HAUT BAILLY II
2020 Pessac-Léognan Château Haut Bailly
54% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon.L&S (May 2021)
* 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 2020 Haut-Bailly II is super elegant and refined, with tons of aromatic nuance and character. Succulent dark cherry, rose petal, dried herbs and menthol lend energy to this super-classy Pessac-Léognan. The energy, precision and nuance here are superb. Perhaps more importantly, Haut-Bailly II does not come across as a wine from a warm year at all. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Intense cassis, prune and fig fruits, this has juice and balance but is serious in character, with slate and crayon notes, peony flowers, and clear ageing potential. 30% new oak, harvest September 9 to 25. Vinified in the old winery but all ageing took place in the stunning new cellars with their underground barrel ageing area. 30% of overall production in HBII. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Haut-Bailly II bides its time in the glass, that flourishes with blackberry, shucked oyster shells, pressed iris flower and a touch of graphite. This is classy. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, fine tannins, smooth and cohesive with a generous sprinkling of black pepper towards the finish. This leaves the tongue tingling long after the wine has departed - a serious Deuxième Vin. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Haut-Bailly II is superb. The tannins and overall structure are suggestive of an important Pessac-Léognan that is going to need time to come around. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender and menthol are front and center. A wine of savory energy and intensity, Haut-Bailly II sizzles with energy. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Haut-Bailly II was picked September 9–25. It offers a mélange of red and black fruit on the nose, hints of morels/undergrowth lending complexity, then becoming more floral with aeration, all quite mercurial in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit that gently grips. Very marine in style, shucked oyster shells infusing the sappy finish, which leaves an impressively long aftertaste considering this is the Deuxième Vin. Excellent. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
The second wine of Château Haut-Bailly and 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Haut-Bailly II sports a healthy purple color as well as classic Pessac-Léognan notes of damp earth, cedary herbs, tobacco, and assorted red and black fruits. With good density, medium to full-bodied richness, and a ripe, expansive texture, this is unquestionably an outstanding second wine that I would be happy to drink any time over the coming 15+ years. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
This is a more expressive wine than its Grand Vin in one key respect – the initial, overt fruit expression is more ostentatious than that of its parent. Beyond this exciting overture, it doesn’t have the overall depth of the Grand Vin and the oak is a little strident right now but this is every inch a stunning second wine and it just needs time for the tannins to melt away before true balance is achieved. With a red-fruited allure alongside the deeper, darker tones, as well as toasty notes fighting for attention, this HBII which will gradually emerge after a decade of slumber and no doubt shock us all with its exceptional poise and nobility. Rating: 17.5+/20 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2021)
Lots of blackcurrant with crushed stone, licorice, iodine and graphite. Blue fruit, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins that are refined and polished. Seamless. Excellent second wine. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2021)
Inky colour, pencil lead and smoke concentration, where the tannins lend a sense of pressure bearing down on the fruit, keeping things moving and building in tension through the palate. Tiny edge of peony and iris flower as it opens in the glass. Harvest September 9 to 25th. Extremely well extracted, this is not a delicate wine but it is a measured one, and it has the sense of slowly building towards the close of play that is most enjoyable. 30% of overall production in HBII this year. Not vinified in the cellar, but will be aged in it. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
54% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon. More of a Cabernet aspect (despite the blend) with its intense, crimson-purple colour and dark-fruit and cassis notes. Tight, firm and structured, the fine-grained tannins present but matched by freshness and fruit. Big structure, certainly for a second wine. Definite ageing potential. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 16.5+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Château Haut Bailly
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 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. 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 2026. 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.