Château Haut-Bailly 2003

I remember being worried about how well the 2003 Haut-Bailly would turn out, but it has aged beautifully. Made from a final blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, it currently offers fresh tobacco leaf, red and black currant notes, and hints of burning embers and charcoal. Having put on weight over the last eleven years, it is more complete and fuller than I expected. Enjoy this pretty, luscious, fully mature 2003 over the next decade.

Aromas of berry and sweet tobacco follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Subtle character and refinement. Needs a bit more depth to be outstanding. Best after 2009. 6,665 cases made.

The warmth of the year comes through in a fatter more velvety texture than you find in many Haut-Baillys, and in its clearly generous autumnal berry fruit, deep black pepper, liquorice and saffron spice. All this is set alongside pulsing aromatics, and a juicy finish that shows the fruit was ripe but not overripe. Excellent, easy to recommend in what was a challenging vintage where terroir absolutely shone through.

The warm vintage of 2003 gives this loads of fruit, like raspberries and strawberry jam. Full-bodied and very fresh with soft, round tannins. A long and yummy wine. Delicious now but please wait to pull the cork until at least 2013.

The summer of 2003 will remain branded in our memory for the exceptionally high temperatures recorded. The growth cycle began very early with the first week of the heatwave during Vinexpo (20-29 June). After plucking out the middle buds on one side of the row, no further de-leafing was undertaken to ensure the grapes had maximum protection from the sun. The véraison in 2003 was early and uniform. The extreme weather conditions in early August (the maximum temperature was close to 42 °C for about ten days) were exceptional for this region. However, the vines did not suffer any violent hydric stress thanks to isolated storms mid-July and mid-August. The harvest, fairly well spread so that each parcel could be picked at perfect maturity, started three weeks ahead of average. The young Merlot vines were harvested on Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 September, the older Merlot parcels on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11, the Cabernet Franc in two days the following week and the Cabernet Sauvignon from 22 to 27 September. At vatting, rather low acidity – characteristic of a hot summer – caused us to expect difficulty stabilising the wine. Curiously, during alcoholic fermentation acid levels balanced themselves out probably due to redistribution of the acids during maceration. The berries, undersized and thick-skinned, quickly yielded deep-coloured juice, low in volume. Maceration was carried out gently over three weeks. Cabernet Sauvignon 56%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 6%. Didn’t de-leaf or acidify so berries weren’t burnt and the acid rose in the fermentation vat. Deep ruby. Not very expressive on the nose. Solid. Odd – a bit of a blob. Not much flavour really. Low acid. Odd tannins on the end. Dried-fruit flavours. (JR)

Good bright red. Raspberry, tobacco and minerals on the very fresh nose. Sweet and lush but firm, with very rich, spicy flavors of currant, tobacco and toasty oak. Rather full in alcohol and distinctly silky in texture but not at all overextracted. An impressively concentrated and exuberant 2003, finishing with substantial dusty tannins.

Fully mature, medium bodied, and on the roasted red berry and tobacco edge, the tannins are soft and the fruits are warm. This is not a wine for long term cellaring. I'd opt to drink it before the wine hits 20 years of age.

Based on 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2003 Château Haut-Bailly is shockingly fresh and lively, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed the vintage. Sweet red and black fruits, minty herbs, tobacco leaf, and toasty notes all define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, elegant style. There's a firmer edge to the tannins, but this has a lively, focused, beautifully balanced style that will evolve nicely over the coming decade.

From a double magnum. Fine tertiary aromas with notes of leather and cedar, along with blackcurrant, coffee, mint, rosemary and red berries. On the palate, elegant and playful, melted liquorice, very subtle with blackcurrant, flowers and truffle. Respect! – ready to drink

04: Very dark garnet with a purple sheen, dense right to the rim. Intense bouquet, clear Cabernet note, still slightly floral yet consistent with the nose’s profile; underneath it shows lovely depth, with a hint of coffee and beechwood tones hovering above. Juicy palate, elegant structure, red plums, finely sandy texture; the astringency suggests strong potential for at least twenty years. (17/20). Warm bouquet on first opening, lots of plum and coffee. On the nose it actually raises more expectations than it can (currently?) deliver on the palate; firm at the core and only medium in length. (17/20). Malty bouquet, red plum compote. On the palate it tends toward a firm, pithy character, which at the same time gives it breed. Lovely minerality. (17/20). 21: Medium wine-red with no signs of ageing. Spicy, powerful, dense, youthful bouquet: plum, mocha, tobacco, currants, dark tobacco. Dense, powerful, aromatic palate with fine tannin, multifaceted dark aromatics, concentrated structure, long, intense finish. Only at the beginning of its first real drinking phase. You’ve stepped up! (18/20).

A spicy, powerful, dense, youthful, velvety bouquet: plum, mocha, tobacco, currants, dark tobacco. Dense, powerful, aromatic palate with fine tannins, a complex dark aromatic profile, a concentrated structure, and a very long, aromatic finish. Can still improve. 18/20 drink through 2045.

The aromatics change at this point, reflecting the ripeness of the 2003 vintage, and you'll find exotic spice, turmeric, saffron, cumin. Welcoming and engaging in its brambled and pureed blackberry and raspberry fruits, silky textured, starting to slide towards tertiary, but still with the effortless finesse of Haut-Bailly, and a fresh lift on the finish. A creaminess to the tannins speaks of the ripeness of the vintage, but it is measured, great quality, and still with life ahead of it. Harvest September 3 to 27. An upscore from the last time I tasted a few years ago - particularly impressive for the 2003 vintage, that was expected to age rapidly. 50% new oak.

Fresh, subtle and restrained on the nose, with a soothing quality: it is far from revealing the warmth of the vintage. On the palate, one discovers exquisite delicacy, ripe yet still vibrant fruit, lovely freshness, and a very silky texture.

2003, an atypical vintage. This year will be remembered for the exceptional heat recorded. The growing cycle began very early, with a first heatwave week starting as early as 20 June. No leaf thinning was carried out in order to provide maximum protection for the grape clusters from the sun. Veraison was early and even. The extreme weather conditions at the beginning of August (maximum temperatures close to 42°C for around ten days) were unusual for the region. The vines did not, however, suffer from water stress thanks to occasional storms between mid-July and mid-August. The harvest, spread out to pick each parcel at perfect ripeness, took place between 3 September and 27 September. At vatting, the rather low acidity levels, typical of a hot summer, raised concerns about stability. Strangely, during alcoholic fermentation, acidity levels rebalanced, probably due to acids concentrated in raisined berries during maceration. The grapes—small, with thick skins—released a deep colour quickly into small volumes of juice. Haut-Bailly has always managed to stand out, even in unusual years. Thus, 2003 reflects, on the one hand, the warm character of the vintage and, on the other, the wine’s ability to stay the course. Tannins clearly play a major role here, taking on part of the job that the acidic structure cannot necessarily provide in this vintage. The result is convincing: Haut-Bailly 2003 is ample, balanced, smooth and delicious. Beautifully fine-grained tannins and superb aromatic expression through to the finish.

Dark color, medium intensity, slightly evolved. Lovely nose of ripe fruit. A warm touch. The palate is juicy, silky and aromatic, in the style of Haut-Bailly, with bright, vibrant flavors. Very good length with fine tannins. A pleasant surprise. Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.