Haut Bailly - Pessac-Léognan 2022

Alexandre Ma

100

byAlexandre Mathe3/10/2025

We all understand that top chefs preheat their pans to ensure precise control over the heat. If the Château Haut-Bailly 2021 was akin to this preheating, then the 2022 vintage is undoubtedly a banquet they’ve served up for us! In the face of such a profoundly moving wine, any tasting notes seem redundant. You can discern everything it aims to convey: its restraint, its nobility, its pursuit of perfection, and its nonchalant grace, all encapsulated within a piece of green ink. With it, you can write the most poignant poetry; with it, you can sketch the most breathtaking landscapes. This generous gift from Château Haut-Bailly will only grow richer with time, safeguarding ‘the quintessential Bordeaux taste’, wherever and whenever.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

Maintains estate signature, with its silky, velvety tannins, a moment of quiet amid the exuberance of the vintage. Crushed rose petals, dark fruits, slate and crayon, with fennel, incense, finessed tannins, a reflection of the vintage without straying into exuberance. Great winemaking on display. 50% new oak for ageing, harvest September 7 to 27. Veronique Sanders estate director, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.

Wine Advocate

97

byYohan Castaingthe3/6/2025

A youthfully reticent bouquet of licorice, pencil lead, spices and dark berries prefaces the 2022 Haut-Bailly, a medium to full-bodied, layered and structured wine with a concentrated core of lively fruit framed by youthfully firm tannins. Concluding with a long, energetic and pencil lead-inflected finish, the 2022 has gained in elegance and integration during élevage, yet it will require time to fully mellow and realize its full potential.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Haut-Bailly, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc all raised in 50% new French oak. Its deeper ruby hue is followed by a gorgeously classic Haut-Bailly nose of red and black currants, savory flowers, dried herbs, and chocolate. Reminding me of the 2009 (or maybe a mix of the 2009 and 2010) with its opulent, sexy, yet concentrated style, it still stays flawlessly balanced and light on its feet, with no sensation of weight, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be hidden in the back of the cellar for 5-7 years and will keep for 40+ years if well stored.

Vinous

97

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Haut-Bailly was the second vintage made in the new cellar. It was bottled at the end of March, a little earlier than some other wines in this vintage, as Gabrielle prefers an earlier settling in barrel. This spent the last two months in tank at a cold temperature at the end of the élevage. It has a captivating nose that's so clean and precise, featuring bilberry fruit, crushed stone, light sea spray and estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied and very fresh, with crunchy blackberry fruit tones and plenty of sapidity. This has real tension and mineralité from start to finish, yet it is imbued with a sense of weightlessness that distinguishes it from its peers. It is outstanding.

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

The aromas of blueberries, blackberries and sandalwood come through so clearly that they entice you before you taste. In the mouth, it has such an intensity of silky tannins caressing every inch of your palate. Very classy and extremely long, it goes on and on. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. Needs four to five years of bottle age. Best after 2029.

Vinous

97

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

The 2022 Haut-Bailly is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted here in a very long time. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and blood orange are all finely laced together in the glass. There's a new sense of polish at Haut Bailly these days. The 2022 is a great example of that. Readers will find a supremely finessed wine with striking fruit purity, gorgeous length and a slightly linear build that is not at all typical (in a good sense) for a warm, dry vintage. Clean mineral notes support the finish.

Wine Maniacs

96-97

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Fragranced nose, purple fruits, blackcurrants, juniper, liquorice, crushed stones, salt, violets, roses, dark chocolate and cherries - perfumed, alive and expressive. Smooth, but generous with crunchy fruit and salty touches that come in and coat the super fine tannins with a powdery sensation that really fills the mouth. Nice terroir aspects, smooth, well textured and elegantly weighted. Gives dark fruit, subtle savoury tones with dark chocolate and herbal aspects giving nuance. Excellent length and freshness, it's graceful but almost a bit light in terms of fruit density and plushness - although the tannins are exceptional, really so sleek and silky with definition and detail. Feels well worked, gentle, confident and shiny. It's missing a touch more excitement and juicy liveliness but it’s extremely finessed and you can't fault the attention to detail of the tannins and the moreish quality they give. Great potential. 3.92pH. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. A yield of 30hl/ha. Consultants Christophe Olivier and Axel Marchal. Harvest 7-27 September.

Alexandre Ma

99-100

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

We all understand that top chefs preheat their pans to ensure precise control over the heat. If the Château Haut-Bailly 2021 was akin to this preheating, then the 2022 vintage is undoubtedly a banquet they've served up for us! In the face of such a profoundly moving wine, any tasting notes seem redundant. You can discern everything it aims to convey: its restraint, its nobility, its pursuit of perfection, and its nonchalant grace, all encapsulated within a piece of green ink. With it, you can write the most poignant poetry; with it, you can sketch the most breathtaking landscapes. This generous gift from Château Haut-Bailly will only grow richer with time, safeguarding 'the quintessential Bordeaux taste', wherever and whenever.

Vinous

96-98

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Haut-Bailly was picked between 7 and 27 September and underwent a four-week cuvaison, taking longer to consume the sugar and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a bouquet that compels you just to sit and contemplate. It gradually unfolds with blackberry, raspberry, potpourri and iris flower scents, well-defined, not showy but suave. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Minerals, black pepper and clove off a gentle grip with an impressive crescendo. It will need a decade in bottle. This Haut-Bailly has a haunting beauty, the kind of wine that will bring people to tears!

The Vintage Journal

96-97

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep colour. Intense cassis graphite, aromas with dark chocolate espresso notes. Richly concentrated blackcurrant/ cassis, cedar, praline flavours, persistent fresh juicy acidity, lovely density and fresh al-dente tannins. Finishes crunchy with chocolaty notes. Animated and concenated with all the elements in balance. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot 2% Cabernet Franc 14% alc

matthewjukes.com

19,5

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

96-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Haut-Bailly is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to bring out fragrant notes of kirsch, warm cassis, black raspberries, and underbrush, followed by hints of star anise, peonies, graphite, and wood smoke. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with ripe, expressive black fruit and earthy accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. pH 3.92.

Yvesbeck.wine

99-100

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Haut-Bailly fait partie de ses 2022 qui annoncent leur grandeur dès les premières secondes. Avant même de le porter aux lèvres et de le goûter, il affiche ses grandes ambitions. Tout est dans la mesure, rien dans l'excès, tout est subtil, rien n'est évident, sauf la grandeur. Le terroir confère une extraordinaire fraîcheur au travers de notes d'eucalyptus, de menthe poivrée et de baies rouges. Le palais a pour mission de non seulement maintenir le niveau, mais de plussoyer la grandeur annoncée. Il affiche une charmante sucrosité qui lui est conférée par des tannins suaves tandis que la structure acide se charge de conférer du tempérament et d'affirmer son côté incisif, aiguisé, digne d'un sabre laser de Jedi ! A l'image du bouquet, tout est parfaitement ordonné, parfaitement défini avec une aptitude extraordinaire à canaliser la puissance tannique. Un vin brillant, une fois de plus. Haut-Bailly se positionne clairement parmi les grandes réussites de 2022. La construction de ce vin est cohérente du début à la fin et cela commence bien avant les vinifications, à la vigne, grâce au travail méticuleux des équipes de Haut-Bailly. Il tient beaucoup à cœur, à Véronique, de laisser parler l'âme de Haut-Bailly et son précieux allié qu'est le terroir. Un vin d'une sincérité, d'une pureté, d'une justesse partiellement inexplicable. A l'image de la fraîcheur… il n'y a pas d'explications rationnelles pour expliquer sa présence, pourquoi d'ailleurs. Je pense quant à moi, avoir fourni suffisamment d'explications pourquoi le potentiel de ce vin est à 100 !

Bettane & Desseauve

97-98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Nez extraordinaire de complexité et de raffinement, notes merveilleuses de fruit, d’épices, de fumé minéral, magnifique grain de tannins, puissants et chatoyants en même temps, équilibre parfait sur la fraîcheur. La race à l’état pur et un potentiel incroyable. Somptueux.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98-100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

The 2022 Château Haut-Bailly is going to be one of the legendary vintages at this château, and it should be a no-brainer purchase for readers. Based on 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it has an incredible perfume of cassis, ripe black cherries, crushed stone, smoke tobacco, and wood smoke. Earning more than a few expletives in my notes, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and ultra-fine, silky tannins. Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, this is an incredible wine in the making!

Vinous

93-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Haut-Bailly is dark and quite brooding in bearing. The natural intensity of small grapes comes through in the wine’s dark fruit and firm, imposing tannins. Black cherry, gravel, cloves, cured meats, licorice, incense and charcoal embers add to an impression of virile thrust. I imagine the 2022 will take some time to come together, as the tannins are pretty forbidding at this stage. Drinking window : 2030-2052

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

Initially, you find a display of flowers before moving on to all of its cigar wrapper, spice, blackberry, currant, black cherry, smoke, and hints of forest leaf in the perfume. Deeply concentrated, vibrant, and refined, the palate is packed with multiple-layers of perfectly, ripe, red fruits, a fabulous sense of purity, silky, soft, polished tannins, and ample lift in the finish, providing the backdrop to age, and evolve for decades. The wine blends 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV, pH 3.92. Picking took place September 7 - September 27. The yields were only 30 hectoliters per hectare. This is in serious contention as the best vintage ever produced at Haut Bailly. Drink from 2027-2060.

Wine Advocate

94-96

byYohan Castaingthe4/28/2023

The 2022 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of dark berries complemented by accents of iris, lilac, rose petals, graphite and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, dense, it's layered and textural, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, saline finish. Vinified along traditional lines, it is a structured wine that will take some time to hit its stride, but at this early stage it appears suppler and more seamless than its 2020 and 2019 predecessors. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from grapes picked from September 7 to 27, it's maturing half in new barriques and half in one- or two-year-old barrels.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

Incredible complexity of aromas here with ripe currants and blackberries, but also dried flowers like violets and roses. Then there’s forest flower character such as bark, mushroom and sandalwood. Black truffles. Full-bodied with tight and chewy tannins that are polished and pure, with a solid and tight finish. It builds on your palate and frames the wine beautifully. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc.