Appellation: Pessac-Léognan
Size 750mL
Ratings:
98 James Suckling
"Great aromas of crushed blackberries with flowers and stones that follow through to a full body, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. It fills your mouth with beautiful fruit and velvety tannins yet shows tension and form. This lasts for minutes on the palate. Structured and superb."
"
Deep plum/purple, Haut-Bailly’s 2010 required some coaxing to appreciate its subtle notes of barbecue smoke, lead pencil shavings and creme de cassis as well as its touches of pomegranate and forest floor. The oak is pushed far into the background and the tannins are extremely silky, but the intensity of the wine is profound and the finish lingers for close to 55 seconds. This wine is ripe yet delicate, powerful yet stylish, and essentially resembles a remarkable fashion design from a house of haute couture. This wine needs a good 7-8 years of bottle age and should keep for 40-50+ years. This quintessential example of pure finesse, elegance, harmony and delicacy is combined into a wine that lingers intensely with near-perfect poise and character. Haut-Bailly’s ethereal character is virtually unmatched in Bordeaux. (RP)"
"
Every bit as good yet in a dramatically different style, the 2010 Château Haut-Bailly has a more chiseled, focused, inward style to go with the essence of Haut-Bailly-like aromatics of sweet red and black fruit, smoked tobacco, graphite, and crushed stone, with just a hint of background minty herbs. It's full-bodied, perfectly balanced, has flawless tannins, and a rare mix of power, elegance, and purity. It blossoms with air, and while certainly mature, it has another 2-3 decades of overall longevity ahead of it."
"
Two years on from my last tasting of this vintage, and it remains concentrated and tightly wound, but the elegance and finesse of Haut-Bailly is starting to take the upper hand over raw power in this exceptional vintage. Tannins give grip and direction to the blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, then everything relaxes through the mid palate to allow creamier raspberry, crayon, cloves and liqourice root to appear. The precision and the careful step by step construction sum up all that is wonderful about Haut-Bailly, and this is a wine to celebate. Harvest September 22 to October 14."
95 Decanter
"
The perfect Pessac-Léognan scent? Maybe: a beguiling blend of smoke, warm stones, tobacco and roasted red fruits. The palate is fine and firm, yet full and opulent, too with an echo chamber of tobacco, fruit and spice, tapering to something more earthy and sinewy at the end. Layered, rich, grand and classy. (AJ)"
96 Vinous
"
The 2010 Haut-Bailly has an outstanding bouquet with intense blackberry, briary, crushed stone and subtle violet scents, more backwards and more precise than the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and firm grip. Layers of tar and tobacco are infused with black fruit and a touch of liquorice on the finish. This is a Haut-Bailly on another level from previous vintages that will age with style. Superb. (NM)"