Bordeaux is filled in with countless historical estates, families that consolidated swaths of land, passed on to generations that divided the plots. Yet what remains pretty consistent is that generation upon generation, the world's most famous wine growing region has continued its ascent, passing their savoir faire, as they say, on to the next generation.

One such estate, would be Château Haut Bailly. The winery and its vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Léognan. More specifically, its vineyards are located along the left bank of the Garonne river.

The origins of both estate and vineyard are a bit foggy, but we do know that grapes have been grown and made into wine there since the 15th century. As early as 1461, vines were grown at a locality called “Pujau” on the Haut-Bailly hillside.

The Château. (Image Source: Ficofi)

The first steps taken to become the estate and vineyard we know of today started in the 17th century, when Parisian banker Firmin Le Bailly and Nicolas de Leuvarde gave it its current boundaries. By 1630, it was fully acquired by Le Bailly, who gave his name to the estate.

Into the 18th century, Haut-Bailly was owned by Christophe Lafaurie de Monbadon, a member of the Bordeaux Parliament, and subsequently by his son Laurent, who later served as Mayor of Bordeaux in 1805. This of course gave much influence to the Haut-Bailly estate.

Everything changed, as they say, when the highly regarded viticulturist Alcide Bellot des Minières entered the picture. Whilst WIlhelm Franck's 1845 classification showed that already the Haut-Bailly estate was recognised then, it had yet to fully take flight - that was until Bellot des Minières.

It was Bellot des Minières that would be responsible for catapulting the estate into the limelight when he purchased the house in 1872. Under his stewardship, Haut-Bailly ascended to the pinnacle of Bordeaux, its wines achieving prices that even rivalled those of the legendary First Growths of the Médoc. This (among other) feats would come to have him nicknamed 'the King of Winegrowers'.

Unfortunately, even the King of Winegrowers was unable to salvage his vines during the great phylloxera epidemic. Bellot des Minières' passed on in 1906, thereby passing the house to his family. Thereafter in 1926, the house was sold to geographer and wine-lover Franz Malvesin.

Malvesin was a bit of an eccentric fellow, as far as winemakers go. He experimented with methods including pasteurization and early bottling, which yielded mixed results and left other winegrowers slightly confused (at best). He too passed in 1923.

His death, combined with the economic crisis and two world wars, led the house into a period of instability and economic decline - although this could also be said of many wine houses in the area. While traditional methods were reinstated in the years to come, the estate's wines under subsequent ownerships failed to achieve consistent distinction.

Thankfully, in 1955 one Daniel Sanders acquired Haut-Bailly, marking a turning point in the estate's history. He, and later his son Jean, dedicated themselves to revitalizing the vineyard. It was with their guidance that the house established a second wine in 1967 and a third in 1987, with an array of measures put in place to improve the quality of the wine. Soon after, Haut-Bailly regained its former glory, achieving renown for its exceptional wines on the global stage.

In 1998, Haut-Bailly's ownership came under the purview of late American banker Robert G. Wilmers, who only passed away in 2017. Today, the Sanders family continues that legacy, with Veronique Sanders (granddaughter of Daniel Sanders) serving as General Manager.

What about its vineyards? They're perched upon a lofty ridge on the Garonne's left bank, which allows it to enjoy exceptional drainage. Its terroir is a mix of sand and clay gravel. 

The vineyards of Château Haut-Bailly.

It is said that this unique composition provides an ideal environment for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère. There there is a prevalence of falun – petrified remnants of ancient life – deep beneath the surface, which provide the vines with much needed minerals.

Today, Haut-Bailly boasts 4 hectares of century-old vines, many of which were first planted by former owner Alcide Bellot des Minières. With several varieties on a single plot, this unusual planting has 6 key varieties: 1/12 Carmenère, 1/12 Merlot, 1/12 Cabernet Franc, 1/12 Malbec, 1/12 Petit Verdot and 7/12 Cabernet Sauvignon.

(Image Source: Haut-Bailly)

As for the ageing of its wines, they are then placed in oak barrels and matured for 14 to 16 months. Château Haut-Bailly typically utilizes 50-60% new French oak barrels, while Haut-Bailly•II line averages 30%.

The selection of these fine-grained barrels is sourced from 7 different coopers, with the estate adapting the proportion of new oak to suit each vintage's unique characteristics.

With all that said, let's get stuck in!

2018 Château Haut Bailly, Pessac Leognan - Review

The 2018 Haut-Bailly is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The grapes within were were harvested early between the 17 September and the 9th October.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: Opens to quite a bit of earthiness in the form of milk chocolates, Milo chocolate malt drink, some tobacco and freshly tilled soil. It’s really rich and firm, and almost presents itself all at once! Unpacking the layers, there’s also brighter bouquets of roses and raspberry jams at the core. It’s still really cohesive and structured, with great depth and remarkable richness.

Taste: Here it leads with roses and raspberries, little but of potpourri, grounded by some darker tones of earthy coffee powder and cacao. Excellent richness here. The tannins are firm towards the back, with more on mulberries and eucalyptus coming through as well.

Finish: Lighter spiced notes of clove, some more on soil, blackcurrants, the tannins surface a little more.

My Thoughts

Incredibly impressive work from Haut Bailly! This was so expressive on the nose - and intense too! - it’s almost a rush of bold aromas that deliver immensely and then almost melts away revealing layers to the nose. It’s ability to stay cohesive and structured is quite the masterstroke!

The palate and finish came through much more delicately, with a persistence of its aromatics, and an incredible richness of its earthiness. The structure fortifies itself here, more steely and firm, before receding smoothly into the finish.

*Suspiciously racoon-like noises*

Contributed by @Definitelynotthreeracoons