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2021 Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
- Red
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (22%), Petit Verdot (10%), Cabernet Franc (3%)
Not ready
(Drink 2027 - 2048)
- James Suckling
- 97/100
- Jane Anson
- 96/100
- Antonio Galloni
- 96/100
- Georgie Hindle
- 95/100
- Yohan Castaing
- 94/100
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
- 94/100
- Neal Martin
- 93/100
- Jeb Dunnuck
- 93/100
- Jancis Robinson MW
- 16/20
Product: 20218006996
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Description
This is the first vintage vinified in the wonderful new winery. Big sacrifices were necessary in the vineyard and on the sorting table; the yield is just 19 hl/ha. But these decisions are vindicated by this splendid wine, which is simultaneously imposing and discreet. Its density comes from the additional Petit Verdot, picking up some of the slack from the lighter Merlot. Gabriel Vialard describes this as “chic” – modern and stylish. Tobacco, lemongrass and liquorice are all in evidence; the finish is graceful and harmonious. This is very fine.
Our score: 18/20
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2021
Alcohol % 13%
Maturity Not ready
(2027 - 2048)
Grape List Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (22%), Petit Verdot (10%), Cabernet Franc (3%)
Body Medium Bodied
Producer Château Haut-Bailly
Critics reviews
James Suckling 97/100
The winemaker calls this wine chic, and it is, with enticing aromas of blackcurrants, chocolate, walnuts, nutmeg, bark and forest floor. Some graphite and dark mushrooms. Medium-bodied with very integrated tannins that melt into the wine, with super length and finesse at the end. It’s the subtle texture and pure and complex fruit character that impress. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 10% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Drinkable now, but this will age beautifully.
Jane Anson 96/100
Excellent job in a challenging vintage. There is an elegace, subtlety and finesse that shows the confidence in the winemaker team at this estate, leaning into the cool blue fruits and gunsmoke flint of the vintage. Plenty in common with the 2007 - translating a slimmer, less exuberant year into an elegant, deft and delicious wine. Harvest September 27 to October 12, Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.
Drink 2028 - 2040
Antonio Galloni 96/100
The 2021 Haut-Bailly is incredibly poised, even if it is clearly a wine of reserve in this vintage. Its vertical build speaks of pure sophistication. Time in the glass brings out hints of dried herbs, menthol, licorice, pine, blackberry and underbrush. Most of the blend is Cabernet, so the flavor profile and overall structural feel is quite savory. I can't wait to see how the 2021 ages. It may very well surprise down the road.
Drink 2031 - 2061
Georgie Hindle 95/100
Seductive blackcurrant and juniper with purple floral touches on the nose. Smooth texture with high acidity giving sharp strawberry fruit balanced by both savoury and mineral touches - slate, crushed stone, smoke, violets and dark chocolate - very much in the style of the vintage with no harshness or overt opulence but instead gives a pure sense of classicism, restraint and refinement. Elegant and well structured with a long determined finish - this will continue to deliver pleasure for a long time. 10% press wine. No chaptalisation. 30% grand vin. 3.9pH. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Yield 19hl/ha. First year in the new cellar.
Drink 2026 - 2045
Yohan Castaing 94/100
The 2021 Haut-Bailly, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, reveals a complex, brooding bouquet with aromas of blackcurrant, spices, plums, spring flowers and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, it’s a lively, rather muscular wine with a fleshy, dense core of fruit, tangy acids and powdery tannins. Despite its firm character, I like its overall balance. It should age gracefully over the next 10 years.
Drink 2023 - 2040
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 94/100
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Haut-Bailly is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It pops from the glass with punchy scents of kirsch, redcurrant jelly, and fresh blueberries, giving way to touches of pencil shavings, cardamom, and violets. The medium-bodied palate is restrained and elegant, featuring fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness to support the vibrant red and blue fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed. Pretty!
Drink 2027 - 2047
Neal Martin 93/100
The 2021 Haut-Bailly harked back to the older style when I tasted it out of barrel during en primeur. Now bottled since the end of March, it has developed a very composed and harmonious bouquet with blackberry, briar, cedar and melted tar scents that gradually gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, again quite saline with hints of black olive and Japanese nori tincturing the black fruit. It segues into a classically styled finish, with a welcome touch of black pepper on the aftertaste. Give this three of four years in bottle, and it should drink well for 20+ years.
Drink 2029 - 2055
Jeb Dunnuck 93/100
The 2021 Château Haut-Bailly is a beautiful, elegant wine that's very much in the style of the estate with its charming, supple, seamless profile. Red and black currants, smoke tobacco, spice, and subtle flower nuances all define this utterly classic, seamless Haut-Bailly. Coming from minuscule yields of 19 hectoliters per hectare, it will drink well for at least 20 years.
Drink 2024 - 2044
Jancis Robinson MW 16/20
Tasted blind. Good grunt and richness on the nose. A bit tight and acid on the end, with mid-weight tannins. But a confident wine …
Drink 2028 - 2032
About this wine
Pessac-Léognan
In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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