Tasting notes
James Suckling · James Suckling · 97
The winemaker calls this wine chic, and it is, with enticing aromas of blackcurrants, chocolate, walnuts, nutmeg, bark and forest floor. Some graphite and dark mushrooms. Medium-bodied with very integrated tannins that melt into the wine, with super length and finesse at the end. It’s the subtle texture and pure and complex fruit character that impress. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 10% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Drinkable now, but this will age beautifully.
Antonio Galloni · Vinous · 96
The 2021 Haut-Bailly is incredibly poised, even if it is clearly a wine of reserve in this vintage. Its vertical build speaks of pure sophistication. Time in the glass brings out hints of dried herbs, menthol, licorice, pine, blackberry and underbrush. Most of the blend is Cabernet, so the flavor profile and overall structural feel is quite savory. I can't wait to see how the 2021 ages. It may very well surprise down the road.
Jane Anson · Decanter · 96
Excellent job in a challenging vintage. There is an elegace, subtlety and finesse that shows the confidence in the winemaker team at this estate, leaning into the cool blue fruits and gunsmoke flint of the vintage. Plenty in common with the 2007 - translating a slimmer, less exuberant year into an elegant, deft and delicious wine. Harvest September 27 to October 12, Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.
Georgie Hindle · Decanter · 95
Seductive blackcurrant and juniper with purple floral touches on the nose. Smooth texture with high acidity giving sharp strawberry fruit balanced by both savoury and mineral touches - slate, crushed stone, smoke, violets and dark chocolate - very much in the style of the vintage with no harshness or overt opulence but instead gives a pure sense of classicism, restraint and refinement. Elegant and well structured with a long determined finish - this will continue to deliver pleasure for a long time. 10% press wine. No chaptalisation. 30% grand vin. 3.9pH. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Yield 19hl/ha. First year in the new cellar.
Yohan Castaing · Wine Advocate · 94
The 2021 Haut-Bailly, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, reveals a complex, brooding bouquet with aromas of blackcurrant, spices, plums, spring flowers and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, it’s a lively, rather muscular wine with a fleshy, dense core of fruit, tangy acids and powdery tannins. Despite its firm character, I like its overall balance. It should age gracefully over the next 10 years.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW · Wine Advocate · 94
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Haut-Bailly is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It pops from the glass with punchy scents of kirsch, redcurrant jelly, and fresh blueberries, giving way to touches of pencil shavings, cardamom, and violets. The medium-bodied palate is restrained and elegant, featuring fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness to support the vibrant red and blue fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed. Pretty!
Neal Martin · Vinous · 93
The 2021 Haut-Bailly harked back to the older style when I tasted it out of barrel during en primeur. Now bottled since the end of March, it has developed a very composed and harmonious bouquet with blackberry, briar, cedar and melted tar scents that gradually gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, again quite saline with hints of black olive and Japanese nori tincturing the black fruit. It segues into a classically styled finish, with a welcome touch of black pepper on the aftertaste. Give this three of four years in bottle, and it should drink well for 20+ years.
Jeb Dunnuck · Jeb Dunnuck · 93
The 2021 Château Haut-Bailly is a beautiful, elegant wine that's very much in the style of the estate with its charming, supple, seamless profile. Red and black currants, smoke tobacco, spice, and subtle flower nuances all define this utterly classic, seamless Haut-Bailly. Coming from minuscule yields of 19 hectoliters per hectare, it will drink well for at least 20 years.
