2020 Chateau Haut Bailly - Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Decanter.com – 97 pts – GH: *Almost wild on the nose, aromatic and expressive, you can tell this is a powerful, concentrated wine with dark fruits, graphite, fresh mint and medicinal herbal touches. Pure and focused, clean, lean and multifaceted, the flavours hit the palate then melt away, giving the floor to liquorice, cedar, tobacco and soft clove spices. I love the sleekness and the sense of seriousness that the 2020 has compared to the more 'look at me' 2019 at this point. The texture and depth make this wine, with vertical layers and excellent acidity. A profound wine.* - 01/2023

Falstaff Magazin - (96-98) pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine schwarze Beerenfrucht, angenehme Edelholzwürze, Nuancen von Brombeeren, Pflaumen, ein Hauch von Vanille, facettenreiches Bukett. Komplex, saftig, reife Herzkirschen, seidig wirkende, perfekt eingebundene Tannine, zeigt eine nahtlose Textur, sehr gute Länge und Harmonie, saliner Nachhall, großes Zukunftspotenzial.* - 05/2021

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 96-98+pts: *A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Haut-Bailly was harvested from the 9th to 25th of September. It has an alcohol of 14.3%. Deep purple-black in color, it prances out of the glass with naturally beautiful notions of fresh black cherries, violets, mulberries and boysenberries, giving way to hints of redcurrant jelly, star anise, tilled soil and menthol. The medium to full-bodied palate is delicately crafted with velvety/grainy tannins and fantastic freshness framing the perfumed red and black berry layers, finishing on a lingering fragrant-earth note.* - 05/21

Vinum Magazin – 19/20pts: *Superbe, besonders präzise, delikate Aromatik von Gewürzen und frischen Beeren; beginnt ungemein seidig und fruchtig, entwickelt verblüffende Eleganz und Transparenz trotz der Fülle, der Alkohol ist perfekt eingebunden und die Tannine besitzen mineralischen Schliff; gehört zu den grossen Weinen des Jahres.* - 09/2021

Weinwisser - 19+/20pts: *52 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 42 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Petit Verdot, 37 hl/ha (wie 2010), Lese vom 09. - 25. September. Sehr tiefes Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem rubinrotem Rand. Erhabenes, sehr komplexes Bouquet mit verführerischem Veilchenparfüm, edler Cassiswürze und Lakritze. Im zweiten Ansatz Alpenheidelbeere, geröstete Himbeerkerne und heller Tabak. Am konzentrierten Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, herrlicher Extraktfülle, engmaschigem Tanningerüst, energiegeladene Rasse und geradliniger Körper. Im sehr gebündelten Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, dunkles tiefgründiges Graphit, endet mit zarter Adstringenz. Reicht (noch) nicht an den phänomenalen 2019er ran. Kann noch zulegen! Liegt heuer hinter SHL auf Platz 2 in Léognan!* - 04/2021

JancisRobinson.com - 17+/20pts - JR: *52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Aged for 16–18 months in French oak. Dense, complex nose with some savour as opposed to simple sweetness. Supple texture but some interesting depths. Real bite on the end. A little bit of alcoholic heat on the end but the way there is certainly interesting and detailed. And there seem to be some fine tannins worth waiting for* - 11/2022

JamesSuckling.com - 99-100pts - JS: *This has incredible power and drive with blackberry, black olive and graphite. It’s full-bodied, yet dynamic and agile, with so much polished and muscular tannin. Yet, it remains in harmony and balance. So much character. The head of the chateau calls it diabolical beauty. 25% less production than the 2019. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 42% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.* - 05/21

Vinous.com – 97 pts – AG: *The 2020 Haut-Bailly has developed into an elegant, richly-textured wine with all its elements in balance. Classy and polished to the core, the 2020 is a Haut-Bailly that favors finesse over power. It's a wine of extreme precision and persistence more than anything else. Red-toned fruit, dried flowers, spice and blood orange are some of the many notes that open over time. The 2020 spent 15 months in barrel, with 50% new oak.* - 12/2022

Vinous.com – 96 pts – NM: *The 2020 Haut-Bailly showed extremely well when I tasted it at my home during lockdown. Now in bottle since spring 2022, it upholds a wonderful bouquet with multi-layered black fruit laced with briary, flint, blood orange and light peony scents. That orange element becomes a touch more pronounced with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine backbone, brimming with energy and remaining harmonious from start to finish. This is a long-term prospect, an achievement considering that this was supposed to be vinified in their new winery, but due to Covid delays ended up being vinified in their old facility (though barrel maturation was able to be done in the new cellar.)* - 12/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 98 pts – JL: *Initially, you find a display of flowers before moving on to all of its cigar wrapper, spice, blackberry, currant, black cherry, smoke and hints of forest leaf. Deeply concentrated, vibrant and refined, the palate is packed with multiple-layers of perfectly, ripe, red fruits, a fabulous sense of purity, silky, soft, polished tannins and ample lift in the finish, providing the backdrop to age, evolve for decades. Drink from 2027-2060.* - 03/2023