Château Haut-Bailly 2016

Very restrained, yet already of great complexity; a dense approach, a leisurely development over a supportive, high-class tannic framework, seemingly endless, combining elegance, balance, breed and power in an almost ideal way. Great wine.

This is energetic and grippy, with tar and melted licorice notes wrapped around a core of bramble, red currant paste and black cherry preserve flavors. The tarry edge reemerges on the finish, working with a singed apple wood element to give this solid drive through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2038. 7,500 cases made.

Brooding nose with some black pepper, liquorice and charcoal. Powerful wine with broad-shouldered tannins and excellent intensity of black fruits on the palate. It has a long and dense finish.

Wonderful aromas of tobacco, sweet fruit and licorice follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins that caress every inch of your palate. Love the length and subtlety to this young wine. Gorgeous. Drink after 2024.

Mid crimson. Seductive and elegant at the same time. Pure, cedary dark fruit, dustily fragrant. Succulent and fresh and with such beautifully fluid tannins. This is singing already but built for the future with finesse and effortless intensity. One of the best Haut-Baillys I have tasted. A hint of chocolate on the finish widens its appeal. (JH)

The 2016 Haut-Bailly has a lovely bouquet with vivid black fruit, briar and crushed rose petal scents, the oak beautifully intertwined. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit, cedar and black olive. Fine depth, gentle grip, this feels quite backward towards the finish. Real character here. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Dark in color, this is already just great. The wine offers a hint of truffle, tobacco, smoke, cigar box, crème de cassis and dark cherries. The wine is concentrated, full-bodied, elegant, classic and fresh. The tannins are ripe, refined and need time to soften. This is not a wine for early drinking pleasure. It will take at least a decade to soften, fill out and develop its nuances and complexities. With patience, this is going to be a stunning wine and could very likely earn a higher score. Fans of Haut-Bailly should definitely have this gem in their cellar.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, subtle brightening at the rim. Reductive cassis aroma, semi-bitter chocolate, dark berries, blueberry and wet stone. Good freshness. On the palate, punchy yet refined and seemingly a bit softer than in other years, but as it unfolds the tannins build firmly while remaining fine-grained, with a mineral imprint and mild acidity. Very great structural length and a noticeable lack of astringency despite the powerful tannin content. Complex, with delicate fruit and a lively yet integrated acid thread.

Dark, ample and earthy/stony nose with mocha, dark fruit like cassis, cherry, plum and tobacco, with discreet oak underneath. Ample and dense palate with fine proportions, very high but rounded extract, layers of ripe dark fruit, crushed dark berries and tobacco, with a very long, lingering finish. Still youthful, needing time to gain roundness and flesh, but with a promising structure.

I obviously underrated the 2016 Château Haut-Bailly on release, and it easily tops out my scale. A hypothetical blend of 2009 and 2010, it has the opulence and sexiness of a ripe, sunny vintage (à la 2009) paired with incredible purity, concentration, structure, and elegance (à la 2010). Incredible aromatics of cassis, liquid violets, cedar pencil, flowers, and minerals give way to a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered Haut-Bailly offering ultra-fine tannins, flawless overall balance, nothing out of place, and the class to drink well today yet evolve for 30–40 years. Absolute perfection in wine, this is a modern-day Legend from director Veronique Sanders.

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 47 hl/ha. Deep garnet. What a perfume of blueberries and fragrant violets! Behind it, blackberry purée and cassis drops. On the powerful palate with silky tannins, a tightly knit body emerges, very concentrated and lengthening thanks to the acidity and elegance. The finish again shows plenty of black-berried fruit; balance is the secret here! Whether it can outshine the magnificent 2010 remains to be seen. A visibly proud Véronique Sanders is 100% convinced of it. The slogan of the 2016 vintage, “Le goût du bonheur,” also fits this splendid Haut-Bailly perfectly.

Kunz barrel sample 17: (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 47 hl/ha) Deep, dense, velvety, dark, complex bouquet: black berries, currants, tobacco, fine woods, dark chocolate, a touch of licorice. Concentrated, multi-layered, powerful, elegant palate with intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a velvety, finely muscular structure, dense, varied aromatics, and a very long, powerful finish with lots of lingering flavors. 21: René Gabriel: medium-dark ruby with a violet sheen. From the first second it radiates an appellation-classic bouquet. Dark fruit, tobacco, fine woods, and peppercorns. Very aromatic and at the same time showing captivating depth. Strikingly aromatic on the palate as well; the astringency is promising and at the same time very noble. Anyone with a vision of a great Haut-Bailly and wishing for what it should be will find here everything their heart desires. Still available in retail at around 130 francs and thus a very good buy! 19/20 pending

Concentrated, velvety, complex, fresh, spicy bouquet; blue and black berries, cassis, licorice, graphite, black pepper. Dense, multi-layered, elegant, powerful palate with plenty of fine tannins; dense, finely creamy, finely muscular structure; diverse, dark aromatics; very long, powerful finish. 19/20 2025 - 2055

Structured, powerful, balanced, a fabulous Haut-Bailly that speaks of the effortless elegance of this place, yet with the concentration and power of the vintage. Great stuff, just a stunning wine. Denis Dubourdieu last year as consultant, Gabriel Vialard winemaker, Véronique Sanders director, 55% new oak for ageing.

A magnificent nose of complexity and refinement, a multitude of aromas, fruit, spicy and mineral notes, a superb touch of mint and cedar; the palate follows suit, with a tannic framework of rare elegance, endless aromas, and a freshness that brings the whole to a clean close. Great potential, exceptional pedigree.

The 2016 from Haut-Bailly is a truly fantastic wine, endowed with depth and balance that will go down in history. That said, patience will be required, as this muscular wine is still far from revealing everything.

Fresh, elegant, and radiant on the nose, like a dancer. Sumptuous on the palate, it reveals concentrated red fruits, a velvety, finely grained texture, and a luscious finish.

The 2016 vintage was a year of extremes, records, and strokes of luck. A deluge-like winter and spring were followed by a dry, radiant summer and autumn. In June, an extraordinary weather window allowed for a rapid, even flowering. July and August were marked by high temperatures and an exceptional water deficit. Perfectly summery conditions ensured gradual ripening. Record diurnal temperature ranges were recorded. Cool nights helped preserve fruit aromas and promised excellent anthocyanin synthesis. Despite the drought, water stress on the vines remained moderate. All plots, including the estate’s great gravel terroirs, benefited from deep rooting thanks to soil work. The vines drew on groundwater reserves that were replenished in spring. Doubt gradually gave way to euphoria. The beautiful, hot, sunny summer extended into September and October. Harvest proceeded serenely. The crop was generous. The wines display deep color, supple tannins, and great phenolic richness. The Merlots reveal admirable fruit; the Cabernets show exceptional tannin quality and texture. 2016 is fruity, concentrated, powerful, and elegant. The bouquet of the 2016 is reminiscent of the 2010. It sets the tone from the outset and positions itself as a great wine. Without hesitation, it shows a dazzling form and is highly promising. The Cabernet Sauvignon is beautifully highlighted, offering fundamental, refreshing fruit intensity. Pleasant spicy notes with black pepper and a touch of cardamom. On the palate, the wine is broad, compact, powerful, and precise. It is juicy and dense, and manages to showcase its aromatic expression on the finish, where the structure underlines the wine’s grandeur, pressing just when one thinks it has reached its peak. A great wine with exceptional assets to stand the test of time.

Dark, intense, and vibrant color. A very aromatic nose with fresh, ripe fruit. Velvety on the attack, juicy mid-palate, with a full yet silky body, the wine unfolds with meticulous depth and nobility, leading to a long, complex, and highly flavorful finish with fine-grained texture. Classy! (Alcohol: 13.5%)

Haut-Bailly offers a fine and round nose, very classic with wonderful sweetness and mature fruits. There are notes of cedar, spices, oysters and crunchy cabernet sauvignon followed by notes of salt and seawater. The 2016 Haut-Bailly is an impressive glass of wine, very well composed and subtle. It will be on top for the next 25+ years but you can already now approach it with sufficient decanting.