|
| "Château Haut-Bailly is among the ranks of great estates..."
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate |
| | | | | "The 33 hectare estate of Haut-Bailly contains 30 hectares under vine. The soil is 'Tertiary Period Pyrenean gravel' over a clay-gravel subsoil. It is the only Cru Classé de Graves that only makes red wine, though I always ask [Véronique] Sanders’ when she will plant white grape varieties, knowing full well her answer. The current field blend comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot planted at 10,000 vines per hectare using three rootstocks: 101-14, Riparia and 420A.
Some plantings date from 1959, just after the devastating freeze, while the current vine age is around 35-years. What Sanders refers to as the 'heart of Haut-Bailly' is a four-hectare plot of old vines planted by [19th century owner] Alcide Bellot des Minières. This comprises of 7/12 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/12 each of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenère, and Malbec. Back in 1901 in L’Oenophile magazine, Bellot des Minières had written: 'These vines are of the highest quality, from very old stock, and planted in carefully-studied proportions to produce optimum quality in keeping with the soils of the various plots.'
'[The previous technical director] told me to pull out these old vines,' Sanders recalls. 'But a famous ampelographer studied the vines and told me to keep them for as long as I could. He found grape varieties that even he was unable to identify. So I decided not to eradicate the vines and replace them with the same grape variety in order to maintain the diversity. These vines are 115 to 120 years old having survived the freeze in 1956. They are still productive and do not get diseased. In wintertime, they are like bonsai. They can represent 15 to 20% of the final blend. I often read articles that describe them as pre-phylloxera. But they are grafted onto American rootstock' .... |
| | Production of the Grand Vin is now 6,000 to 8,000 cases compared to 10,000 to 12,000 in previous years, with stricter selection for second and third labels, Haut-Bailly II (previously La Parde de Haut-Bailly) and HB respectively."
Neal Martin, Vinous |
| | 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon
|
| ‣ "Wow: dark berries and violets on the nose, so sensuous, smells rich and round. Beautifully fresh on the palate, there is a real zing and burst of red fruit juiciness but also a lovely cooling freshness straight from the start. Almost has a blue fruit touch but there's strawberries, raspberries and red cherries too. Smooth tannins with a gently chalky grip that coat the mouth giving structure and body. So linear and straight yet also layered, nothing is too overt or in your face - precise and really elegant. I love this - gentle and well presented. Excellent." Georgie Hindle, Decanter Magazine |
| ‣ "Pine, currant and crushed-stone aromas with some walnuts, berries and orange peel. Full-bodied with round, fine tannins and excellent length. Compact and very fine. Lovely length. Seamless." James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com |
| ‣ "... Feeling quintessentially Pessac-Léognan and quite marine-influenced in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, taut and fresh, still a little piquant on the finish but with more precision than I recall. This is very impressive. Excellent." Neal Martin, Vinous |
| | | | Continue the hunt at retail:
|
| | Continue the hunt at auction:
|
| | | |
|
| | | Spectrum Wine Santa Ana (HQ)
• Santa Ana, California
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 949-748-4845
Fax: 949-567-1360
Hours:
Mon - Sun, 10:00am - 6:00pm
|
| | Spectrum Wine Newport Beach
• Newport Beach, California
www.SpectrumWine.com/Storage
Address:
865 Production Pl
Newport Beach CA 92663-2809
USA
Hours:
Tue - Sat, 10:00am - 5:00pm, By Appointment |
| | Spectrum Wine Hong Kong
• Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 852-2116-1103
Email: Carmen.Lee@SpectrumWine.com
Address:
Room 1603, 16/FMiramar Tower
132 Nathan Rd
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
Hours:Mon - Fri, By Appointment |
| | Spectrum Wine Minneapolis
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 949-748-4845 x 302
Address:
Minneapolis MN
Hours: Mon - Fri, By Appointment |
| |
|
| | |
