Chateau Haut Bailly 1995

WINE SPECTATOR: "A chewy, burly wine for aging. Big Haut-Bailly. Vivid berry and grape aromas. Full-bodied and tough, with masses of tannins and a long, wet earth and fruit aftertaste."

WEINWISSER: "Aufhellendes, wenig gereiftes Granat. Würziges Bouquet, Lakritze, Tabak, Zedern, wirkt sanft trocken im Ansatz. Im Gaumen mit gewissem Charakter und einer Strenge, welche nach weiterer Flaschenreife verlangt. Will heissen: Die Gerbstoffe sind noch etwas asketisch. Ich würde ihn mindestens zwei Stunden dekantieren."

JEB DUNNUCK: "A classy, regal wine that’s all about complexity and elegance, the 1995 is fully mature, with a ruby/amber hue and ripe, sweet aromas of currants, cedarwood, unsmoked tobacco, smoked earth, and exotic spices. Medium-bodied, balanced, and seamless on the palate, it has a wonderful, resolved texture, integrated tannins, and a great finish. Now at 25 years after the vintage, it’s certainly fully mature and drinking at point, yet will evolve gracefully going forward."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Transparent. Nourishing. Quite high acidity. Graphite finish. Lively. Very very fresh. Long. Very very slightly inky."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "A little more interesting on the nose, with its tobacco, tar, cigar box, forest floor and cherry notes, than on the medium bodied, refined, but slightly stoic palate. Still, this is quite a charmer and is drinking great at 22 years of age."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A beauty, this deep ruby-colored wine offers a classic, smoky, cherry, red and black currant-scented nose, sweet, lush, forward fruit, medium body, true delicacy and elegance (as opposed to thinness and dilution), perfect balance, and a lovely, long, supple, velvety-textured finish. This is a ballerina of a claret, with beautiful aromatics, lovely flavors, and impeccable equilibrium."