Haut Bailly 2009 300cl

I have had this wine now four separate times since I wrote my official review after bottling of the 2009s. It goes from strength to strength, and it is not surprising that it is now one of the perfect wines of this great, great vintage – the finest vintage of Bordeaux that I have tasted in 37 years covering that epicenter for world-class quality in wine. Much of it is attributable to winemaker Véronique Sanders and her boss, Robert Wilmers. Their incredibly draconian selection process and their enormous investments in both the viticulture and the estate as well as the winemaking facility have paid off brilliantly over the last decade. The 2009, which has an opaque ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, blackcurrants and spice, hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, saturated and rich mouthfeel, but an elegant and ethereal quality that is difficult to articulate. It is rich, complex and tastes as if it were the vinous equivalent of a remarkable haute couture creation from the late Coco Chanel. It is full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety-textured, sumptuous and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s tend to be, given their richness of fruit, low acidity and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade away, and this wine is set for 50 or more years of longevity. Kudos to Haut-Bailly!

Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Elegantes, warm ausstrahlendes Bouquet, nussige Töne, helle Edelhölzer, frisch gerösteter Kaffee, reifer Cabernet, fein und delikat. Im Gaumen cremig, elegant und von einer delikaten Souplesse, jetzt schon völlig ausbalanciert und auch Harmonie pur ausstrahlend, im Finale mit Pralinen bestückt und schon fast sexy, was man von einem Haut-Bailly eigentlich nicht in dieser Form gewohnt ist. (19/20). 12: Als Ersatz für die alten Jahrgänge (1934, 1945, 1953, 1964 und 1966) die wir aus unserem Keller zum Lunch mitbrachten, schenkte uns Veronique Sander drei Magnum vom Jahrgang 2009. Spontan öffneten wir eine davon bei Stephan Paeffgen auf Ch. La Reysse. Es war einfach nur geil und es tat auch nicht weh. warten (2017 - 2035)

Offers a rich, very dense feel, but stays racy thanks to a strong graphite frame around the core of roasted fig, plum sauce and maduro tobacco. Muscular but defined on the finish, with a long tarry edge in reserve. This shows serious depth and is more backward than most of its peers. Should really stretch out nicely in the cellar. Best from 2017 through 2035. 6,665 cases made. –JM