Haut Bailly - Pessac-Léognan 2014

Vinous

93

byNeal Martinthe4/2/2024

The 2014 Haut-Bailly is very composed on the nose. It's pretty tertiary, but there is sufficient fruit to back that up, and it feels much more natural than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-balanced, and unapologetically classic in style, but unlike many of its peers, there is no austerity or dryness. This is a polished 2014 that should mature well in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94

byJeb Dunnuckthe10/19/2023

A wine that has always drunk well, the 2014 Château Haut-Bailly has a charming, forward, yet also incredibly elegant profile as well as terrific freshness in its ripe darker berry fruit. It shows complex floral, spicy, and lead pencil nuances with time in the glass, and it's a medium-bodied, nicely concentrated Haut-Bailly with nothing out of place, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. This Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend (66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot) is going to continue drinking spectacularly well over the coming 20-25 years.

Decanter.com

94

byJane Ansonthe7/30/2020

Concentrated depths to the fruit, with a silky texture that is striking. Cool blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, along with high floral aromatics, speaks to a summer that was cooler than ideal but one that followed by a beautiful September that allowed for full ripening. This is still extremely young and pretty much in its dumb phase right now, as those tannins close in around the fruit, but with huge promise for the future. I would give it another three or four years before getting going, or ensure a long carafing.

Drinking Window 2024 - 2040

Vinous

94

byNeal Martinthe3/28/2018

The 2014 Haut-Bailly has a sophisticated bouquet with cedar and gravel-infused red berry fruit, gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite supple tannins that manage to form a firm frame that should see this repay cellaring. There is plenty of attractive, lightly spice red and black fruit, segueing into clove and black olive notes towards the finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

My Bettane + Desseauve

17,5

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/1/2017

Nez racé, d’une délicatesse exquise et d’une complexité rare, fruit très pur, notes d’épices et de cèdre, bouche dense et raffinée à la fois, tannin très harmonieux, beaucoup de tenue, de fraîcheur et d’énergie. Un Haut- Bailly ample, généreux, vibrant et plein de personnalité. L’une des réussites majeures de l’appellation.

Wine Advocate

94

byNeal Martinthe3/31/2017

The 2014 Haut Bailly has a charming, quite intense bouquet with layers of blackberry, raspberry coulis, black olive and melted tar scents that soar from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, harmonious and focused with superb density and precision towards the finish. This is a classy number and alongside Domaine de Chevalier, it is one of the standouts from the appellation in this vintage.

Jamessuckling.com

95

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

A very well-made, modern wine with ripe cherry and cassis notes but rather discrete oak. The bright fruit and lively acidity balance the moderately dry tannins very well, and the finish is long and quite complex. Compacted. Needs time to open. Beautiful.

Wine Spectator

94

byJames Molesworththe2/8/2017

This shows admirable density for the vintage, with a strong loamy echo amid the core of dark currant, fig and plum compote flavors. Loads of tobacco and tar details join in on the finish, while the fruit easily keeps pace. Rock-solid. Best from 2020 through 2035. 6,665 cases made.

Vinous

96

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Haut-Bailly has turned out beautifully. Dark, sumptuous and expressive, the 2014 exudes depth and finesse. Ample and resonant on the palate, with striking depth, the 2014 possesses exceptional balance and class. Hints of smoke, tobacco and licorice infuse the deep, creamy finish.

Le Point

17

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

Fruits noirs, épices, prune, , bouche aux tanins soyeux, belle matière qui demande à s’arrondir en finale, le fruité est discret mais les tanins de milieu de bouche veloutés, ferme, assez serré mais soyeux en milieu de bouche. 

Vinous

93-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Haut Bailly is exceptionally polished, creamy and textured from the very first taste. Black cherries, plums, smoke, tobacco and incense meld together in an ample, voluptuous wine built on pure texture. The high percentage of Merlot gives the 2014 relatively soft contours to balance the pure intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a remarkably balanced, polished, young Haut-Bailly. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

Slow smoked plum, anise and black cherry liqueur on the nose, the wine feels fresh. There is volume, length and complexity, refined tannins and a vibrant, dark blackberry and plum finish. From a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot, the wine reached 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. 93-95 Pts

Wine Advocate

91-93

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Haut-Bailly 2014 is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot picked between 24 September and 15 October. Véronique Sanders explained that it represents a much higher percentage of Cabernet because of its quality, the Merlot undergoing some saignée due to the size of berries. Matured in 50% new oak and including 8% vin de presse, it has a lovely bouquet with superb delineation, touches of undergrowth and tobacco infusing the pure black fruit, stirrings of black tea emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy, crisp tannin on the entry and good acidity (ph 3.7), perhaps more than say, the 2012. There is a fine sense of energy here and at dovetails into a lightly spiced, slightly saline finish. This is a slightly less ostentatious than recent vintages, a little more restrained but the terroir really shows through. Excellent. Expect this to land at the top of my banded score.

Jancis Robinson

17,5

byJancis Robinsonthe4/22/2015

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot. They are deliberately vinifying lighter and lighter with less extraction so that this blend contains 8% press wine. Rich and substantial but racier than the old Haut-Bailly style. Really very well mastered. Good balance without excess acidity or tannin. Very persistent. The concentration was presumably helped enormously by the saignée that produced the Rosé. Just a little stolid but a very impressive 2014.  Drink 2020-2034 (17.5+)

Asian Palate

92-94

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Sumptuous and generous with Haut-Bailly's classic restraint and delicacy. A vintage that is a balance of dark fruits, ripe, high tannins and freshness. A beautiful, seamless wine that is quiet and reserved but with great aging potential. A wine to lay down for a decade before enjoying.

Decanter.com

18,25

byJane Ansonthe4/17/2015

Lovely restrained black fruit and pencil shavings on the nose, beautifully extracted, although the fruit is not quite as vibrant as in the best vintages of this excellent property. Good persistency, a supremely elegant take on the vintage, in the line of 2001. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot. A masterclass as ever in precision winemaking, and although there is 8% of press wine it gives weight without straining the structure. Denis Dubourdieu consultant here for last 17 years, since 1998. Drink: 2025-2040 (94)

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

A subtle and refined wine with savory, salty and delicately fruity character. Full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Compacted and tight. Lovely tension. Precise.

timatkin.com

94

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

17

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

Dunkles Granat, recht satt in der Mitte, rubiner Rand. Fein toastiger Beginn, rote Pflaumen, helle Edelhölzer, dominikanischer Tabak, zeigt reife Beerenkomponente zwischen roten bis blauen Früchten, feine Trockenheit aber auch mit wunderschöner Würze ausgestattet. Mittlerer Gaumen mit guten Muskeln und einer ausgeglichenen, aber auch fordernden Adstringenz, endet mit eher sandigen Konturen. Irgendwie unsexy aber dafür klassisch. Will heissen; er gleicht seinen geduldigen, reservierten Jahrgängen wie 1988, 1996, 2006 und hat auch ähnliche Gerbstoffkonturen. Braucht lange und wird klassisch. Für mich persönlich hat er momentan fast ein Bisschen Mühe an seine eigenen (ebenfalls nicht einfachen Jahrgänge 2011 und 2012) anzuschliessen. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass er dies – bis in seine Genussreife – schaffen wird. Dann würde er noch einen Punkt zulegen. 17/20 2022 – 2040

Wine Enthusiast

95

byRoger Vossthe4/1/2015

94–96. Barrel Sample. This is a very successful wine, with wood and fruit notes that combine seamlessly with layers of acidity. At its base is a serious structure of dark tannins; on top, juicy black fruits shine. This is a wine for long-term aging.   — R.V.  (3/30/2015)