Château Haut-Bailly 2014

Coherent, harmonious, full-bodied, of the greatest delicacy and complexity: everything is just right.

The 2014 Haut Bailly has a charming, quite intense bouquet with layers of blackberry, raspberry coulis, black olive and melted tar scents that soar from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, harmonious and focused with superb density and precision towards the finish. This is a classy number and alongside Domaine de Chevalier, it is one of the standouts from the appellation in this vintage.

This shows admirable density for the vintage, with a strong loamy echo amid the core of dark currant, fig and plum compote flavors. Loads of tobacco and tar details join in on the finish, while the fruit easily keeps pace. Rock-solid. Best from 2020 through 2035. 6,665 cases made.

Concentrated depths of fruit, with a strikingly silky texture. Cool blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, along with high floral aromatics, speak to a summer that was cooler than ideal but followed by a beautiful September that allowed for full ripening. This is still extremely young and pretty much in its dumb phase right now, as the tannins close in around the fruit, but with huge promise for the future. I would give it another three or four years before it really gets going, or ensure a long carafe.

A very well-made, modern wine with ripe cherry and cassis notes but rather discreet oak. The bright fruit and lively acidity balance the moderately dry tannins very well, and the finish is long and quite complex. Compact. Needs time to open. Beautiful.

Light floral nose, a dry, fine-grained palate, and a simple flavour profile. Perhaps not a candidate for very long ageing, but perfectly enjoyable in the shorter term. (RH)

The 2014 Haut-Bailly is very composed on the nose. It's pretty tertiary, but there is sufficient fruit to back that up, and it feels much more natural than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-balanced, and unapologetically classic in style, but unlike many of its peers, there is no austerity or dryness. This is a polished 2014 that should mature well in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Surprisingly open, the wine already shows the first secondary nuances, with softened tannins and development on the palate. And this is a good thing because the fruit is ripe and, texturally, the wine is soft, medium to full-bodied and refined, with a tightly wound vibrance that brings lift and sensuality. Young and fun to taste, it is clearly not quite ready. Wait until at least 2024 before pulling a cork.

A wine that has always drunk well, the 2014 Château Haut-Bailly has a charming, forward, yet also incredibly elegant profile as well as terrific freshness in its ripe darker berry fruit. It shows complex floral, spicy, and lead pencil nuances with time in the glass, and it's a medium-bodied, nicely concentrated Haut-Bailly with nothing out of place, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. This Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend (66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot) is going to continue drinking spectacularly well over the coming 20-25 years.

Dark garnet, fairly dense at the core, ruby rim. Finely toasty start, red plums, light noble woods, Dominican tobacco, shows a ripe berry component between red and blue fruits, fine dryness but also endowed with beautiful spice. Mid-palate with good muscle and a balanced yet demanding astringency, finishing with rather sandy contours. Somehow unsexy but classic. Meaning: it resembles its patient, reserved vintages like 1988, 1996, 2006 and has similar tannin contours. Needs a long time and will become classic. For me personally, at the moment it’s having a bit of trouble keeping up with its own, likewise not easy, vintages 2011 and 2012. Hopefully it will manage this by the time it reaches its drinking window. Then it could gain another point.

Dark garnet, fairly dense in the middle, ruby rim. Finely toasty start, red plums, light fine woods, Dominican tobacco, shows a ripe berry component ranging from red to blue fruits, with a fine dryness yet beautifully spiced. Medium palate with good muscle and a balanced yet demanding astringency, finishing with rather sandy contours. Somehow unsexy but classic. That is to say, it resembles its patient, reserved vintages like 1988, 1996, 2006 and has similar tannin contours. Needs a long time and will become classic. For me, at the moment it struggles a bit to catch up with its own (also not easy) vintages 2011 and 2012. Hopefully it will manage this by the time it reaches its drinking window. Then it would gain another point. (17/20).

Spicy, deep, closed, dark bouquet; black berries, currants, dark tobacco, black pepper. A tightly knit, elegant, classic palate with a dense, finely muscular structure, well-core tannins, dark aromatics, and a long, austere finish. 18/20 2024 - 2040

Oozes pure elegance, this is strikingly concentrated and yet precise, with a beautifully silky texture to the tannins, cool blueberry and cassis fruits, with peony and violet aromatics, along with curls of woodsmoke. Last tasted around three years ago, and it is starting to soften and open, excellent quality. This was not included at the Bordeaux Index tasting, so I Coravined a bottle that I have at home.

Deep nose of great refinement; ripe fruit with superb notes of suave flowers, sweet spices, tobacco, and leather. Dense palate with a solid tannic framework, mature enough to avoid any harshness, persistent aromas, vigor, and enormous aging potential. Very classy.

Hedonistic and spicy on the nose, it reveals notes of candied red fruits, ripe raspberries, and lilac. The palate is both opulent and serious, with hints of coffee and precious wood bringing gravitas to the fruit.

Very beautiful fruity intensity on the bouquet of the 2014. It is ideally complemented by refreshing notes of mint. The wine has body, well-integrated tannins, and structure. However, it struggles to reveal itself from a taste perspective. I’ve known it to perform better, with more relevance.

Tasted decanted. Dark, intense, beautiful color. A great deep nose, complex and pure. The palate is full-bodied with a rich, silky texture, unfolding with abundant flavor, plenty of brilliance on the palate, and an unprecedented tannic softness for the vintage. Long, very present, and very good. Do not miss it.

A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44%, the 2014 Haut-Bailly has a deep garnet color with a touch of brick. It slowly emerges from the glass with notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and dried cranberries, followed by hints of iron ore, cigar box and chargrill. The medium-bodied palate delivers compelling tension with firm, grainy tannins, and layers of evolving red and black fruits, finishing long and ferrous.

Initial tight acidity in this crisp wine gives way to smooth rich black fruits. This already has a fine balance with its ripe juiciness and delicious red-berry flavors. It is going to develop into a very fine wine. Drink from 2024.