Château Haut-Bailly Pessac-Léognan Cru Classé 2019 i trækasse

James Suckling

Extremely aromatic, with incredible wet-earth, bark, stone and graphite notes on the nose, then changing to violets, blackberries and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, yet so linear and fine, with titanium tannins that go on so long. Builds and builds then just rolls around the palate through the endless finish. Real Bordeaux here. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot. Exceptional.

Falstaff

Dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, subtle ocher edge lightening. Delicately floral dark wild berry confit, nuances of blackberries and licorice, fine tobacco notes, a touch of orange zest, mineral touch. Substantial, very complex, delicately chocolaty, fleshy texture, ripe, supporting tannins, velvety and long-lasting style, sweet cherries in the aftertaste, mineral-salty, great length, safe aging potential for decades.

Markus del Monego MW

Decanter

A floral bouquet on the nose, soft but deep with such clarity and such a beautiful vivid pink red colour in the glass too. The texture here is striking, smooth and mouth filling with intensity but so well presented, precise, fine and amazingly detailed. The word for 2019 is energy and this has it in abundance, it’s vibrant and alive in the mouth with such brightness. Mouthwatering acidity is set against a chalky texture so you get a full mouthfeel without any heaviness. Great structure and balance. You could almost drink this now to enjoy the immediate enjoyment but a recent tasting of the 2009 suggests this has a very long life ahead. A wine you can fall in love with!

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Captures so much of the spirit of Haut-Bailly - it is powerful, with a slow build of plump cassis and blackberry fruits, but at every point you feel a sense of restraint, with sculpted fine tannins that allow juice to run through the fruit. Harvest September 23 to October 10, 49hl/ha yield, 50% new oak. Technical director Gabriel Vialard.

Vinous

The 2019 Haut-Bailly had just been bottled prior to my visit. This is better than the 2018 with brilliant delineation on the nose and newfound purity. The palate is silky smooth with enormous depth, wonderful concentration and outstanding precision towards the finish with layers of lightly spiced black fruit. This is Fabulous with a capital "F". Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château.

Wine Enthusiast

The wine has precision, power and density, concentration and layer upon layer of fruit. The wine's spicy edge complements the impressive tannins, ripe texture and certainly promises much for the future. It will age well, drink from 2026. *Cellar Selection* (RV)

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Incredibly rich, lush, powerful, full-bodied and concentrated, as well as poised, balanced, and harmonious and fresh, the wine opens with an array of flowers, tobacco leaf, currants, black plums, espresso, smoke and herbs. Vibrant, seductive, long and complex, the wine is a beautiful expression of the vineyard with all of its complexities and nuances. It should drink a bit earlier than the 2015, 2016 and 2018. But it will still need time in the cellar.

Tastingbook.com

Robert Parker

The 2019 Haut-Bailly unwinds in the glass with complex aromas of dark berries, bay leaf, loamy soil and cigar wrapper, framed by a discreet patina of new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and elegantly muscular, it's powerful and concentrated, with lively acids and an abundance of ripe but youthfully assertive structuring tannin that will demand some patience. (WK) 96+

Jeb Dunnuck

A beautiful, elegant, and quintessential expression of this terroir, the deep ruby/purple-hued 2019 Château Haut-Bailly offers up a tight yet promising bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, darker cherries, iron, tobacco leaf, scorched earth, and cedar pencil. Possessing incredible minerality, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a classy, aristocratic, regal style, it opens up nicely with air and will benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and have a lengthy prime drinking plateau of 20-30 years. It's another pure class release from this great estate, which is run by the talented Véronique Sanders.