Château Haut Bailly - Pessac-Léognan 2018

Vinous

94-96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/11/2019

The 2018 Haut-Bailly was picked from 17 September and 9 October. It has a very pure bouquet with perfumed black cherry and raspberry fruit laced with violet and iris petals. This is very impressive: very focused and demonstrating exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that mask the structure underneath. It is velvety in texture with a complex truffle and iodine tinged finish that according to Véronique Sanders has a softness that has manifested in recent months after en primeur. This is a very promising Haut-Bailly, one from the top drawer.

WeinWisser

19 / 20

le 07/05/2019

Undurchsichtiges Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte. Verführerische Nase nach Backpflaumen und Schattenmorellensaft. Im zweiten Ansatz duftige Veilchen und Cassis(likör). Am kräftigen Gaumen mit engmaschigem Tanningerüst, cremiger Textur gepaart mit unglaublicher Eleganz und Rasse, die Tannine sind superfein, auf den Punkt gelesen. Im gebündel- ten Finale schwarzbeerige Frucht, Eisenkraut, Mokka, endet mit einer edlen Bitternote – ein À point-Pessac und die Nr. 1 in Léognan! Dieser PLV- Wert ist weiterhin auf Erfolgskurs und
bei passendem Preis eine Top- Empfehlung. (19+ points)

Vinous

94-97 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 01/05/2019

The 2018 Haut-Bailly speaks with real authority and class. Deeply spiced notes lead into a core of red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, licorice, new leather, menthol and tobacco. Vivid and dramatic in bearing, the 2018 possesses striking resonance from start to finish. There is plenty of tannin as well, but it is pretty much buried by the sheer luxuriousness of the fruit, while the mid-palate and saline-infused finish show terrific freshness as well as purity. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

Jeb DUNNUCK

97-100 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 01/05/2019

A wine that's going to flirt with perfection, the 2018 Château Haut-Bailly is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 5% Each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, brought up in 60% new French oak. Hitting 14.5% alcohol, its deep purple color is followed by a fabulous bouquet of pure crème de cassis, crushed violets, white flowers, graphite, and damp earth. An incredibly powerful, opulent wine, it nevertheless has sensational purity as well as the freshness and elegance that's the hallmark of this terrific estate. It will drink well in just a few years yet keep for 20-25 years or more.

Vinifera

96 /

par Jacques Perrin le 01/05/2019

Robe profonde. C'est une synthèse magnifique entre une puissance vineuse et une finesse préservée. Le tanin est millimétrique, finement découpé, il le trame à la perfection. Grande finale. On n'a aucune sensation de lourdeur et pourtant, à la propriété, ce vin bat tous les records et séduit par sa grâce et sa beauté particulières. 

La Revue du Vin de France

18-19 / 20

le 24/04/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 23/04/2019

With a gorgeous, deep ruby hue, the wine pops from the glass with floral, tobacco and a mélange of fresh fruits. The wine is full bodied, concentrated, powerful and refined but what's more important here is the elegance in the mouth, the sweetness in the fruit and the balanced levels of acidity, giving you simultaneous weight, lift, length and purity in a classic, restrained style. The wine was made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.87. The Grand Vin was produced from 50% of the harvest, which took place from September 17 to October 9. 2018 was produced from some of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at 21 hectoliters per hectare.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 23/04/2019

The 2018 Haut-Bailly is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Grapes were harvested September 17 to October 9, and the wine has 14.4% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it opens slowly with profound notions of Black Forest cake, crème de cassis, roasted nuts and black olives, unfurling to reveal notions of menthol, crushed rocks, molten licorice and chargrilled meat plus a hint of lilacs. Full-bodied, rich and densely laden with layer upon layer of vibrant black fruits and mineral nuances, it has a solid backbone of firm, velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with compelling restraint and exciting energy.

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

par Roger Voss le 17/04/2019

This wine initially seems easy and just packed with fruit. As you delve behind the black fruits, the tannins come into play. The considerable structure shows concentration with a dense side that has power and a lighter side that has fresh fruit. The wine should age impressively.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

par James Suckling le 12/04/2019

Incredible depth of fruit to this with a center palate that shows superb character and texture. I love the hazelnut and coffee-bean undertones to the beautiful fruit, which shows great finesse. Full-bodied yet compact and tight, giving a sense of agility and flight to the wine. Extremely tight and polished tannins.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

96 / 100

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 08/04/2019

Yvesbeck.wine

98-100 / 100

par Yves Beck le 01/04/2019

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Rendement de 21hl/ha, donc faible. Les vendanges se sont déroulées du 17 septembre au 9 octobre. Pourpre violacé. Bouquet intense marqué par des notes florales. Notes d’iris, de violettes, de griottes et de baies noires. A l’aération le bouquet exprime également des notes de fèves de cacao et gagne en complexité. La mise en bouche est ample et crémeuse. Haut-Bailly sait parfaitement allier la race, le charme, la puissance et la densité. Les tannins sont puissants et se révèlent en crescendo le long du palais pour atteindre leur maximum en fin de bouche. Ils ont un grain fin et sont de pair avec la structure qui est racée et qui confère de la fougue à l’ensemble du palais. Une très grande réussite. 2025-2053

Decanter.com

98 / 100

par Jane Anson le 01/04/2019

This is a serious 2018, structured, layered and full of Haut-Bailly signature. The texture is striking, with the silkiness emphasised by a pH of 3.87 and a relatively high alcohol that is effortlessly integrated into the body of the wine. The complexity builds slowly through the palate but the persisting feeling is of menthol, a lifting off and peeling back of the intensity, revealing the fresher more nuanced notes underneath. There's a lot of the 2015 character here, in terms of its enjoyable structure and generous fruit, but it's more like 2016 in its serious finish, and there's no question that this will age well.
The IPT is 86, more than the 84 measured in the 2010, but you don't feel it in the same way here. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, co-fermented with Petit Verdot because they like the balance that it gives. 21hl/ha yield.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2042