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A wine of immense personality. Really lifted nose, with a strong stony minerality that is already immediately apparent. Ripe plums and cherries bound out of the glass, with a touch of blood orange and iron shavings. Soft and inviting on the palate, with silky tannins and this brilliant stoniness that adds such interest. Brilliant long finish, that properly fans out – real peacock tail stuff – all supported by the sweet, sumptuous fruit.
The 2025 Haut-Bailly was picked between September 4 and 22 at 26.6 hl/ha, raised in 50% new oak. Similar to elsewhere this year, I found a distinct difference between the Grand and Deuxième Vins, this possessing greater delineation and complexity. A mixture of brambly red fruit, briar, a touch of cassis and orange rind that is beautifully delineated. The palate is exquisite: very fine tannins, tangible minéralité, very cohesive and focused, with a very complex, peppery finish that goes on and on and on. Svelte, harmonious and tender, this ranks amongst the best vintages from Haut-Bailly in recent years. Drink 2032-2058
The 2025 Haut-Bailly is fabulous. Here, too, the purity of the fruit is remarkable. Dried herbs, crushed flowers, blood orange, pomegranate, mint and star anise give the 2025 a gorgeous and palpable sense of exoticism. The 2025 impresses with its elegance and finesse. Floral and savory overtones linger on the clean, supremely polished finish. Very fine. Drink 2035-2065.
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. 26.6 hl/ha. Cask sample. Deep colour. Dark fruit and mint on the nose. Lovely palate, the fruit plush, the texture and tannins refined. Plenty of lift and freshness as well. Explodes with flavour on the long finish. Drink 2030-2050
A wine of immense personality. Really lifted nose, with a strong stony minerality that is already immediately apparent. Ripe plums and cherries bound out of the glass, with a touch of blood orange and iron shavings. Soft and inviting on the palate, with silky tannins and this brilliant stoniness that adds such interest. Brilliant long finish, that properly fans out – real peacock tail stuff – all supported by the sweet, sumptuous fruit.
Super slow and steady expansion as it goes through the palate, this absolutely makes you smile and is right up at the top of my expectations for how Haut-Bailly would perform in this often-conflicting vintage. Beautiful, crushed rose petals, wet stones, iris flowers, squid ink, shows finesse but also generosity, a wine with so many dimensions and layers to experience. Sit back, give it a good 6 to 8 years in bottle, then get ready to celebrate. 55% in first wine, 50% new oak, 3.6ph. harvest September 4 to 22.
Stretching from the rather unglamorous southern suburbs of Bordeaux, for 50 km along the left bank of the river Garonne, lies Graves. Named for its gravelly soil, a relic of Ice Age glaciers, this is the birthplace of claret, despatched from the Middle Ages onwards from the nearby quayside to England in vast quantities. It can feel as though Bordeaux is just about red wines, but some sensational white wines are produced in this area from a blend of sauvignon blanc, Semillon and, occasionally, muscadelle grapes, often fermented and aged in barrel. In particular, Domaine de Chevalier is renowned for its superbly complex whites, which continue to develop in bottle over decades. A premium appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was created in 1987 for the most prestigious terroirs within Graves. These are soils with exceptional drainage, made up of gravel terraces built up in layers over many millennia, and consequently thrive in mediocre vintages but are less likely to perform well in hotter years. These wines were appraised and graded in their own classification system in 1953 and updated in 1959, but, like the 1855 classification system, this should be regarded with caution and the wines must absolutely be assessed on their own current merits.
