Chateau Haut Bailly 2019

• Now ranks among the Super Seconds
• Almost as elegant as Haut Brion, as concentrated as La Mission

Chateau Haut Bailly is now one of the best wine estates in Bordeaux

The wines combine concentration, a classic tannin structure and great depth with profound fruit. The high proportion of Merlot ensures a lush palate with plenty of flavour.

Chateau Haut Bailly 2019 tasted:

The bouquet shows notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, cedar, tobacco, liquorice, menthol and subtle hints of earth, stone, graphite and violets.  The palate is full-bodied, velvety and elegantly muscular. It shows a remarkable balance between fruit, acidity and structure. The tannins are intense, polished, fine-grained and yet youthfully determined, indicating a long ageing potential. The finish is long, mineral and precise.

Location & Terroir

The vineyard is located in Pessac-Léognan, south of Bordeaux, on a hillside with sandy, gravelly soil that offers excellent drainage. The vineyard covers around 30 hectares of vines in one piece.

The Haut-Bailly vineyards lie on soils of sand and gravel with a fossilised limestone subsoil (Faluns de Léognan), which gives the wine its characteristic minerality.

Vinification

Vinification takes place at controlled temperatures (approx. 24°C) in order to preserve freshness and elegance. The wine is matured in small oak barrels, using around 50-55% new wood. Maturation typically lasts around 16 to 18 months. The blend of the 2019 vintage consists of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot.

The history of Haut Bailly

The first mention of winegrowing activity on the site dates back to the 15th century; formalised in the 17th century by Firmin Le Bailly, Haut-Bailly has belonged to the Sanders family since 1955 and has already experienced a rise under Jean Sanders. The success of the last 15 years is partly due to the investments of the American owner Robert G. Wilmers. But it is also the tireless work of Véronique Sanders that has continuously improved Haut Bailly.

99 jamessuckling.com Extremely aromatic, with incredible wet-earth, bark, stone and graphite notes on the nose, then changing to violets, blackberries and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, yet so linear and fine, with titanium tannins that go on so long. Builds and builds then just rolls around the palate through the endless finish. Real Bordeaux here. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot. Exceptional. Better after 2029.

96 Neal Martin vinous.com The 2019 Haut-Bailly, matured in 50% new oak and bottled in April 2021, has a stunning, classy and sophisticated bouquet of blackberry, melted tar, Earl Grey and light minerally scents. This is extremely focused, almost pixelated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, but there is real backbone and structure to this wine. Deep, intense, classy and classic in style, delivering an immense amount of sapidity on the enormously persistent finish. As I mentioned previously, this is a less flamboyant Haut-Bailly, but more intellectual.

750 mL

14.0

Bordeaux

Cabernet & Merlot

Sulphites

• Dry

France

Château Haut-Bailly, 103 Avenue de Cadaujac, 33850 Léognan, Frankreich.