Chateau Haut-Bailly 2009

Haut-Bailly is and remains the only Pessac-Léognan that can match La Mission and Haut-Brion in quality and style, and 2009 is no different. One can therefore accept the price, which has risen considerably in recent years. Gorgeous silky, fresh tannins of top-notch quality, great aromatic length, elegant and of a classic, precise craftsmanship. Wonderful, and one of the great wines of the year.

I have now had this wine four separate times since writing my official review after the bottling of the 2009s. It goes from strength to strength, and it’s no surprise that it is now one of the perfect wines of this great, great vintage—the finest Bordeaux vintage I have tasted in 37 years covering that epicenter of world-class wine quality. Much of the credit goes to winemaker Véronique Sanders and her boss, Robert Wilmers. Their incredibly rigorous selection process and their substantial investments in viticulture, the estate, and the winemaking facility have paid off brilliantly over the last decade. The 2009, with its opaque ruby/purple color and extraordinary nose of high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, blackcurrants, and spice, hits the palate with a medium- to full-bodied, saturated, and rich mouthfeel, yet with an elegant, ethereal quality that is hard to put into words. It is rich and complex, and tastes like the vinous equivalent of a remarkable haute couture creation from the late Coco Chanel. It is full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety in texture, sumptuous, and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s can be, given their richness of fruit, low acidity, and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade away, and this wine is set for 50 or more years of longevity. Kudos to Haut-Bailly!

Offers a rich, very dense feel, but stays racy thanks to a strong graphite frame around the core of roasted fig, plum sauce and maduro tobacco. Muscular but defined on the finish, with a long tarry edge in reserve. This shows serious depth and is more backward than most of its peers. Should really stretch out nicely in the cellar. Best from 2017 through 2035. 6,665 cases made.

Right from the first moment you look at this wine you can see that it remains young, concentrated and full of life. Clear smoked caramel on the nose; the texture is supremely silky and seductive, creamy in a way that sets itself against the taut precision of most vintages of Haut-Bailly while still maintaining control and poise. The aromatics are young and seductive, and the terroir has not yet fully overtaken the vintage expression, but it will do in another five or six years. A huge success.

Aromas of blackberries, wet earth and mushrooms follow through to a full body, with a solid core of fruit. Velvety and delicious, yet wonderfully structured. Muscular wine. Best ever? Try in 2018.

Attractive combination of perfumed and sweet dark fruit with a touch of vanilla. Tight and just a little bit dry on the finish. (JH)

Yes, yes, and yes indeed! This is just great. Elegant, fresh, ripe, rich, soft, polished, refined, long, and deep, everything here is hitting the right notes from the nose to the palate and the finish. Still youthful, this is all about its future greatness. Drink from 2025-2050.

Leading off a duo of truly legendary beauties, the 2009 Château Haut-Bailly possesses that rare mix of opulence and elegance that's the hallmark of all truly great wines. Incredible notes of sweet red and black fruit, flowery incense, mint, smoked tobacco, and assorted spices give way to a full-bodied, layered, weightless 2009 with velvety tannins and a magical finish. This is pure Bordeaux magic that I wish every reader could taste. It's also been incredibly consistent for me, and this has consistently topped out my scale every time I'm lucky enough to drink a bottle.

Deep purple-garnet. Elegant, warm and refined bouquet, ripe Cabernet, nutty notes, light fine woods, freshly roasted coffee. On the palate, creamy, elegant and delicately supple, perfectly balanced, radiating pure harmony, with praline on the finish and already quite sexy, which is not something you usually expect from a Haut-Bailly.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac glints at the rim. Elegant bouquet radiating warmth, nutty tones, light fine woods, freshly roasted coffee, ripe Cabernet, fine and delicate. On the palate creamy, elegant, with delicate suppleness, already perfectly balanced and exuding pure harmony; the finish is lined with pralines and almost sexy, which is not what one usually expects from a Haut-Bailly in this form. (19/20). 12: As a replacement for the old vintages (1934, 1945, 1953, 1964 and 1966) we brought from our cellar for lunch, Veronique Sander gave us three magnums of the 2009 vintage. We spontaneously opened one at Stephan Paeffgen at Ch. La Reysse. It was simply awesome and didn’t hurt either. (19/20). 21: Magnum. Medium-dark ruby red, youthful reflections radiating from the center. The empathetic bouquet intoxicates with its immense warmth of terroir, or rather with the ripe Cabernet sweetness. Nutty contours, hints of dried plums, currants, light fine woods and Dominican tobacco. With every new sniff it ups the ante again. On the second pass, hazelnut pralines and dark caramel emerge. It becomes more opulent, but never fat. On the palate, extremely elegant. It feels that way because the tannins are royally fine and perfectly balance with the rest of the sublime, super-elegant body. In the finish it turns again into a particularly vinous praline and thus ends intoxicating. A grande dame from Léognan. Because of the 100 Parker points, this is one of the most expensive Haut-Bailly editions on the market. Around 250 francs gets you in. Magnums cost more, from about 650 francs. Thanks André for sponsoring this large-format rarity. (19/20).

Creamy, dense, sweet, powerful, finely opulent bouquet: prunes, black cherries, cherries, liquorice, delicate dried fruit, cedar, mocha cream. Tightly woven, creamy, opulent, fruity palate with powerful, sweet, dark fruit, a creamy, finely muscular structure, varied, powerful, sweet aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, and a very long, dense, lavish finish with many lingering flavours. 19/20 to drink - 2038

The 2009 has a creamy edge without being heavy, more than proving the quality of this vintage at 15 years on. Taut, precise dark cherry and cassis fruits, campfire smoke, crayon and crushed rocks, balanced and finessed. One to seek out, this is full of textured, slate-filled tannins, and is utterly delicious. Harvest September 15 to October 14. 60% new oak. Denis Dubourdieu consultant, Gabriel Vialard winemaker.

An unexpectedly fresh, vibrant nose of red fruits and opulent flowers. The richness of the vintage is evident on the palate, magnificent for its generous fruit and silky, melting tannins.

All the elements came together to make 2009 a memorable vintage. The weather conditions and meticulous vineyard management were particularly conducive to the vine’s vegetative cycle and grape ripening. A rather dry winter and cool temperatures delayed budbreak by about two weeks, and the Merlots and Cabernets flowered together around May 30. The sunny summer climate was ideal for ripening and continued into September, with hot days followed by cool nights. These conditions encouraged aromatic concentration and pigment accumulation. The grapes were sweet, deeply colored, and fruity—signs of a truly great vintage. Harvest began with the Merlots on September 15 and continued quite late, until October 5, only in the mornings to avoid the afternoon heat. The Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs were picked from October 7 to 14. The wines’ structure is marked by indulgent character and a very pure expression of ripe fruit. Fermentation at controlled temperature (around 26°C) contributed to this extremely harmonious balance. The 2009 bouquet has an intriguing ability, reminding me a little of 2003: reconciling warmth with freshness. It succeeds perfectly, revealing confit-like notes as well as aromas of mint and licorice. With a bit of air, the wine unveils an increasingly complex aromatic profile. The attack is creamy, broad, and charming. All the elements are in perfect alignment, each standing alongside the other—whether the tannins, which are remarkably precise and subtly powerful, or the structure, which provides discreet yet effective support. A truly great wine, already ready to be enjoyed and with decades ahead. I believe that with this vintage, Haut-Bailly underlines just how firmly it belongs among the greatest Bordeaux wines.

Logo on the cork: AL Dark color, of normal intensity, slightly evolved. Moderately aromatic nose, fruity, spicy and at this stage slightly lactic. Soft on the attack, then finely pulpy mid-palate, rather gentle, the wine ends with a pleasant, flavorful finish and a normal length.

94-96 Barrel sample. Dominated by firm tannins, dark texture, black berry and currant fruits. A powerful wine that shows an immense dry core.