Château Haut-Bailly 1996

Haut-Bailly's 1996 displays less charm than usual, but it does offer moderately intense red currant/cherry fruit combined with earth, smoke, and new oak. An elegant, medium-bodied wine with dry tannin on the finish, it will never be a heavyweight, but it possesses considerable personality and potential complexity. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2015.

Shows wonderful berry, tobacco and vanilla character, is full- to medium-bodied, with velvety tannins and a mineral, spice aftertaste. Next to Haut-Brion, this is the wine from Pessac. Best after 2002. 10,000 cases made.

I love the fabulous, smoky, earthy, tar, cassis, cigar box and blackberry nose. Medium to full-bodied, with a strict, firm tannic profile; if you prefer very old-school Bordeaux, you’ll probably enjoy that aspect of the wine more than I did. There’s plenty of earthy, spice-laden dark red fruit on the finish.

The 1996 Haut Bailly is about as classic as they come and shows the more focused, elegant style of this vintage nicely. Cedarwood, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, and plenty of earthy dark fruits emerge from this medium-bodied, fresh, balanced, textbook Pessac that’s drinking at peak today. It should last for another 15–20 years.

Medium garnet, a first hint of maturity, significantly brightening rim still showing ruby. Beautiful spicy bouquet, deep, with the classic Haut-Bailly signature, licorice, truffle and dried prunes. Firm, dense palate, fleshy in build, with an astringency that still calls for further maturity; the finish shows a tobacco-tinged Cabernet spice note, long finish, calling for additional bottle age. Could potentially gain another point.

97: Barrel sample (17/20): sweet, plummy bouquet, seductive and already quite spontaneous, with a subtle toast note underneath. Juicy palate, delicate, almost dancing in its finesse, noble woods on the finish. 99: Expansive, multi-faceted bouquet, ripe fruit, scent of fine wood, a hint of lemon balm, Burgundian fullness. Juicy, velvety palate, soft tannins rolling over the tongue, plum tones and vanilla on the finish, feminine Graves elegance (17/20). 03: Medium garnet, a hint of early maturity shimmer, strongly lightening rim still ruby. Beautiful spicy bouquet, deep, with the classic Haut-Bailly tone, licorice, truffle and dried prunes. Firm, dense palate, fleshy build, still an astringency that calls for more maturity, a tobacco-like Cabernet spice note on the finish, long finish, still needs further bottle age. If it takes the right path, it can gain another point. (17/20). 08: How can you best imprint a wine on your memory? By drinking it for 3 hours. In this case, that has nothing to do with noble restraint or with some as-yet-unknown Bordeaux diet, but with the quite adequate quantity of this late note on the 1996 Haut-Bailly available on April 24 at Bürgi’s farm. After it had already been “raining” 1998 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and then, alongside a hearty lobster soup, 2000 Meursault Comtes-Lafon was generously poured into slightly smaller glasses, there was “enough” Haut-Bailly 1996 in a very large glass. Exactly two Imperials’ worth. A properly tight business lunch for 23 people! But those who know who hides behind the host’s initials “H. H.” rightly suspected that there should also somehow be Yquem (1999, double magnum) and/or a case of 1994 Rauzan-Ségla afterwards. The latter in clouds of so much Havana smoke that the local fire brigade from Euthal was almost called out for a special operation. Now to the main actor: dark garnet, no maturity tones yet. Very spicy, rather slender-seeming Cabernet Sauvignon bouquet, first with a slightly greenish touch, then cedar, tobacco, black peppercorns and first terroir reflections, with fruit present in the background yet at the same time restrained. On the palate, fine, also rather slender, with fine muscles around which acidity and tannin wrap, first with a certain capsule note on the tongue, but quite a long finish. That was the tasting note before the meal. But when a grand meal comes into play, a Bordeaux really becomes Bordeaux. With imperial bonus: 18/20. 11: A magnum at a lunch at Haut-Bailly with Veronique Sanders. Wonderfully terroir-driven aromas, currants and leather, smoky notes. Firm on the palate, good muscle and just as much flesh as a great Léognan needs. Increasingly developing into quite a great classic that was underestimated at the beginning—not only by me. (18/20). 13: Wonderful, ripe scent, terroir, a touch of lovage, cold roast jus, cedar. Decant for two hours. (18/20). 21: Medium garnet with a lightening mature rim. The nose is very earthy, showing peaty notes and used leather. Accordingly, it seems dry on the attack, although you also find traces of raisins on the nose. On the second pass, dried kitchen herbs and a nuance of brown Peru balsam. Strongly astringent on the palate. This is because the massive, undeveloped tannins lack charm right after uncorking. Essentially a fairly brute wine with further potential. In the evening, on second contact, I went from Saul to Paul. As if by a miracle, it delivered a dream performance. It kept its character, but refined itself and showed a great balance. Bordeaux wines from this time obviously must be decanted. Otherwise, you experience only half of it. (18/20).

Silky, elegant, full bouquet, blackberries, cherries, noble woods, peanuts. Elegant, silky, refined palate with powerful aromatics, fine tannins, dense structure, long, full finish. 18/20 drink - 2034

Dark, evolved colour. Fruity nose, with notes of wet leather. Soft, tasty, aromatic palate, very fruity, with fine, almost fully integrated tannins. Very good length. The wine is very good, with a slightly “cool” character.