Pessac-Léognan

Perfect with roast beef.

Flowering took place more than three weeks earlier than usual thanks to an early spring and a very warm April. However, more than average rainfall in May caused a high risk of mildew. This called for constant attention and quick reactions from the vineyard workers. Furthermore, cool overcast weather during the summer slowed down grape growth and caused the vines to lose their initial advance. Fortunately, though, the weather throughout September and October was ideal, with beautiful sunny days and cool nights. The harvest began on 21st September with the picking of a plot of young vines. This was followed by the magnificent Merlot grapes between 27th September and 2nd October. Our best Cabernet Sauvignon waited until the second week of October before they reached optimum maturity. Thanks to a series of anticyclones in late summer, the grapes had a total of 130 days to ripen after flowering instead of the usual 100. This long growing season compensated for an unusually chilly August.

50% new barrels Fining with egg white.

Thanks to careful winemaking and gentle extraction, wines of great balance and structure, with an excellent polyphenol content, were produced. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the wines were very smooth and round. The deeply-coloured, concentrated, and powerful Cabernet Sauvignon wines constitute the backbone of this year’s wine. Together with the softness of the Merlots, they are sure to form a very balanced and elegant blend.

The vineyard of Haut-Bailly as we know it today began to take shape when the Goyanèche and then the Daitze family acquired and unified the best vine growing plots in the 1530s. The estate remained in the Daitze Family until 1630 when it was purchased by Firmin Le Bailly and Nicolas de Leuvarde wealthy Parisian bankers and lovers of Graves wines. Following substantial investments the property continued to be passed down the Bailly family line until 1736 when Irishman Thomas Barton took the helm. His strong business network allowed him to spread word about the quality of Château Haut-Bailly at a time when French ‘claret' was beginning its rise to stardom in England and Ireland.