Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé Red Bordeaux Blend

Happy New Year!🎈🎆🎊

From mag. Who said the2007 vintage was bad? They didn’t taste it 16 years from inception or 14 years in bottle. Excellent as our first prime rib wine.

2nd night tasting with leftovers. One glass left. It’s dark inky, round, mushy velvety tannins, dark currants, blackberries, blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, plum pudding, strawberry highlighter, dry stones, limestone powder, dark turned earth, soft, fresh & dry tobacco notes, soft lead pencil shavings, wet volcanic ash, moist clay, charcoal, sandalwood, understated dark spice, dark chocolate, just a touch of baking spices, dark & red withering flowers, violets, excellent round acidity and a well knitted structure, balanced fruit & earth, good tension with a long elegant finish that falls on a dry mineral finish lasting 90 seconds.

I always leave an inch to inch and half in the bottle to pour a bit to all at the end. I believe the expression for that is, “The Truth! From the expression, the truth is inside. It doesn’t lie and makes for more extremely concentrated sip(s). You might say it is a lot like monosodium glutamate…everything you tasted in the wine previously, taste more.

The 1999 Bordeaux vintage for many was not stellar. However, if their was one region that excelled, it was Pessac-Leognan. I actually spent two nights at this beautiful Chateau during En Premier in 2014.

The nose is soft & subtle. Mid fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, cooked pomegranate, poached strawberries, black plum with heavy skin, & haunting blueberries. Well cooked toast-not burnt, soft lead pencil shavings, dry top soils, limestone minerals, used tobacco, old leather, dry river stone, dry black earth, vanillin, gentle spice, steeped tea left in the glass for an extended period with withering dark, red florals with dry lavender.

The palate is dry with fruits that are cooked yet juicy. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, cooked pomegranate, poached strawberries, black plum with heavy skin, & haunting blueberries. Cherry cola/licorice-cherry nibs, well cooked toast-not burnt, soft lead pencil shavings, dry top soils, limestone minerals, used tobacco, old leather, dry river stone, moist black earth with dry leaves, mint, dry herbs, charcoal, vanillin, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, gentle dark Asian spice, steeped tea left in the glass for an extended period with withering dark, red florals with dry lavender. The acidity is delightful. The finish is well balanced, structured, same wire to wire with a slight dry end that lasts two minutes.

She’s pretty with Tri-tip.

The 2006 Haut-Bailly is a very capable Pessac-Léognan from an oft-overlooked vintage. This repeats its showing from a few months earlier with lovely blue and black fruits and violet aromas. Perhaps a mote of chimney soot here? The palate is medium-bodied with that slightly ferrous note and tobacco. This bottle is a touch creamier in texture than previous examples. This is drinking perfectly now, but there's a lot left in the tank. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023)

The 2009 Haut-Bailly remains a glorious example from this Pessac-Léognan estate and confirms my recent encounters. Blueberries and cassis scents soon join black cherries, blood orange and iris flower notes on the nose. It skillfully translates the precocity of the growing season, though there is just a touch of alcohol that blurs the edges compared to more recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a sensual, creamy, velvety texture. It is laden with black fruit and just a hint of liquorice, more primal than the bottle opened at the vertical the previous year. Drinking perfectly now if you like a bit of hedonism, otherwise, leave it four to five more years. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023)

Black baked cherry, Connecticut tobacco, cedar chest, spruce, licorice. Dried violet palate, bay leaf, espresso, cocoa nib, lavender, buckwheat, chewy, with a metallic, oceanic depth. Really well built machine. Take her for a spin!


#bordeaux #chateauhautbailly #pessacléognan #grandcruclassédegraves #grandcruclassé #aocpessacléognan #graves

Furry nose of black currants, black cherries, dank florals, tobacco. On the palate, black, ultramarine and red fruit, ripe cherries, toasted barley, light cocoa and deep spices. Young and heavy tannins, but with a few hours of air this is very nice- velvety, with flowers, minty herbs and spices. Chewy but lively. Needs 15 more years. Even so, not sure I see it meriting the same high marks as the professional critics gave it. Time will tell, I guess.

The 2018 Haut-Bailly soars out of the glass, showing magnificent poise that only grows with time. Sweet, perfumed aromatics, silky tannins and mid-weight structure add to its considerable allure. Ripe red berry fruit, spice, blood orange, licorice, cedar, tobacco and menthol are all woven together in an effortless, classy Haut-Bailly that delivers the goods. I suppose the 2018 doesn't quite have the explosive energy of the very best years, but it more than makes up for that with its sensual, seductive personality. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2021)

Beautifully textured, with a savory - first personality centered around tobacco, olives and graphite, with a macerated cherry core. Layered and harmonious. Stupid value at < €20

Tobacco, leather, cherry. This is one hell of a wine. Plenty of grip. Complex and interesting to a T. 2016 Haut Bailly is stunning. Seriously stunning.

Delicious once it had a chance to open up. Took two hours or so. Cherry and smoke and a touch of leather through the finish. It feels classy. Texturally just so appealing. The 2014 Haut Bailly is a treat.