Château Haut-Bailly - Subskription -

96-98/100 Vinous The 2023 Haut-Bailly was picked from September 11 to 29 at 40.5hL/ha. It is being raised in 50% new oak for a planned 14 months, plus another three in vats. Véronique Sanders told me that there is 6% vin de presse in the blend this year. This has a beguiling bouquet that instantly switches on a metaphorical neon sign that announces you are in the presence of a very serious wine. Extremely pure and delineated, the nose presents aromas of blackberry mixed with wild strawberry, cedar and light sous-bois. It's much more classical in style compared to the 2022. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins that frame the blackberry, raspberry, cedar and graphite-infused fruit. It boasts more grip and persistency on the finish than its peers, with a residual subtle pinch of black pepper. This ranks as one of the standout wines in Pessac-Léognan, perhaps in Bordeaux itself. Outstanding. - Neal Martin 97-98/100 Jamessuckling.com I am thinking about the purity of fruit here, with blackcurrants, cassis and lead pencil. There's an underlying character of mineral and flint. The palate is dense, focused and precise, with very fine tannins that are ultra-fine and layered and go vertically down the palate. Everything is in the right place. So much polish and a svelte nature. Then hints of hazelnut and walnut to the refined texture. Sophisticated. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. - James Suckling 96-98/100 The Wine Cellar Insider Flowers, cedar, spice, and tobacco coupled with black raspberries, blackberries, and smoke aromatics are what initially grabs your attention. There is a vibrancy paired with elegant, firm tannins, and purity, and length that is impossible to ignore on the palate. The finish is silky, and refined, leaving you with lingering black raspberries, and black cherries, with a refreshing touch of mint in the slightly, firm endnote that make you want to take another sip. It was management of the mildew pressure, along with paying attention to the degree of alcohol which were the two key areas of attention here this year. The wine blends 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 4% Petit Verdot. 14.3% ABV, pH 3.75. 6% press wine. Picking took place September 11 - September 29. Drink from 2029-2060. 96-98 Pts. - Jeff Leve 95-97/100 Jeb Dunnuck The 2023 Château Haut-Bailly is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new French oak. It has an incredible sense of purity and elegance, with perfumed redcurrants, darker berries, dried herbs, flowers, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied red with beautiful tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and that undeniable sense of class and finesse that define this château. - Jeb Dunnuck 94-96/100 Vinous The 2023 Haut-Bailly is one of the most sensual, elegant wines I have tasted here. Soft, curvy and racy, the 2023 is impeccably balanced right out of the gate. Deceptively approachable and soft, the 2023 is much more about finesse than power. It’s a wine that represents the new spirit of Bordeaux—a wine that emphasizes understatement and class. - Antonio Galloni 94-96/100 Wine Advocate A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon (harvested from the 20th to the 29th of September), 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of mulberries, cassis, dark wild berries, pencil lead, licorice and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and rich palate that is both layered and seamless, its deep mid-palate animated by lively acids, concluding with long, mineral, penetrating finish. Although it displays a darker, more brooding profile character than in previous years, it remains highly representative of its terroir and will benefit from some patience. It's being matured in 50% new oak. - Yohan Castaing 97/100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Inky plum colour, this is just so effortless, incredible savoury and moreish, salted cracker and cocoa bean, fine plentiful tannins, with plenty of hidden depths. Feels like a wine that you know you will be thrilled to be drinking in years to come. High floral aromatics unwind as you sit with the glass, showing purity of rose bud and liquorice, chalky tannins that are supple with finesse and grain. 50% new oak. Harvest September 11 to 29. - Jane Anson 98-100/100 Yvesbeck.wine Haut-Bailly II hat die Richtung bereits vorgegeben. Der erste Wein nimmt die Herausforderung des zweiten gelassen an. Wenn die Weichen so gut gestellt sind, kann Haut Bailly von diesem goldenen Pfad nur profitieren. Das intensive und präzise Bouquet hat einen klaren Fokus auf Frucht und Frische, mit Noten von roten Beeren und schwarzen Johannisbeeren, während feine Holznuancen im Hintergrund agieren. Der Auftakt ist ebenfalls präzise. Er kündigt den Wein feinfühlig an und ebnet den Weg für einen tiefgründigen, tonischen Haut Bailly mit subtilen und kraftvollen Tanninen, die zudem gut eingebunden sind. Ein gradliniger, purer, akkurater Wein mit einer außergewöhnlichen Länge. - Yves Beck 95/100 Falstaff Dark ruby, purple reflections. Delicately floral, fine nuances of strawberry confit, ripe cherries, a hint of candied orange zest, mineral touch. Complex palate, juicy and elegant, fine fruit expression, integrated, supporting tannins, very good length, taut, red berry nuances in the finish, good length, fine herbal savouriness in the after- taste, certain ageing potential. - Peter Moser