Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Name: Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan
Brand: Château Haut Bailly
Price: 711.94 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2006 2009 2010 2016 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Veronique gave us a tour of her magnificent new winery. We've seen some grand designs over the years, but this is possibly the most beautiful and serene cellar we've visited. It's almost unnoticeable from the outside. Its living roof blends with the surroundings. Inside it is both zen and functional, full of the latest technology. Beautiful, expressive aromas of flowers, cherry, Chambord and sandalwood emerge from the glass. Quite modern for Haut Bailly, very soft and textual, yet also quite upright and present. A column of cashmere. The fruit here has a peppery note alongside a cool stoniness, and fine fruit that’s running from pippy hedgerow notes to ripe blackcurrant. Crisp yet generous. This has a great flow and beautifully measured tannins; it is sure to give lots of pleasure. 22% Merlot, 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot.

critic reviews

96/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2040

date of review 09/2024

94/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

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!

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2047

date of review 04/2024

93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2055

date of review 02/2024

94/100Yohan Castaing,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

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, its 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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2023 - 2040

date of review 02/2024