1996 Château Haut-Bailly
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Tasting notes
Served out of magnum because there are no bottles left at the property. The colour remains fairly intense, just beginning to soften and truffle around the edges. Gorgeous woodsmoke, undergrowth and cold ash, classical and tertiary but still with a touch of austerity to the tannins, suggesting this is in its drinking window but with plenty of time ahead. Owned by the Sanders family at this point, in the last two years before the estate was purchased by Bob Wilmers in 1998.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1996 Haut Bailly has an attractive bouquet with blackcurrant pastilles. Briary with a touch of gravel and dried orange peel. It takes time to open and reveal itself. The palate is medium-bodied with a soy-tinged opening. This is well balanced and quite rounded in the mouth, masculine and a little austere having lost some of the vitality it showed previously. Quite saline, it offers black olive on the aftertaste. Overall, an enjoyable Haut-Bailly, albeit one approaching the end of its plateau.
The 1996 Haut Bailly is about as classic as they come and shows the more focused, elegant style of this vintage nicely. Cedarwood, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf and plenty of earthy dark fruits emerge from this medium-bodied, fresh, balanced, textbook Pessac that’s drinking at point today. It should last for another 15-20 years.
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.