2020 Château Haut-Bailly
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Tasting notes
This is a glorious 2020. The nose is decadent with a wild blackcurrant, ripe dark cherry fruit – possibly even a note that’s reminiscent of cherry clafoutis. There’s also something a little strawberries and cream, with a touch of cinnamon spice too. It leaps out of the glass, ripe, plush and fresh. On the palate it is forthright and almost voluptuous in its generosity, yet the structure of velvet-like tannins and line of acidity keeps it from being over-the-top. At its heart is a kernel of tightly packed dark fruit – dark plum and bramble – that needs time to unfurl.
Critic scores
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Deep plum colour, intense and reserved, this is poised and mouthwatering, with carved tannins. As it opens, the precise blackcurrant fruits soften to a sumptuous texture, while fennel and sage herbs wind through the palate, with oyster shell salinity and uplift on the finish. You could almost drink with a good carafe now, and yet there is a huge potential for ageing. A stunning wine. Harvest September 9 to 25. Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.
Tasted blind. Dark core. A touch oaky/charry and dark but with some red fruits hiding underneath. Very firm but finely built tannins. Firm, juicy and refined with lots of lovely dark fruit though the tannins are pretty dominant now, dark and chewy and needing time. (JH)
The 2020 Haut-Bailly has a much better bouquet than the de Fieuzal. It is notably fresher, with black fruit, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins—a well-knit and harmonious Pessac with a precise, understated finish. This outstanding 2020 shows its class. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
About the producer
Quality at this château, now one of Pessac-Léognan’s leading wine estates, has risen exponentially under the reign of Véronique Sanders, with the property known for crafting wines of elegance and poise.