Haut Bailly 2013

There are only 2,500 cases of the 2013 Haut-Bailly because yields were a microscopic 20 hectoliters per hectare. Made from a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this elegant effort boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful, intriguing bouquet of spring flowers, creme de cassis, plums and an underlying Graves earthiness. Layered with more texture and concentration than many of its peers, it will benefit from several years of cellaring, and should last an atypically long time of 20 years.

The harvest occurred at this beautiful estate in the heart of Pessac-Leognan between October 1-10. Production was tiny, and Veronique Sanders, the brilliant winemaker, was worried about pushing for too much extraction, so vinification was intelligently done in a gentle manner in order to extract the softest tannins possible.

A firm and juicy wine with dried berry, sweet tobacco and cedar character. Medium to full body, with fine tannins and a pretty finish. Iodine. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Tiny production.

The 2013 Haut Bailly is a cut above many Pessac-Léognan wines this year. It is bestowed an engaging, red cherry, strawberry and iodine-scented bouquet that unfolds in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite bold tannin for the vintage, but here there is the fruit to back it up and there is real density on the ferrous finish. "Team Sanders" has made a considered, harmonious and very agreeable wine for the vintage, even if it might pale against other recent releases. Just 2,000 cases this vintage. Last tasted at the property in March 2016 and you know, it might well garner a higher evaluation with bottle age.

The 2013 Château Haut Bailly is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked 1 to 10 October, cropped at 20.6hl/ha. The grand vin represents 40% of the crop and it saw 55% new oak (though Véronique Sanders told me that it may undergo a shorter élevage). It comes in at 12.8% alcohol. It has a clean pleasant bouquet, defined but perhaps missing the usual flair and exuberance, which is typical of the vintage. The palate is structured with a firm grip, a slight saltiness in the background. There is tightly packed black fruit here and it builds nicely to a masculine, tobacco-tinged finish. I will happily drink this over the next ten years whilst I await the 2009 and 2010 to come round. Tasted March 2014.