CHÂTEAU HAUT BAILLY
2024 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Savoury, precise and poised, with lovely texture, softly spoken with high floral aromatics, rose petals, peony, fine tannins, drawn out character, long slow build of tension through the palate, unrolling to show white truffle and mint leaf. Tannic grip, estate signature, more softly spoken than in recent vintages, but Haut-Bailly has proved over and over again that it is capable of delivering over the long term, and that it delivers excellence even in challenging vintages - an upscore potential in bottle. Harvest 18 September to 4 October, 30hl/h yield. Gabriel Vialard technical director. Drinking range: 2030 - 2045 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2025)
In Bond
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* 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.
58 Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 Merlot, 2 Cabernet Franc: 50% new oak for 16 months: 30 hl/ha: Harvest took place between 18 September and 4 October
Véronique Sanders’s nickname for the 2024 vintage is ‘Singing in the Rain’ – a red umbrella became the unofficial logo for this year! The humid, oceanic climate presented many challenges in 2024 at Haut-Bailly, and this is yet another elite estate that knuckled down and worked relentlessly in the vineyard, knowing that despite the trials and tribulations, it would all come good in the end. I encountered a rare sense of luxuriousness and textural silkiness in a handful of the finest wines in 2024, and Haut-Bailly is one such wine. I don’t often write the words ‘Bonnes-Mares’ about truly great Bordeaux, but there is more than a haunting, ethereal character about this wine that reminds me of the wilder, more densely packed Grand Cru wines from the Côte de Nuits. The perfume is heart-stopping, more complex and lifted than I can remember, and the fruit is mind-blowingly beautiful, combining levity and profound depth. Remarkably elongated and refined, there is an unhurried feel that promises the drinker everything will be revealed in the end, but in the meantime, layers of intrigue will be offered up metronomically over the coming decade. Every nuance will be worth waiting for. They will eventually combine to create a stunning landscape of glorious, velvety flavours detailed with roses, cherries and deeper, darker, wilder hedgerow notes. Formal tannins and louche acidity wait patiently until the last moment to greet you like long-lost friends, making 2024 Haut-Bailly an unmissable and uniquely compelling adventure. 19+/20 Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2025)
The 2024 Haut-Bailly was picked from September 25 to October 4 and matured in 50% new oak, possibly with a shorter élevage. As usual, it deserves patience at this stage as it gradually opens and coheres with aeration. This has a perfumed bouquet built around redcurrant, cranberry and wild strawberry fruit. It's quite floral in style with finely delineated touches of freshly-rolled tobacco and wilted rose petal. The palate is creamy on the entry and velvety in texture, with finely chiseled, lace-like tannins. It is very well balanced with one of the few sensual vintages that you will find from this year. This will be much earlier drinking than other vintages, but that does not detract from what will be one of the most pleasurable 2024s to drink. Drinking range: 2030 - 2055 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2025)
A soft, light Haut-Bailly from this challenging year, with lots of red cherries, red berries, red bell peppers and fresh herbs. Quite approachable, with a medium body and soft-grained tannins. Well-judged soft extraction makes this likely approachable right after release. Not ambitious, but well balanced, juicy and refined. Brambly and lively. Early harvest? 58% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2025)
58 CS 40 M 2 CF 13% Like the other Haut Bailly II wine, this has a floral aroma, but here it is a little more serious with rosehip and some more spices from oak. There is the juicy fruit of the vintage also as well as some cinnamon, cardamom and anise. Complex and inviting nose. Deep with already the silkiness and texture of Haut Bailly and exposing the adage that the great terroirs succeed in even the most difficult of vintages. A lot of work for Gabriel and his team in the vineyard and winery here, and it shows with a lovely balance of fruit weight to tannins and acidity, which is excellent but not too pronounced. This will repay the time in oak and bottle, but should be approachable in relative youth for this estate, around seven to ten years from bottling, although it will live for decades thereafter. Rating: 94 Rod Smith MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2025)
The 2024 Haut-Bailly is an elegant, classy wine. Soft, sensual contours lend notable charm. The 2024 is an especially aromatic, perfumed Haut-Bailly. Its mid-weight structure is best described as Burgundian, for lack of a better term. Silky tannins frame it all in style. Readers should expect a decidedly understated, quiet Haut-Bailly. Drinking range: 2030 - 2054 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2025)
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. Many properties specify a standard case format, and may make additional charges for six-bottle cases, for example. We offer wood cases of six bottles as standard where these are available without extra charge, but we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. If you want six-bottle cases where a 12 bottle case is offered, please check for the extra case charge. 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
- +£9.50 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 2027. 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.