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Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan

Bordeaux, France 2006 (750mL)
$115.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan

If you could grab a decade-old Bordeaux from a blue-chip house for the equivalent of its ‘current release’ price, you’d do it, right? Yeah, we thought so. And guess what—we did just that. Château Haut-Bailly’s 2007 wowed us with its depth, grip, and balance, and is one of the best 2007s I’ve tasted to date.
This wine’s structure and aromatic profile evoke memories of Château Haut Brion (located a short drive north), and, considering the current state of Bordeaux pricing, it is a relative steal. We have enough of this silky, layered expression of Pessac-Léognan to offer 6 bottles per customer until we are sold out. Not only can you open one with pleasure tonight, but it will offer delicious drinking for several years to come. Bordeaux lovers should not miss this!
With the exception of Haut-Brion (one of the original “First Growths”), the reds of Graves were excluded from the original 1855 Classification of Bordeaux châteaux. It wasn’t until 1953 that the wines of Graves were given their own classification, with Haut-Bailly included among the Grand Cru Classé reds (alongside other legends such as Pape-Clément and La-Mission-Haut-Brion). Haut-Bailly is located just east of the village of Léognan, with 30 hectares planted to all the classic Bordeaux varieties (with Cabernet Sauvignon comprising about 65%). Much has been written about Haut-Bailly since its purchase in 1998 by American banker Robert Wilmers, who, together with estate manager Veronique Sanders, has pushed the estate to the top tier—not just of Graves but of Bordeaux in general.

Graves, of course, takes its name from the French word for gravel, and what distinguishes the wines of the region is an especially stony, dark-toned minerality. There really is a ‘crushed-gravel’ component to these reds, along with a firm acidic backbone imparted by limestone sub-soils. Haut-Bailly’s 2007—their grand vin, by the way—is textbook Graves: dark, brooding, and mineral, with lots of savory notes complementing the dark cassis fruit. The assemblage (blend) is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak barriques (50% of which were new).

In the glass, the Haut-Bailly 2007 has an opaque, dark garnet core moving to slight orange and light garnet reflections at the rim. The nose is an expressive, seductive mix of black plum, currant, cassis, leather, cedar, cigar box, pencil lead and damp gravel. With air, the full-bodied palate delivers flavors reminiscent of the nose, with tannins the texture of finely ground coffee driving the long and savory finish. What really distinguishes the wine is its balance: There’s enough acid to keep it lifted—it is not the least bit tired, as mouth-filling as it is. If serving this wine now, give it 20 minutes in a decanter and serve at 60-65 degrees in Bordeaux stems (the wine blossoms quickly). I would add that decanting is not necessary if you pull the cork a few hours before serving, but you might encounter a touch of sediment. It is velvety and delicious now, and I think it will peak somewhere between now and 2020. At this price especially, it is an impressive aged Bordeaux. I would be quite content to sip this wine slowly, and contemplatively, on its own, but of course it will shine on the table with food! Check it out with the deep, chocolate-inflected flavors of the attached recipe—but be warned, it may foil your efforts to lay a few bottles down. It’s awfully good right now!
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Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub-Region
FrancePessac-Léognan
Soil
Gravel over Limestone
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 26%, Cabernet Franc 4%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
50% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Braised Short Ribs

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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