Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2020

Name: Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan
Brand: Château Haut Bailly
Price: 356.76 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2006 2009 2010 2016 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Harvested between the 9th and 25th of September from a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 rendition of Haut Bailley opens with a glorious bouquet of potpourri, cedar, leafy cassis and stones. The palate is broad, powerful and intense: black fruits, minerals, cloves; this has beautiful texture to the fruit and superb tannins that grip the mouth with a calm authority, weaving a wonderful kaleidoscopic array of dark berries and minerals on the detailed, long finish. There’s a real sense of exuberance to the fruit without any excess or flamboyance. Classical yet expressive – this is a wonderful interpretation of Haut Bailly. Control and generosity in equal measure.

critic reviews

95.5/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2020 Haut-Bailly has a much better bouquet than the de Fieuzal. It is notably fresher, with black fruit, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins—a well-knit and harmonious Pessac with a precise, understated finish. This outstanding 2020 shows its class. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2048

date of review 11/2024

98/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Deep plum colour, intense and reserved, this is poised and mouthwatering, with carved tannins. As it opens, the precise blackcurrant fruits soften to a sumptuous texture, while fennel and sage herbs wind through the palate, with oyster shell salinity and uplift on the finish. You could almost drink with a good carafe now, and yet there is a huge potential for ageing. A stunning wine. Harvest September 9 to 25. Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2044

date of review 09/2024

94+/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2020 Haut-Bailly opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, sweet berries, loamy soil, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's a concentrated, rather broad-shouldered wine built around a chassis of firm, powdery tannin that asserts itself on the finish. Haut-Bailly once rivaled Haut-Brion for the title of Pessac's most elegant wine, and I would love to see the team here ease off extraction, but this remains a strong effort that will reward patience.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2055

date of review 04/2023

99/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Haut-Bailly is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a bit of swirling to coax out notions of black cherry compote, blackcurrant pastilles, and blackberry preserves, giving way to fragrant wafts of violets, dark chocolate, cardamom, and sassafras, with a touch of Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in poise, delivering tightly wrapped black fruit, exotic spice and floral layers, with a super-plush texture and seamless acidity, finishing very long with loads of mineral sparks and tons of energy.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2064

date of review 03/2023