A trend has developed in this year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign - prices for the wines from higher ranking estates are showing something approaching a 20% increase over the previous year. In some cases, it can be argued that such an increase is warranted as there are a host of spectacular wines in 2022, in other cases, it just doesn’t appear to be supported by the quality in the bottle.
2022 Château Haut-Bailly has released this morning at £720 per 6 bottle case in bond – yes, it is up 25%, but I feel compelled to offer it as it was one of the front-runners this vintage to my mind – frankly it was sublime, and while the price isn’t incidental, I can understand an increase in price for quality like this. Equally, to my mind, Haut-Bailly has never been an estate that has looked to push price up dramatically. There has been a consistency to the pricing over many years.
Please see my note below as well as Neal Martin’s and Yohan Castaing’s, who wrote up a number of 2022 Bordeaux for robertparker.com
2022 Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan
£720 per 6 bottle case in bond
My note:
The aromatics impress greatly, scented floral nuances, juicy vibrant red and dark berry, a real melange of macerated summer fruits, fresh but wonderfully ripe, as well as discreet graphite notes and a little cedar. The palate is layered, with a cushioned sense of depth, and a gently building sense of concentration. You get the sense that the fruit was picked at the perfect moment, no sense of over-ripeness, but an overriding sense of balance between concentration and freshness. This is a wine that gradually seduces; pure, defined, detailed, with such fine tannins. Each time I taste I find something more. This is a remarkable effort, truly stunning, with a long slightly saline finish. Consider me impressed. (SL) Drink 2030-2050+
96-98 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
The 2022 Haut-Bailly was picked between 7 and 27 September and underwent a four-week cuvaison, taking longer to consume the sugar and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a bouquet that compels you just to sit and contemplate. It gradually unfolds with blackberry, raspberry, potpourri and iris flower scents, well-defined, not showy but suave. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Minerals, black pepper and clove off a gentle grip with an impressive crescendo. It will need a decade in bottle. This Haut-Bailly has a haunting beauty, the kind of wine that will bring people to tears! 2033-2065
94-96 points, Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
The 2022 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of dark berries complemented by accents of iris, lilac, rose petals, graphite and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, dense, it's layered and textural, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, saline finish. Vinified along traditional lines, it is a structured wine that will take some time to hit its stride, but at this early stage it appears suppler and more seamless than its 2020 and 2019 predecessors. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from grapes picked from September 7 to 27, it's maturing half in new barriques and half in one- or two-year-old barrels.
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All the best,
Simon