Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan,

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.

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.

The 2020 Haut-Bailly showed extremely well when I tasted it at my home during lockdown. Now in bottle since spring 2022, it upholds a wonderful bouquet with multi-layered black fruit laced with briary, flint, blood orange and light peony scents. That orange element becomes a touch more pronounced with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine backbone, brimming with energy and remaining harmonious from start to finish. This is a long-term prospect, an achievement considering that this was supposed to be vinified in their new winery, but due to Covid delays ended up being vinified in their old facility (though barrel maturation was able to be done in the new cellar.)