Chateau Haut-Bailly Pessac Leognan 2018 – 750ml Not specified

99pts James Suckling

Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish. Goes on and on. Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2025.

98pts Decanter

This is a serious 2018, structured, layered and full of Haut-Bailly signature. The texture is striking, with the silkiness emphasised by a pH of 3.87 and a relatively high alcohol that is effortlessly integrated into the body of the wine. The complexity builds slowly through the palate but the persisting feeling is of menthol, a lifting off and peeling back of the intensity, revealing the fresher more nuanced notes underneath. There’s a lot of the 2015 character here, in terms of its enjoyable structure and generous fruit, but it’s more like 2016 in its serious finish, and there’s no question that this will age well.

98pts Jeb Dunnuck

The Grand Vin 2018 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. This is a beautiful, classic expression of this terroir, and its dense purple hue is followed by gorgeous black cherry and cassis fruits interwoven with ample tobacco leaf, cedary herbs, earth, truffle, and floral nuances. While 2018 was a hot, dry year (at the end of the season anyway), this shows a mix of cooler-climate, vibrant aromatics paired with a rich, concentrated, fresh style on the palate. It has plenty of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A beautiful, elegant 2018, it’s going to need 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades.

96pts Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The 2018 Haut-Bailly is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it has 14.4% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to unlock a powerhouse of black fruit preserves, offering notes of blackberry pie, crème de cassis and black cherry compote, giving way to nuances of Chinese five spice, camphor, chocolate box and licorice with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with plush textured, rich black fruits, supported by a lively backbone and finishing long and spicy. It is decadently tempting to drink now, but give it 5 years in bottle to begin to see its full glory, while it should continue to transform for a further 20 years or more in cellar.

96pts Wine Enthusiast

The balance between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine gives it swathes of rich fruit and a classic structure. Blackberry flavors layered with firm, dense tannins convey elegance and richness. This is a ripe wine, generously proportioned and ready for aging. Cellar Selection

95pts Wine Spectator

Packed with steeped plum, blackberry and cassis flavors, this also sports licorice root, applewood and tar notes. Dense and shows a chewy edge, but it’s seriously long, energetic and vibrant, so just cellar to let it unfurl. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038.

Winemaker Notes

2018 was a year of extremes. The excessive rainfall of winter and spring was followed by drought with a long sunny summer for more than four consecutive months … rare and ideal! The resulting wines are full of color, dense, structured and expressive. Opulence and exceptional quality for a solar vintage.

Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc