Chateau Haut-Bailly 2018 Pessaac-Leognan Bordeaux Red Wine
4348Product Details
(JS 99) Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark
fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell
and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance
between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish.
Goes on and on. Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2025.
(D 98) This is a serious 2018, structured, layered and full
of Haut-Bailly signature. The texture is striking, with the silkiness emphasized
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.
(JD 98) The Grand Vin 2018 Chateau Haut-Bailly checks in as
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet
Franc. It spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. This is a beautiful, classic
expression of this terroir, and its dense purple hue is followed by gorgeous
black cherry and cassis fruits interwoven with ample tobacco leaf, cedary
herbs, earth, truffle, and floral nuances. While 2018 was a hot, dry year (at
the end of the season anyway), this shows a mix of cooler-climate, vibrant aromatics
paired with a rich, concentrated, fresh style on the palate. It has plenty of
tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A beautiful, elegant 2018, it's
going to need 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades.