highly perfumed nose is brimming with blackcurrant, blackberry and violet; shows an almost fruit cocktail quality. Then smooth, dense and lush, with noteworthy intensity to its fresh black fruit flavors complicated by stony minerality and exotic herbs. A wonderfully seamless and concentrated wine with superb balance, very smooth tannins and an extremely long aftertaste. Though very ripe, this betrays no sign of overextraction or the exaggerated flavors shown by many other wines in this vintage. Likely to be one of the great vintages for Haut-Bailly. Score: 92 - 95 Ian D'Agata, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2010
Rather pale. Lifted and gentle and a little muted and tart but certainly appetising. Just the merest hint of green? Score: 16 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2017-2026 02 April 2010
In 2004, Veronique Sanders engaged Jean-Delmas, formerly of Haut Brion, as consultant winemaker. They have spent time studying the terroir here, a mosaic of different soils, which Delmas believes is the best in the appellation! Previously rather light, Haut Bailly is now consistently one of the best wines of the appellation in recent years. The 2009 is a gorgeous wine, with layers and layers of pure cassis fruit and some complicating spice. Superbly textured. Finishes very well. The fruit stays with you for a very long time, eventually leading to a cappuccino finale. Very elegant Graves. Score: 94 - 96 Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010

Tasting Notes

Right from the first moment you look at this wine you can see that it remains young, concentrated and full of life. Clear smoked caramel on the nose, the texture is supremely silky and seductive, creamy in a way that sits against the taut precision of most vintages of Haut-Bailly and yet still maintaining control and poise. The aromatics are young and seductive, and the terroir has not yet fully overtaken the vintage expression, but it will do in another five or six years. A huge success.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2020-2050 03 July 2020

The 2009 Haut-Bailly has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, liquorice, hints of star anise and boysenberry jam, opulent and vivacious, a little glossy perhaps? The palate is medium-bodied with very supple and lithe tannin matched with a fine bead of acidity. Lovely balance here, fine tension with a insistent grip, layers of black fruit laced with cedar and graphite towards the very Pauillac-like finish. Superb. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.

Score: 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2045 01 March 2019

Tasted at the chateau, the sample taken 16th March from a pre-blend of the Merlot and three lots of Cabernet (probably no pressed wine this year) and a second sample at a negociant. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc with 55% new barrels. A very deep garnet/black colour. This has a very refined nose of blackcurrant, raspberry, wild hedgerow, a nice minerality all with very good delineation but very tightly wound at the moment: this really does demand coaxing from the glass. With further aeration, that minerality is really coming through nicely (much more so than at the chateau!) The palate is full-bodied with a soft entry, grippy tannins, structure on the entry, dense black ripe fruit with an underlying stoniness. It is the follow through, like a wave crashing onto the back palate that really marks this wine out, with very fine persistency and minerality towards the finish. Silky and slightly creamy in texture towards the finish. Superb. Tasted April 2010.

Score: 92 - 94

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 28 March 2010

I have had this wine now four separate times since I wrote my official review after bottling of the 2009s. It goes from strength to strength, and it is not surprising that it is now one of the perfect wines of this great, great vintage - the finest vintage of Bordeaux that I have tasted in 37 years covering that epicenter for world-class quality in wine. Much of it is attributable to winemaker Véronique Sanders and her boss, Robert Wilmers. Their incredibly draconian selection process and their enormous investments in both the viticulture and the estate as well as the winemaking facility have paid off brilliantly over the last decade. The 2009, which has an opaque ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, blackcurrants and spice, hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, saturated and rich mouthfeel, but an elegant and ethereal quality that is difficult to articulate. It is rich, complex and tastes as if it were the vinous equivalent of a remarkable haute couture creation from the late Coco Chanel. It is full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety-textured, sumptuous and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s tend to be, given their richness of fruit, low acidity and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade away, and this wine is set for 50 or more years of longevity. Kudos to Haut-Bailly!

Score: 100

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2065 01 April 2015

The 2009 Haut-Bailly has an opaque ruby/purple color, a beautiful nose of lead pencil shavings, crème de cassis, blackberry and plum, followed by an intense, super-concentrated mouthfeel that is expansive and savory, with beautifully integrated tannins and low acidity, as most wines in this vintage possess. There is still plenty of freshness and liveliness from this great terroir. The finish goes on for close to a minute and the wine, while still a young pre-adolescent in terms of its evolution, is absolutely spectacularly complex and enjoyable already. This is a 40- to 50-year wine that will probably be surpassed in its longevity by its younger sibling, the 2010.

Score: 100

Robert Parker, Hedonists Gazette, robertparker.com 01 June 2014

A dense ruby/purple-tinged color offers up notes of forest floor, subtle wood smoke, mulberries, black cherries, cassis and a hint of lead pencil shavings. There is even a floral component lurking in the intricate aromatic profile. The wine is medium to full-bodied with wonderful intensity that builds incrementally and has a long, silky, luscious finish. There is plenty of tannin, but it is largely concealed by the wine’s beautiful fruit and ethereal complexity. Given its virtually perfect balance, this brilliant Haut-Bailly should age effortlessly for 3-4 decades. This is a tour de force in winemaking, particularly for readers seeking the quintessential example of a Bordeaux that combines compelling complexity and finesse with significant flavor authority and intensity. I suppose we could see this coming as American owner, Robert Wilmers, along with his winemaker/manager, Veronique Sanders, continue to push the envelope. Yields were extremely low in 2009, and the final blend was an intriguing concoction of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. It came in just under 14% natural alcohol, which makes it among one of the more powerful Haut-Baillys produced. However, power is not the hallmark of this wine. This terroir is known to produce relatively light wines, and by reducing yields and picking riper fruit, Wilmers and Sanders have achieved a level of concentration and intensity that is unprecedented for Haut-Bailly. That said, they have not lost any of these wines’ stunning elegance, finesse or aromatic complexity. (98+ Points)

Score: 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2016 01 March 2012

The greatest Haut-Bailly ever made? One can’t speak enough of the job Veronique Sanders has done in 2009, allied with the owner, the American banker Robert Wilmers, who has given her carte blanche authority. Tiny yields have resulted in the most concentrated Haut-Bailly I have ever tasted. Eclipsing even the 2005, the 2009 (a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc) possesses 13.9% natural alcohol. Dense purple to the rim, it exhibits a precise, nuanced nose of mulberries, black cherries, black currants, graphite, and a singular floral component. A wine of profound intensity and full-bodied power, yet stunningly elegant, and never heavy or massive, it builds incrementally on the palate, and the finish lasts over 45 seconds. Remarkably, there is not a hard edge to be found in this beauty. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were harvested between October 7 and 14, which explains their phenolic maturity. The wine’s extraordinary freshness, elegance, and precision are nearly surreal. This tour de force should age brilliantly for 40+ years. (96-98+ points)

Score: 96 - 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-50 01 April 2010

Aromas of blackberries, wet earth and mushrooms, follow through to a full body, with a solid core of fruit. Velvety and delicious, yet wonderfully structured. Muscular wine. Best ever? Try in 2018.

Score: 97

James Suckling, - Maturity: 2018+ 15 February 2012

Lovely sweet berry and plum aromas, with hints of sandalwood and cedar. Full-bodied, with milk chocolate, berry and vanilla bean character. Thick and dense tannins, but balanced and very pretty. Sneaks up on you. Really powerful in tannins. This could be better than the fab 2005. 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 percent Merlot and 3 percent Cabernet Franc.

Score: 95 - 98

James Suckling, Wine Spectator 31 March 2010

Deep ruby. Highly perfumed nose is brimming with blackcurrant, blackberry and violet; shows an almost fruit cocktail quality. Then smooth, dense and lush, with noteworthy intensity to its fresh black fruit flavors complicated by stony minerality and exotic herbs. A wonderfully seamless and concentrated wine with superb balance, very smooth tannins and an extremely long aftertaste. Though very ripe, this betrays no sign of overextraction or the exaggerated flavors shown by many other wines in this vintage. Likely to be one of the great vintages for Haut-Bailly.

Score: 92 - 95

Ian D'Agata, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2010

Rather pale. Lifted and gentle and a little muted and tart but certainly appetising. Just the merest hint of green?

Score: 16

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2017-2026 02 April 2010

In 2004, Veronique Sanders engaged Jean-Delmas, formerly of Haut Brion, as consultant winemaker. They have spent time studying the terroir here, a mosaic of different soils, which Delmas believes is the best in the appellation! Previously rather light, Haut Bailly is now consistently one of the best wines of the appellation in recent years. The 2009 is a gorgeous wine, with layers and layers of pure cassis fruit and some complicating spice. Superbly textured. Finishes very well. The fruit stays with you for a very long time, eventually leading to a cappuccino finale. Very elegant Graves.

Score: 94 - 96

Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010

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