CHÂTEAU HAUT BAILLY

2019 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan Château Haut Bailly

EN PRIMEUR

On the nose this is pretty and gorgeously enticing. Once it hits the palate you feel the big step up in power and brawn having just tasted the smart Haut Bailly II. Great structure - but so totally charming too. This has a suave flow. Impressively balanced. Seamless feel and long life ahead clearly. Tightly wrapped for now, but already silky and inviting. Great matter here - you can feel the density, but so together and beautifully knitted. Not overly polished though this has intent and bags of charm. Intense and complex. Toothsome. Serious kit this year - so fine and yet gently imposing. Veronique Saunders explained to us it had not been a straightforward season, the results here show just how well the team here is now operating - a very successful 2019. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. L&S (Jun 2020)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2019 Haut-Bailly is a huge, powerful wine. There is plenty of the richness of this warm vintage, but a ton of tannin too. In most warmer years, Haut-Bailly can be a real charmer upfront, but in 2019 it's all about somber dark fruit, tannin and structure. A wine of breadth and power, Haut-Bailly will need many years in the cellar to truly blossom. It's unquestionably a big wine with a brilliant future. Bright aromatics lend freshness as the 2019 continues to open with air. Drinking range: 2029 - 2059 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Haut-Bailly, matured in 50% new oak and bottled in April 2021, has a stunning, classy and sophisticated bouquet of blackberry, melted tar, Earl Grey and light minerally scents. This is extremely focused, almost pixelated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, but there is real backbone and structure to this wine. Deep, intense, classy and classic in style, delivering an immense amount of sapidity on the enormously persistent finish. As I mentioned previously, this is a less flamboyant Haut-Bailly, but more intellectual. Drinking range: 2024 - 2055 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

Captures so much of the spirit of Haut-Bailly - it is powerful, with a slow build of plump cassis and blackberry fruits, but at every point you feel a sense of restraint, with sculpted fine tannins that allow juice to run through the fruit. Harvest September 23 to October 10, 49hl/ha yield, 50% new oak. Technical director Gabriel Vialard. Drinking range: 2028 - 2046 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)

Elegance and sophistication are front and center in the 2019 Haut-Bailly. A wine of finesse and understatement, the 2019 reveals itself slowly in the glass. Graphite, crushed rocks, lavender, blackberry and lavender are some of the nuances that develop over time, but more than anything else, the 2019 is all about focus, persistence and simply exquisite overall balance. It is easily one of the highlights of the vintage. Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

Composed of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Haut-Bailly was harvested from the 23rd of September to 11th of October. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vivacious notes of blackcurrant cordial, black raspberries and plum preserves with a tantalizing undercurrent of candied violets, dark chocolate, menthol and licorice plus a touch of Chinese five spice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is achingly elegant, showing off perfumed black fruit layers with a firm frame of very fine-grained, silt-like tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with incredible persistence and fragrance. Just magic. Rating: 97-99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)

Well within itself but complex, compelling and racy. Cool, fresh and reserved on the nose but with a density of dark fruit apparent. Lively, vibrant palate, the fruit juicy, pure and substantial, the abundant tannins lithe and long. Dry, clean, minerally finish. Good persistence and drive. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 17.5+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2020)

The 2019 Haut-Bailly was picked 23 September to 10 October. After 10-15 minutes in the glass the wine gradually unfurls to reveal beautiful red berry fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petals and faint hints of blueberry. The palate is quite brilliantly balanced, the tannins extremely fine and framing the slightly earthy black fruit laced with salt. Though Véronique Sanders suggests that it bears a semblance to the 2009 with more depth, I cannot see that verisimilitude. To me, it is a less flamboyant and more terroir expressive Haut-Bailly that has an effortless allure and a sense of sophistication. Wonderful. Drinking range: 2024 - 2055 Rating: 96-98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

Intense colour, with seductive black fruits on the attack. Quickly expands outwards in the mouth, so much depth with tiny pulses of electric flavour and grip. Feels very Haut-Bailly in its balance, energy and lift, with a clear savoury edge. Harvest September 23 to October 10, with a yield of 49hl/ha after a year that was 2°C above average through every month of the growing season except May. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2020)

A stunning wine in the making, the 2019 Château Haut-Bailly sports a deep purple hue as well lots of smoky black and blue fruits, unsmoked tobacco, cedar pencil, violets, and gravelly earth. Showing the quintessential elegance and purity of this terroir, it's medium to full-bodied, has no hard edges, and delivers wonderful purity of fruit and a great, great finish. It reminds me of a slightly more elegant 2009 and is a beautiful, singular wine from this estate, which is being run brilliantly by Veronique Sanders. It will benefit from just short-term cellaring yet drink well for 40+ years. Drinking range: 2021 - 2062 Rating: 96-98 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jun 2020)

Such totally graceful perfumes to this, showing currants, dried flowers and stones, as well as hints of forest fruit and subtle tar, asphalt and smoke. Full-bodied, yet the texture is pristine with intense, polished and fine-grained tannins. So long, flavorful and ever so beautiful. The finish is never ending. This really is something special. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)

The now very reliable Pessac-Léognan estate of Haut Bailly was revived after its purchase by Belgian Daniel Sanders. He'd married into the Bordeaux wine trade in 1919, and formed a determination to buy Haut Bailly after tasting their awesome 1945. There was much work to do upon buying the estate, some of the vines were still ungrafted for instance, and the renovation was still not complete by the time Daniel's son took over in 1979. Véronique Sanders represents the latest generation to run the estate, albeit under the benign ownership of American Robert Wilmers who bought Haut Bailly in 1998 bringing more much needed investment, the fruits of which can be seen in the high quality of today's wines. The vineyards are planted to a fairly typical "Left Bank" mix of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.