Château Haut Bages Libéral, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2022

Name: Château Haut Bages Libéral, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Haut Bages Liberal
Price: 201 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2021 2022 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

"The 2022 Haut-Bages-Libéral was picked from 6 to 26 September and is being raised in 40% new oak, plus 20% in concrete tanks and amphorae. Yields were 45hL/ha, higher than many other estates, which Clare Villars-Lurton cites as a result of their long-term application of biodynamic viticulture and use of cover crops. It has an entrancing bouquet with blackberry, briary, crushed stone and light estuarine scents, understated initially but rapidly gaining intensity. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and saline with sculpted tannins, stunning balance and a mineral finish. This is an outstanding, vivacious 2022 from proprietor Claire Villars-Lurton. 94-96" - Neal Martin, vinous.com

critic reviews

93/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Displaying aromatic complexity, chalky tannins, touches of raspberry leaf that adds freshness without being stalky, has kept the backbone and structure of Pauillac, with concentrated tannins. Good quality.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2040

date of review 03/2025

95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2022 Haut-Bages Libéral matured in 40% new oak for 16 months. This is slightly muted for the first couple of minutes, then it opens with very attractive blackberry and bilberry scents. It perhaps has more <em>mineralité</em> than the Ferrière, with just a touch of wild mint in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and cedar, cracked black pepper and saline notes toward the controlled, focused finish. What a wonderful HBL.

DRINKING WINDOW 2032 - 2070

date of review 02/2025

93-95/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Haut-Bages-Liberal is lovely, bursting with aromas of blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of orange zest, rose petals and violets. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with lively acids and a bright, chalky finish, its low pH of 3.54 reflects a decade of organic farming and the limestone subsoils that characterize this sector of Pauillac.

date of review 04/2023