Château Haut-Bages Libéral

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

9.0736 ratings
9.0125 pro ratings
Pauillac, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Red Bordeaux Blend
Chili & Hot Spicy, Potato, White Rice, Mushrooms, Pasta, Pork, Salami & Prosciutto, Pungent Cheese, Lamb, Tomato-Based, Onion, Shallot, Garlic, Beef, Hard Cheese, Venison
Top Notes For
Chris McClellan

Wow, still ripe, lush black fruit, bell pepper and jalapeños popping thru. Lots of secondaries…leather, smoky, mushrooms, bakkng spices and slight vanilla..this could age another 10 years easily…incredible.

Wow, still ripe, lush black fruit, bell pepper and jalapeños popping thru. Lots of secondaries…leather, smoky, mushrooms, bakkng spices and slight vanilla..this could age another 10 years easily…incredible.

Nov 26th, 2022
Aaron Tan

Enjoyable and quite elegant, even though I wasn’t compelled to drink much more than a glass on this occasion. Blinded, my guess was way off the mark. I was thrown in the direction of Italy with the VA-lifted red fruits on the nose (NB: Interestingly, this has happened more than once for me with relatively young and elegant Bordeaux). Also some wood, smoke, herbs, and earth on the nose. On the palate, more dark fruits with a creamy and balsamic edge. Medium bodied and pretty lengthy. Should be great with some food.

Enjoyable and quite elegant, even though I wasn’t compelled to drink much more than a glass on this occasion. Blinded, my guess was way off the mark. I was thrown in the direction of Italy with the VA-lifted red fruits on the nose (NB: Interestingly, this has happened more than once for me with relatively young and elegant Bordeaux). Also some wood, smoke, herbs, and earth on the nose. On the palate, more dark fruits with a creamy and balsamic edge. Medium bodied and pretty lengthy. Should be great with some food.

Nov 25th, 2022
Eric

Drinking nicely on day 2. A good wine, well made, fruit may not have been the best - didn’t exceed expectations. Dark ruby, no bricking, fine tannins, perfectly nice.

Drinking nicely on day 2. A good wine, well made, fruit may not have been the best - didn’t exceed expectations. Dark ruby, no bricking, fine tannins, perfectly nice.

Aug 25th, 2022
Daniel P. Drake

This is one beautiful wine. I opened the 2010 Château Haut-Bages Libéral. Pauillac 5th Growth Château from the Left Bank Bordeaux. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot.

On the nose there is black cherry, blackberry, black plum, black currant, mocha, mint, herbs, smokey camp fire, cedar, crushed gravel and earth.

On the palate there is black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, herbs, smoeky oak, graphite and earth.

This is a wonderful full bodied wine with a fresh creamy mouthfeel medium + acidity and medium + mouthcoating polished tannins with a very expressive long red & black fruit graphite finish. I hope everyone's weekend has been eventful and I wish everyone a wonderful week ahead. Please stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷

This is one beautiful wine. I opened the 2010 Château Haut-Bages Libéral. Pauillac 5th Growth Château from the Left Bank Bordeaux. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot.

On the nose there is black cherry, blackberry, black plum, black currant, mocha, mint, herbs, smokey camp fire, cedar, crushed gravel and earth.

On the palate there is black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, herbs, smoeky oak, graphite and earth.

This is a wonderful full bodied wine with a fresh creamy mouthfeel medium + acidity and medium + mouthcoating polished tannins with a very expressive long red & black fruit graphite finish. I hope everyone's weekend has been eventful and I wish everyone a wonderful week ahead. Please stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷

Aug 14th, 2022
Gregory Fulchiero

Cassis, leather, ripe and baked dark cherry, blackberry, turned earth, and baking spices. Wonderful trajectory.

Cassis, leather, ripe and baked dark cherry, blackberry, turned earth, and baking spices. Wonderful trajectory.

May 25th, 2022
Stefan Dolhain

2004 vintage. A very nice surprise. Still a lot of ripe cassis fruit and velvety mouthfeel.

2004 vintage. A very nice surprise. Still a lot of ripe cassis fruit and velvety mouthfeel.

Dec 25th, 2021
John Riddick

Perfectly aged, beautiful wine. Sweet, finely grained tannins. Stewed strawberry and blackberry. Hint of cigar box and earth.

Perfectly aged, beautiful wine. Sweet, finely grained tannins. Stewed strawberry and blackberry. Hint of cigar box and earth.

Aug 11th, 2020
Mike R
9.0

Still the same / not great and not bad - missing another gear I been waiting for

Still the same / not great and not bad - missing another gear I been waiting for

Mar 1st, 2020
Peter van den Besselaar

Vintage 2000 / friendly refinement with mocca and autumnleaves in smell, powerful elegance, very nice

Vintage 2000 / friendly refinement with mocca and autumnleaves in smell, powerful elegance, very nice

Feb 4th, 2020
David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

For our wedding reception in Cortona, I packed a magnum of 1986 Haut-Bages Liberal. Since then, we have bought it in all good Bordeaux years and have one on our anniversary. Sadly, I have an 86 somewhere in my EuroCave cabinets. I just couldn’t find it. It has been a challenging afternoon. Next year! A excellent vintage of Haut-Bages Liberal will just have to fill in.

The nose reveals; dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, some dark spices, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals.

Most of the 2000 Left Bank wines typically remain tight as a drum. This is just starting to open up and ascend.

The body is full, ripe, rich, lush and showing the beauty of the vintage. The tannins are rounded but, still show plenty of teeth and meaty, sticky, tarriness. The structure & tension are just starting to relax. The length and balance are really nice and will continue to better with many years in bottle. It’s still a hold for 7–10 years for its full beauty. Dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, strawberries, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, dark spices with palate heat, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, expresso roast, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry, crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, hints of black pepper, old & fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; ripe, well balanced with fruit and earth with penetrating earth/minerals and persists several minutes.

Happy Anniversary Sofia...would love to do it all over again as we did in 2012.

Photos of; the Piazza of the La Repubblica...the building we were married, us leaving for our reception and one of the better meals of our life, walking through town on the way to our reception and our wedding ceremony.

For our wedding reception in Cortona, I packed a magnum of 1986 Haut-Bages Liberal. Since then, we have bought it in all good Bordeaux years and have one on our anniversary. Sadly, I have an 86 somewhere in my EuroCave cabinets. I just couldn’t find it. It has been a challenging afternoon. Next year! A excellent vintage of Haut-Bages Liberal will just have to fill in.

The nose reveals; dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, some dark spices, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals.

Most of the 2000 Left Bank wines typically remain tight as a drum. This is just starting to open up and ascend.

The body is full, ripe, rich, lush and showing the beauty of the vintage. The tannins are rounded but, still show plenty of teeth and meaty, sticky, tarriness. The structure & tension are just starting to relax. The length and balance are really nice and will continue to better with many years in bottle. It’s still a hold for 7–10 years for its full beauty. Dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, strawberries, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, dark spices with palate heat, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, expresso roast, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry, crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, hints of black pepper, old & fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; ripe, well balanced with fruit and earth with penetrating earth/minerals and persists several minutes.

Happy Anniversary Sofia...would love to do it all over again as we did in 2012.

Photos of; the Piazza of the La Repubblica...the building we were married, us leaving for our reception and one of the better meals of our life, walking through town on the way to our reception and our wedding ceremony.

Oct 5th, 2019