Château HAUT-BAILLY 2016

Description

Jeb Dunnuck 100 points www.jebdunnuck.com    10/19/2023
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.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown 98 points www.erobertparker.com
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.

Jean-Marc Quarin 96 points www.quarin.com
Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre, belle et vive. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, pur. Note de cuir mouillé et de prune. Superbe entrée en bouche moelleuse, puis le vin se développe ample, riche au milieu, fondant aussi avant de prendre de l’ampleur en finale. Très belle persistance séveuse et épicée dans un registre tannique un brin austère.

Antonio Galloni 94-97+ points www.vinous.com
The 2016 Haut-Bailly is a huge, powerful wine that explodes in all directions. Black cherry, smoke, tobacco, licorice, menthol, incense and gravel are all pushed forward, but it is the wine’s volume and pure intensity that stand out most. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2016 is likely to be a slow-maturing wine, but even today the phenomenal finish is a marvel. The 2016 is a great Haut-Bailly in the making. It will reward several decades of cellaring.