Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan

Perfect with roast beef.

Spring was wonderful and the budbreak, quick and even, was the first factor in the vintage’s overall regularity. The weather was warm and dry, with ideal conditions during the crucial phases of flowering and fruit set. June and July were marked by intense heat and the total absence of rain. Drought set in and caused moderate water stress that called a halt to vegetative growth. Providential showers in late July brought on quick véraison (colour change). The vines were manicured and healthy looking from August until the end of the harvest with a magnificent leaf canopy and well-distributed bunches of deeply-coloured grapes. Cool weather in August helped preserve the aromatic potential of the grapes. The harvest looked fantastic. Picking took place on 9 days and 6 half days. The consistency of the quality in every plot is the hallmark of a truly fine vintage. The Merlots have structure, fruit, colour and concentration. The Cabernets are powerful and racy, with the smoothness they are known for in great vintages.

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.