Château Haut Bailly, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2024
Haut Bailly’s terroir is quite precocious, so flowering occurred in the last week of May under dry conditions. This meant the set was more uniform than neighbours who had a more prolonged flowering. Composed from 58% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, it unfurls from the glass with a fragrant bouquet revealing mulberries, griotte, stones, , cedar, iris, lilac, cranberry, redcurrant and a touch of sour plum. The palate is composed and crisp, with a vibrant core of bright fruit, exhibiting cassis and raspberry mingled with pencil shavings and subtle floral notes, all framed by powdery tannins, which lead to a long, fragrant finish with distinctive, salty, blood orange notes.
critic reviews
Deep garnet-purple colored. Comes bounding out with exuberant notes of black cherries and fresh black currants, plus hints of violets, dark chocolate, and menthol with a waft of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is coated with bright blackberry flavors, supported by soft, silky tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
The 2024 Haut-Bailly was picked from September 25 to October 4 and matured in 50% new oak, possibly with a shorter élevage. As usual, it deserves patience at this stage as it gradually opens and coheres with aeration. This has a perfumed bouquet built around redcurrant, cranberry and wild strawberry fruit. It's quite floral in style with finely delineated touches of freshly-rolled tobacco and wilted rose petal. The palate is creamy on the entry and velvety in texture, with finely chiseled, lace-like tannins. It is very well balanced with one of the few sensual vintages that you will find from this year. This will be much earlier drinking than other vintages, but that does not detract from what will be one of the most pleasurable 2024s to drink.
Savoury, precise and poised, with lovely texture, softly spoken with high floral aromatics, rose petals, peony, fine tannins, drawn out character, long slow build of tension through the palate, unrolling to show white truffle and mint leaf. Tannic grip, estate signature, more softly spoken than in recent vintages, but Haut-Bailly has proved over and over again that it is capable of delivering over the long term, and that it delivers excellence even in challenging vintages - an upscore potential in bottle. Harvest 18 September to 4 October, 30hl/h yield. Gabriel Vialard technical director.
I tasted the 2024 Haut-Bailly twice and found it hard to understand. Judgement reserved until after bottling.