2018 Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

I seriously considered putting one more point on the 2018 Château Haut-Bailly, and for all practical purposes, it's as good as it gets. Based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it has a majestic, full-bodied, multi-dimensional profile as well as a blockbuster bouquet of currants, chocolate-covered cherries, iron, tapenade, and smoked tobacco. It has a sunny, exuberant, uber-sexy style, yet it's not over the top, and it has perfect ripeness not overripe or underripe), beautiful tannins, and flawless overall balance. It's approachable today yet should hit maturity in another 4-5 years and have a broad 30-40 years of prime drinking window.

Drink 2027 - 2058

Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare.

Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish. Goes on and on.

Try after 2025

Full bottle 1,351 g. ‘A year of extremes’, writes Véronique Sanders, ‘the excessive rainfall of winter and spring followed by drought and a long sunny summer’. Severe mildew pressure from June to early August resulted in a small crop but September and October were perfect for ripening and harvest. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 17 September to 9 October. Sixteen months in French oak, of which 50% new. Fined with egg whites. I can’t help noticing the silky, long cork here.

Dark-like black-cherry skins, opaque core. There’s depth, richness, and a biscuity spice over the black fruit, but it smells intense and mellow. Rich, deep and chewy. A big wine firmly structured by the tannins but polished and fully balanced for a long life, even if the acidity seems quite modest. It opens up in the glass and flows across the palate despite its depth and full body—long, dry finish with an aftertaste of 70% dark chocolate – i.e. no unwanted sweetness. 

Drink 2028 - 2040

Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château.

The 2018 Haut-Bailly replicated its showing in my in-bottle tastings. Wonderful violet and iris aromas burst from the glass with ample black fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced, silky smooth with a sumptuous, quite precocious finish. It just envelops the senses and leaves them gagging for more...but best wait a few years.

Drink 2026 - 2050

The 2018 Haut-Bailly is blended with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it has 14.4% alcohol.

Deep garnet-purple coloured, it needs a little coaxing to unlock a powerhouse of black fruit preserves, offering notes of blackberry pie, crème de cassis and black cherry compote, giving way to nuances of Chinese five spice, camphor, chocolate box and liquorice with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with plush, textured, rich black fruits, supported by a lively backbone, and finishes long and spicy. It is decadently tempting to drink now, but give it five years in bottle to begin to see its full glory, while it should continue to transform for a further 20 years or more in cellar.

Drink 2026 - 2046

The 2018 Haut-Bailly soars out of the glass, showing magnificent poise that only grows with time. Sweet, perfumed aromatics, silky tannins and mid-weight structure add to its considerable allure. Ripe red berry fruit, spice, blood orange, liquorice, cedar, tobacco and menthol are all woven together in an effortless, classy Haut-Bailly that delivers the goods. I suppose the 2018 doesn't quite have the explosive energy of the very best years, but it more than makes up for that with its sensual, seductive personality.

Drink 2028 - 2048

5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, co-fermented with Petit Verdot. A yield of 21hl/ha.

The first vintage under Chris Wilmers, succeeding his father, Bob. A brilliant Haut-Bailly, living up to its En Primeur promise, packed with ripe, rippling black and red berry fruit and a wonderful velvety texture. It was still extremely young, more closed than it was during En Primeur, but packed with layers of brilliance, saline quality on the finish, with a tight slate grip slowing everything down.

Drink 2028 - 2045