2018 Haut Bailly
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Tasting notes
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.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
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. Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château.
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Headily exotic on the nose – really quite captivating. Rich – so rich it’s almost drinkable without food. Freshness is not its USP but its drama is. The worry was that this particular bottle was possibly oxidising. (JR)
The serious side of Haut-Bailly in full effect here, with Cabernet-dominant cassis and liqourice notes in the ascendant. Everything is taken slow and steady, concentrated by the relatively low 21hl/h yields but balancing cracked pepper, black truffle and smoked earth with fresher raspberry and mint leaf nuance. Give this a good 6 to 8 years more in bottle. Hottest summer since 2003 and 1947. 3.87ph. First vintage under owner Chris Wilmers, 2nd generation after Bob Wilmers.
About the producer
Quality at this château, now one of Pessac-Léognan’s leading wine estates, has risen exponentially under the reign of Véronique Sanders, with the property known for crafting wines of elegance and poise.