Château Haut-Bailly 2004

The 2004 Haut-Bailly is a candidate for the finest wine of the appellation. Its dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by classic aromas of scorched earth, sweet black currants, cherries, and a hint of pain grillé. Light on its feet but substantially flavored, it has stunning purity, good acidity, ripe tannin, and abundant flavor as well as length. It builds incrementally and subtly in the mouth, but it’s the real deal. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2024.

Blackberry and licorice aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long, rich aftertaste. Lots going on. This is an excellent wine and close to the 2000 in quality. Best after 2010. 6,000 cases made.

Gorgeous smoke and concentration on the nose, retaining largely primary fruit character even at 16 years old. This remains focused on cassis and black cherry character, touches of a bitter black chocolate and still clearly confident tannins. Harvest September 27 to October 18. Less graceful than some years like 2001, at least at this stage, but fresh, ripe and still young, which translates into huge promise for future development.

The racy, precise nature of this beautiful wine underlines the quality of the winemaking here. It shows plenty of smoky, berry, and mineral character yet remains reserved and subtle. It defines what the British call claret: it’s all about finesse and balance. Drink now.

Quite a lot of charm here, the wine is medium bodied, soft, clean and fresh, and ready to go with its ripe, dark fruits and earthy, smoky profile.

Another wine that shines in the vintage, the 2004 Château Haut-Bailly has a classic, almost old-school vibe in its cedary red and black fruit, but it brings solid sweetness and depth of fruit on the palate, with silky tannins as well as nicely integrated acidity. It also has some rock-solid mid-palate depth, and this meaty, complex, satisfying effort will evolve for another 7–8 years and then gradually decline thereafter.

Quite dark, deep purple-garnet. Noble, spicy bouquet with dark roasted notes, lovely Cabernet warmth, gently ethereal, mineral, and brimming with aromatics. Dense, firm palate with great concentration, balanced yet still youthful astringency, showing muscle, flesh, breed, and grandeur; long aftertaste; needs about 8 more years to reach its first maturity and could gain another point thereafter.

Barrel sample: expansive, creamy bouquet with a seductive, seamless sweetness of cassis and blackberry, backed by delicate vanilla and coconut notes. On the palate, pure suppleness, very modern winemaking, charm and finesse with great length. A benchmark of elegance, with room to improve. (17/20). Quite dark, deep purple-garnet. Noble, spicy bouquet showing dark roasted notes and a lovely Cabernet warmth, gently ethereal, mineral, and packed with aromatics. Dense, firm palate with impressive concentration, balanced yet still youthful astringency; shows muscle, flesh, breed, and stature, long aftertaste; needs at least 8 years to reach first maturity and could then gain another point. (18/20). 19: Still very dark in color, you can even see violet reflections inside the glass. The bouquet is quite reserved at first. Perhaps that’s because you can clearly sense from the outset that this wine delves to a remarkable depth. The aromas are dark-berried, showing fine woods, cedar scent, rosewood, licorice, and subtle nuances of Périgord truffle. These traces could embark on another aromatic evolution in the coming years. On the palate, powerful and fine at once; here this Haut-Bailly is a touch more generous with its aromas. A reassuring Grand Cru that reveals on a second pass that everything is there. One can speak here of an introverted Graves. Decant for a long time, or wait another 10 years. (18/20). 20: Last year I wrote that it was closed. And this summer I drank a wonderfully soft, approachable bottle. (18/20). 21: Medium ruby-garnet, subtly matte at the core, lightening at the rim. Classic Bordeaux bouquet—cherries, plums—but also refreshing floral notes indicating a gently “cool” Cabernet tendency. Feels slender on the attack yet doesn’t skimp on aromatics. On the palate it shows medium weight, playful extract with a pleasant touch of sweetness. The tannins feel resolved, so you can drink this wine with great pleasure today. Either pour straight from bottle to glass if you enjoy the fruit, or decant for three hours if you prefer slightly deeper notes. This is exactly how I like the “Claret style”! (18/20).

Deep, dense, elegant, fresh bouquet, black berries, cassis, dark tobacco, herbs, currants, delicate mocha yogurt. Dense, multi-layered, elegant, fresh palate with plenty of fine tannins, a tightly woven structure, diverse, powerful aromatics, long, dense, refined finish. Can still improve. 18/20 drink - 2035

Dark plum in colour, edges of floral violet and peony as in 1998 and 2001, finessed, drawn out. Cool blue and black fruits, elegant and balanced, with hints of graphite and flint, love it. Now moving fully into its drinking window, after 20 years of being a little reserved. Veronique Sanders director, Denis Dubourdieu consultant. A real standout, one to savour. Harvest September 27 to October 18. 50% new oak.

Dark, with a distinguished nose, powerful, taut, elevated, refined, winey, an award-worthy wine in its vintage and great value for money.

A confident, assertive, concentrated nose of red and black fruits and aromatic herbs. Intense and youthful on the palate, very juicy and without the dryness that some Bordeaux wines from this vintage can show.

An appealing, inviting bouquet marked by nuances of mint, dark chocolate, and licorice. On the palate, the wine has both body and freshness. It features precise, fine-grained tannins that align with the acidic structure. The latter ensures freshness as well as aromatic persistence. A wine in great shape.

Dark, intense and beautiful colour. Very youthful nose, pure, fruity, ripe, with an ink note. Dense, fresh, juicy and deep on the palate, flavourful and powerful, with licorice-coated tannins, slightly evident, and an ink note. Good length. Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc.

This is the kind of vintage, a touch austere and classic, that suits Haut-Bailly so well. The color, between ruby and garnet, captivates with its brilliance. The nose, initially restrained, suggests understated dark fruit which, with aeration, reveals signs of density, depth, and complexity. It is not giving itself fully yet. The palate is straight, taut, and focused, with perfectly ripe fruit and al dente tannins. This is a slender wine that stretches out without frills, marked by great elegance and persistence, with very civilized tannins. At once impressive and reserved, it is a wine of resolutely Bordeaux classicism.

A beautifully balanced, harmonious wine—as so often in recent years from Haut-Bailly—this is the epitome of deliciously drinkable Bordeaux. The wild strawberry flavors and the elegant, velvet texture are balanced by firm, structured tannins. Like other vintages from Haut-Bailly, expect this to develop over many years.