Chateau Haut Bailly 2023

JAMES SUCKLING: "I am thinking about the purity of fruit here, with blackcurrants, cassis and lead pencil. There's an underlying character of mineral and flint. The palate is dense, focused and precise, with very fine tannins that are ultra-fine and layered and go vertically down the palate. Everything is in the right place. So much polish and a svelte nature. Then hints of hazelnut and walnut to the refined texture. Sophisticated. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon (harvested from the 20th to the 29th of September), 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of mulberries, cassis, dark wild berries, pencil lead, licorice and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and rich palate that is both layered and seamless, its deep mid-palate animated by lively acids, concluding with long, mineral, penetrating finish. Although it displays a darker, more brooding profile character than in previous years, it remains highly representative of its terroir and will benefit from some patience. It's being matured in 50% new oak."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral, feine Nuancen von Erdbeerkonfit, reife Herzkirschen, ein Hauch von kandierten Orangenzesten, mineralischer Touch. Komplex, saftig, elegant, feine Extraktsüße, integrierte, tragende Tannine, sehr gute Länge, straff, rotbeerige Nuancen im Abgang, sicheres Reifepotenzial, feine Kräuterwürze im Nachhall."