Ch. Haut-Bailly
1st Growth Grand Cru Classe
Pessac-Leognan
2010

The producer

Haut-Bailly is a Cru Classe de Graves, located in the commune of Leognan, within the Pessac-Leognan appellation. Dating back to the 1300s Haut Bailly claims one of the longest histories combined with some of the oldest vines in the appellation adjacent to the main chateau building there is a 4-hectare plot of over 100 year old vines which each year gives added soulfulness and continuity to the wine. The 30 hectares of vineyard has also covered the same footprint for centuries surrounding the chateau itself and is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 3% of each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Haut Bailly’s popularity is not so much based on its history but rather on the charm the wines show from quite an early age – these are wines of rich dark fruits concentration that combine smooth elegant tannins and a silky mouthfeel. They are deceptive as they also have the ability to age gracefully for decades.

The wine

Haut-Bailly’s Grand Vin is made from some of the oldest vines in the appellation, over a fourth of which are between 100 and 120 years old. Furthermore, there is, in front of the main chateau building, a 4-hectare plot of vines planted, before phylloxera, with a mix of different grape varieties, and which is revered for its rare genetic material - which each year gives added soulfulness and continuity to the wine. The blend varies with vintage conditions and fruit ripeness but usually has around 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, with a little Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Fermentation is in small cement tanks with moderate and soft extraction and ageing in 50-65% new French oak barrels.

Haut-Bailly’s wines have immense charm from quite an early age – these are wines of rich dark fruit concentration that combine smooth elegant tannins and a silky mouthfeel. They are deceptive as they can also age gracefully for decades.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.