Tasting Notes
Vinous 91+
Full ruby-red. Sappy aromas of black and blue fruits, licorice pastille and menthol lifted by a floral topnote. Then tight, dry and classic on the palate, with terrific energy and an impression of weightlessness to the youthfully imploded flavors of black fruits, minerals, camphor, cedar and tobacco. As smooth as it is, it’s also quite serious and uncompromising. Showing better than a sample I tasted last year right after the bottling, but still an infant. Offers impressive cellaring potential.
Robert Parker 93
Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Haut-Bailly has a refined and pure bouquet with hints of dark chocolate infusing the precise red berry fruit. I love the way this seductively unfurls in the glass, as if a finger is beckoning you. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a keen line of acidity, quite grippy and backward towards the finish, suggesting that this will benefit from another year or two in bottle. Elegance and power here, a Haut-Bailly cruising at a high level. Tasted January 2016.
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2040
JancisRobinson.com 16+
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot. Deep red colour. Lifted and fresh, the acidity more apparent. Plenty of fleshy fruit but a slight sous bois note and tannins fairly pronounced. Is that a touch of oak as well? Seems a little Jekyll and Hyde. An off bottle or just a stage? (JL)
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026