CHATEAU HAUT-BAILLY Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac-Leognan 2022 Bottle
Red Still Wine | France | Bordeaux | Graves/Pessac-Léognan | 75cl
£149.95
ABV: 14.5%
Size: 75cl
Closure Type: Cork
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-Region: Graves/Pessac-Léognan
Wine Style: Medium Bodied
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Description
Château Haut-Bailly, a distinguished 4ème Cru Classé in Pessac-Léognan, shines in the 2022 vintage, showcasing exceptional quality and finesse. This remarkable wine, composed of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, has garnered outstanding accolades, including 97 points from both James Suckling and Vinous. Suckling praises its incredible complexity, featuring ripe currants, blackberries, violets, and earthy notes of truffles and bark. Vinous highlights its captivating, clean nose with bilberry fruit and mineral nuances, along with a crunchy, fresh palate. Decanter awarded it 96 points, emphasizing its fragrant aromas and graceful structure complemented by silky tannins. With a drinking window from 2029 to 2046, this wine promises to mature beautifully, reflecting the exceptional terroir of Château Haut-Bailly.
*****
Château Haut-Bailly is a Graves Cru Classé estate that has really hit form in the last 5-7 years. Haut-Bailly was bought by the Sanders family in 1955 and was run by Jean Sanders until 1998 when Robert G. Wilmers, an American banker, purchased it. It is located in the commune of Léognan, which is usually more associated with white wine production.
Haut-Bailly has 28 hectares of vineyards which are very well sited on high, gravelly ground just east of Léognan village.
Haut-Bailly is renowned for its smoothness and silkiness but, since the mid 1990s, the wines have better depth of fruit as well as more grip, concentration and body. They are now amongst the top echelons of Pessac-Léognan wines.
JAMES SUCKLING - 97-98 Points
"Incredible complexity of aromas here with ripe currants and blackberries, but also dried flowers like violets and roses. Then there’s forest flower character such as bark, mushroom and sandalwood. Black truffles. Full-bodied with tight and chewy tannins that are polished and pure, with a solid and tight finish. It builds on your palate and frames the wine beautifully. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc."
VINOUS - 97 Points
"The 2022 Haut-Bailly was the second vintage made in the new cellar. It was bottled at the end of March, a little earlier than some other wines in this vintage, as Gabrielle prefers an earlier settling in barrel. This spent the last two months in tank at a cold temperature at the end of the élevage. It has a captivating nose that's so clean and precise, featuring bilberry fruit, crushed stone, light sea spray and estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied and very fresh, with crunchy blackberry fruit tones and plenty of sapidity. This has real tension and mineralité from start to finish, yet it is imbued with a sense of weightlessness that distinguishes it from its peers. It is outstanding." Reviewed by Neal Martin
THE WINE ADVOCATE - 94-96 Points
"The 2022 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of dark berries complemented by accents of iris, lilac, rose petals, graphite and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, dense, it's layered and textural, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, saline finish. Vinified along traditional lines, it is a structured wine that will take some time to hit its stride, but at this early stage it appears suppler and more seamless than its 2020 and 2019 predecessors. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from grapes picked from September 7 to 27, it's maturing half in new barriques and half in one- or two-year-old barrels." Reviewed by Yohan Castaing, 28th Apr 2023
JANCIS ROBINSON - 17.5+ Points
"Blackish crimson. Delightfully and subtly perfumed. Restrained power with lots tucked in for future development. No shortage of tannin but lots of pretty fruit, too. This should run and run and is very delicately balanced." (JR)
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DECANTER - 96 Points
"Fragranced nose, purple fruits, blackcurrants, juniper, liquorice, crushed stones, salt, violets, roses, dark chocolate and cherries - perfumed, alive and expressive. Smooth, but generous with crunchy fruit and salty touches that come in and coat the super fine tannins with a powdery sensation that really fills the mouth. Nice terroir aspects, smooth, well textured and elegantly weighted. Gives dark fruit, subtle savoury tones with dark chocolate and herbal aspects giving nuance. Excellent length and freshness, it's graceful but almost a bit light in terms of fruit density and plushness - although the tannins are exceptional, really so sleek and silky with definition and detail. Feels well worked, gentle, confident and shiny. It's missing a touch more excitement and juicy liveliness but it’s extremely finessed and you can't fault the attention to detail of the tannins and the moreish quality they give. Great potential. 3.92pH. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. A yield of 30hl/ha. Consultants Christophe Olivier and Axel Marchal. Harvest 7-27 September." Reviewed by Georgina Hindle Apr 23
Drinking Window: 2029-2046