Chateau Haut Bailly 2016

JEB DUNNUCK: "I obviously underrated the 2016 Château Haut-Bailly on release, and it easily tops out my scale. A hypothetical blend of the 2009 and 2010, it has the opulence and sexiness of a ripe, sunny vintage (à la 2009) paired with incredible purity, concentration, structure, and elegance (à la 2010). Incredible aromatics of cassis, liquid violets, cedar pencil, flowers, and minerals give way to a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered Haut-Bailly offering ultra-fine tannins, flawless overall balance, nothing out of place, and the class to drink well today yet evolve for 30-40 years. Absolute perfection in wine, this is a modern-day Legend from director Veronique Sanders."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2016 Haut-Bailly is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. The nose opens with beautiful floral notes of violets and lavender accented with earthy notions and sparks of crushed rocks over a core of kirsch, cassis and wild blueberries. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, it has layer upon layer of red, black and blue fruits intermingled with earth and mineral hints leading to a very long, perfumed finish."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Wonderful aromas of tobacco, sweet fruit and licorice follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins that caress every inch of your palate. Love the length and subtlety to this young wine. Gorgeous. Drink after 2024."

WEINWISSER: "53 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 4 % Petit Verdot, 47 hl/ha. Tiefes Granat. Was für ein Parfüm nach Heidelbeeren und duftigen Veilchen! Dahinter Brombeermark und Cassisdrops. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit seidigen Tanninen, dahinter kommt ein engmaschiger Körper hervor, der sehr konzentriert und dank der Säure und Eleganz immer länger wird. Im Finale wiederum viel schwarzbeerige Frucht, Balance ist hier das Geheimnis! Ob er den grandiosen 2010er überflügeln kann, wird sich zeigen. Eine sichtlich stolze Véronique Sanders ist davon 100%ig überzeugt. Auch der Slogan des 2016er Jahrgangs «Le goût du bonheur » passt perfekt zu diesem grandiosen Haut-Bailly."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, reduktiver Cassisduft, Halbbitterschokolade, dunkelbeerig. Blaubeere. Und schließlich feuchter Kalk. Gute Frische. Am Gaumen druckvoll mit feinen Mitteln, scheint etwas weicher als in anderen Jahren, aber im Gaumenverlauf greift das Tannin dann doch fest an, bleibt dabei aber feinkörnig bei mineralischer Prägung, milde Säure, sehr große strukturelle Länge. Kaum Adstringenz trotz des kraftvollen Tanningehalts. Hat bei aller Fülle doch sehr viel Nuancen und Differenzierung, bleibt in der Frucht feingliedrig, im Säurefaden bei aller Reife der Säure vital, alles ohne Härte, aber mit Festigkeit."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Dark in color, this is already just great. The wine offers a hint of truffle, tobacco, smoke, cigar box, crème de cassis and dark cherries. The wine is concentrated, full-bodied, elegant classic and fresh. The tannins are ripe, refined and need time to soften. This is not a wine for early drinking pleasure. It will take at least a decade to soften, fill-out and develop its nuances and complexities. With patience, this is going to be a stunning wine and could very likely earn a higher score. Fans of Haut-Bailly should definitely have this gem in the their cellar."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "From an always-impressive estate, this vintage is superb, offering big tannins plus but also generous black fruits and powerful ripeness. Dense and with a good structure for aging, the wine will develop slowly and will not be ready before 2026."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is energetic and grippy, with tar and melted licorice notes wrapped around a core of bramble, red currant paste and black cherry preserve flavors. The tarry edge reemerges on the finish, working with a singed apple wood element to give this solid drive through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2038."

DECANTER: "An under-rated Pessac estate, in 2016 this competes with many more expensive Bordeaux wines. Deep in hue. Complex nose with red/black fruit, pepper and spice, together with some intriguing leafy, menthol notes. The Cabernet here is very precise and pure, whilst the overall blend has plenty of concentration, fresh acidity and ripe tannins for keeping. Drinking Window 2023 - 2045"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deep, dark colour. Ripe and rich with plenty of extract. Cassis, blueberry and spice notes. The palate is intense but suave and fresh (2019 much the same), the tannins sitting firmly behind. Long finish. Clearly has a big structure but the fruit and freshness carry it. Long ageing potential."