Chateau Haut-Bailly Pessac Leognan 2022 1.5Ltr

Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc all raised in 50% new French oak. Its deeper ruby hue is followed by a gorgeously classic Haut-Bailly nose of red and black currants, savory flowers, dried herbs, and chocolate. Reminding me of the 2009 (or maybe a mix of the 2009 and 2010) with its opulent, sexy, yet concentrated style, it still stays flawlessly balanced and light on its feet, with no sensation of weight, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be hidden in the back of the cellar for 5-7 years and will keep for 40+ years if well stored.

The grand vin is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc (of course it also includes some Malbec and Carmenère from the 4 hectares of complanted vines, but the exact figure is impossible to quantify), and it accounts for 50% of the crop. The élevage was in 50% new oak and 50% second fill oak barrels. Classical restraint on the nose from this high-flying 2022, with savoury and lightly desiccated black summer fruits laid atop a bed of coffee bean, liquorice, tar and rose petals, all beautifully intertwined. The palate is a delight, polished and very fine, with great integration from the outset, the finely honed core of savoury, tobacco-laced, rose-infused fruit threaded with finely knit but confident tannins, which pervade the middle before they finally come out onto the end of the palate, providing it with a deliciously long, focused and finessed finish. The tannin management here is breathtaking, confident and yet so elegant and tightly knit;clearly one of the strongest examples of Haut-Bailly I have tasted in many years. One for my cellar (I hope!). Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%.

A youthfully reticent bouquet of licorice, pencil lead, spices and dark berries prefaces the 2022 Haut-Bailly, a medium to full-bodied, layered and structured wine with a concentrated core of lively fruit framed by youthfully firm tannins. Concluding with a long, energetic and pencil lead-inflected finish, the 2022 has gained in elegance and integration during élevage, yet it will require time to fully mellow and realize its full potential.

The aromas of blueberries, blackberries and sandalwood come through so clearly that they entice you before you taste. In the mouth, it has such an intensity of silky tannins caressing every inch of your palate. Very classy and extremely long, it goes on and on. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. Needs four to five years of bottle age. Best after 2029.

The 2022 Haut-Bailly is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted here in a very long time. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and blood orange are all finely laced together in the glass. There's a new sense of polish at Haut Bailly these days. The 2022 is a great example of that. Readers will find a supremely finessed wine with striking fruit purity, gorgeous length and a slightly linear build that is not at all typical (in a good sense) for a warm, dry vintage. Clean mineral notes support the finish.

Wonderful scents of sweet red berries - wild strawberries with perfumed floral notes - smells expressive and appealing. Sumptuous and smooth, this leans into the vintage in terms of the depth and richness of the body but the tannins are beautifully fine and this has a streamlined core of very cool and fresh blueberries and plums with cola and wet stone accents. It's very controlled and elegant - supremely finessed with each element harmonised to the others. Still a little quiet in terms of acidity, less openly vibrant and uplifting than some, with flashes of heat and menthol spice on the finish. The texture is brilliant it's just a little potent still.