Without looking at the etiquette, this drinks well, bit plummy, still some tannins and on the dry side. Then when reading the reading the etiquette, you realise, that this wine is almost 30 years old, held admirably well, but alas much better younger wines are available now.
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2/2, decanted 1-2 hours by the sommelier. More importantly served at 14-15C. Pure, cool blackcurarnt fruit on the nose, smoke and earth notes. Medium bodied, cool dark fruit, touch of smoke and earth, lovely weight and freshness, fine tannins, fresh/vibrant acids, very good length finish. Delicious, drinking well, nio hurry
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Rich blackcurrant and cherry pipe tobacco with plenty of herbs, esp. sage. Don’t know the composition but can franc is what I hear most loudly today. I don’t think this was quite as good as my last two bottles, mainly in terms of a less vivaciously perfumed nose, but hey it’s been 7 years, things change.
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Wonderfully balanced. Absolute prime drinking window. Black fruit, minerals, tertiary flavours. Tannins fully resolved. The very definition of left bank claret. Such a good example. Enjoyed with roast beef. (Opened 2 hours before serving but did not decant)
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Classy mid-weight Bdx with light red fruit, smoke leather a bit of green pepper nose. Soft fruit but edgy energetic finish with peppery earth. Good balance, really enjoyable.
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Popped and poured at a restaurant. Liked it but did not love it. Might have been past its peak. Cigar box Bordeaux, but I would have liked more fruit, which had largely faded.
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Next to Monte Bello 2000. This one had all the left bank goodies - cedar, tobacco, dark fruit and a touch of bell pepper. Really lovely. Long aftertaste. Balance is good. Alcohol not poking out.
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I did not decant this but ended up wishing I had, because it took until the second evening to start unwinding. Mature, but with very concentrated notes of tongue-tingling berries and cherry, rather narrow in profile and slightly hard work - I think it needs another two or three years. At this stage, 91 is generous - more like 88 or 89: certainly classy and a fine wine, but not as enjoyable as it should be - but I think 91 will be at least what it is worth in the future.
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2 years since we had this last ( Papies 92) and continues true to the right path. A quite evolved, earthy and leathery , classic old school claret that lovers of evolved wine like us would definitely love. Still bright and energetic albeit the fruit has evolved and is more on the tertiary side of things ( actually what distinguishes the good from the great of this amazing vintage is how well the fruit has survived) . Super solid and very enjoyable . 92-93 drink now and avoid long decanting as the wine has a fell of fragility to it.
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40th birthday wines (Pied a Terre): Nicely resolved claret, and very classic. A bit strict, and neither on the fruit not showing much interesting development - I think HRH summed it up well: "Low-key, neat, well balanced but pretty standard issue." Maybe a tiny hint of TCA on the finish, which could explain things.
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At Noize. Attractive nose, smoky earth, red and black berry fruit. Quite fragrant. Medium bodied, pure dark fruit on initial attack, soft tannins, touch of liquorice, some richness, fresh acidity, quite long, harmonious finish. Excellent and drinking really well.
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Classic bdx and still pretty fresh. Nice black fruit on the mid palate and herbaceaous notes. Definitely old school style compared to recent vintages from this chateau.
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With family at Tumalo Feed Company in Bend Oregon. PnP. Medium red in color. Fragrant flowery nose. There are dark berries on the palate along with black currants, cedar and a subtle smoky nuance. Medium body with tannin fully resolved. Silky and very elegant. Herbs, black pepper and other spices linger in the background. Medium-long finish. An excellent foil for my steak. Must be at peak, but may y last for years.This wine is a good example of why we like to age some Bordeaux 20+ years.
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HDH Dec auction trip/dinners at SKY and RPM Italian; 12/13/2018-12/15/2018: One of those wines I would be content just sitting and smelling - the aromatics on this are brilliant; classic Graves with such intense smoky, gravelly, and tobacco leaf scents leading into a palate with very clean, fresh black fruit. It still feels rather youthful with lots of intensity and freshness to the fruit flavours, and I'll hold off my bottles a bit longer in the hope of more tertiary development, but this is already in a really nice place.
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HDH December auction; 12/13/2018-12/15/2018 (Chicago, IL): Tons of green herbaceousness and tobacco on the nose and palate. Good black fruit and graphite as well. Very good density -- this is nicely resolved and drinking quite well. For my palate, this is drinking really well.
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper, vanilla and oak. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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Even better than the previous bottle. Fully mature and at a great spot right now. Intense bouquet, earthy, round on the palate, medium/long finish. Great!
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Opened and left to rest, decided against decanting as the wine felt on the fragile side. Well mature, classic, elegant wine, textbook aged claret. Leather, light spice, light dark fruit. Soft tannin and just a. Joy for the style. Drink now 92
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I’m not always a big fan of 96 left banks, and I don’t think Haut Bailly nailed it in this vintage either. Less concentration and complexity than many other vintages, and clearly in the shadow of the much better (for me) 1998 Haut Bailly. Drunk from mag. Drink now-2025. 91pts?
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During a Chateau Haut Bailly dinner with the Commanderie de Bordeaux. Nose of forest floor, earthy. Like many 1996 Bordeaux this is a bit rustic. Not bad, but lacks the charm of the more recent vintages. Drink up.
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Clear, ruby red hue with pink-orange rim, sporadic faster-moving tears. Clean, med intensity, aromas of blackcurrants, black pepper, pomegranate, roast beef juices and coffee grinds Dry, med- body, med- acidity, med tannins, med finish, med- alcohol, further tastes dark cherries, kalamata olives, quite peppery, and still very terroir-driven.
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Very dark plum colour, quite dense; nose, initially closed, some stone fruit, pepper, and soft tannin and oak –very solid; taste of black fruit and earth, good mouth feel although a little thin ,with fruit giving way to oak in the aftertaste. An elegant if light wine (12.5 alcohol). A claret of the old school, and difficult to rate on a points system that awards, above all, for density of fruit.
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I love the fabulous, smoky, earthy, tar, cassis, cigar box and blackberry nose. Medium/full bodied, with a strict, firm personality to the tannins, which is you prefer very old school Bordeaux, you will probably enjoy that part of the wine more than I did. There is ample, earthy, spice filled, dark red fruits in the finish.
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Haut Bailly Dinner (Medlar, Chelsea): Deep ruby, slightly reserved at first, opening to reveal blackcurrant fruit, slight beefy edge, some nice gravelly minerality, attractive vibrant acidity, quite firm even a touch drying on the finish still. ***(*).
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Haut Bailly (Medlar, London): Similarly dark. Dense dark red fruit. More exuberantly blackcurranty. A little dry on the finish. More accessible currently than the younger wines. ****
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drank last night with other great wine. Classic Bordeaux nose with equal shares of earth and fruit. Silky and elegant with plush black fruit, top soil, and currant. Drinking beautifully.
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Graves and Sauternes Dinner (RSJ, Southwark, London): Deep ruby, narrow rim. Nose is harmonious, slightly smoky black and red berry fruit. Medium bodied, blackcurrant, touch of tobacco, quite soft, harmonious of not overly expressive. Good length, lightly grippy finish. ****.
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Graves @ RSJ (RSJ, London): A little less dense and currently rounder than the 95. Starts off reminding me of classy Cali on the nose, but it does lose some exuberance and rein in to a more classical style with air. Lovely. ****
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Stellar bottle. An absolute classic Claret, with pencil lead, sous bois and blackcurrant, and a velvety texture with impeccably balanced tannins. Was even better the next day (I had a bit left in the bottle). A reminder of what a great year 1996 was.
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A very typical, classic bordeaux, which needs 1-2 hours of decant to open up. Very good, but no complexity to speak of. My third vintage of Haut-Bailly (96, 2007, 2011), and I have not been very impressed.
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Ouvert 6 heures d’avance et épaulé Au nez et en bouche, l’arôme dominant est le poivron vert. Très végétal. On y ajoute un peu de prunes, de poivre et une touche de bois. Assez tannique et minéral ce qui suggère qu’on puisse le garder encore. La longueur est modérée.
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Really nice! Ruby colour. Remarkable nose! Complex and intense. Round on the palate, and excellent long finish. Gets even better with food. This wine feels younger than the 99 I had a couple of months ago. Has at least 5 more years.
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Opened by Mark. Not decanted. Slightly cloudy burnt red color. Good fruit core with notes of tar, cassis and raw meat. Earthy texture. In a very nice spot right now. Tried is again the next day and it was still showing well. I liked this better than either the 2005 or 2009 vintages of this wine which were both very young when I tried them. 90-91 points
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Like a lot of 1996 Left Bankers, this is just coming into maturity but I loved this - a beautiful nose; dense, crystalline fruit with smoke and minerality. Just a packed palate with the above plus a great floral component. Not a seam. Long. Classy. Fantastic - really interested to drink another in 5 years.
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Flott parfymert nese med rødfrukt, lær, og hint av tobakk. God konsentrasjon og en herlig munnfølelse. Lang finish med superfine tanniner og en nydelig balanse. Riktig elegant, og er en Bordeaux på den feminine siden. En deilig vin, som blir altfor raskt tom! Perfekt til indrefilet av storfe med bearnaise.
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Deep velvet to garnet. Little brown rim, but still dense and vital! Aromatics of Dark, Ripe Berries and little Cherry. Fruit in Rum. Present Earthy Characteristics. Leather, Cigar Box, Dark Chocolate and some Raisins. Perfume and fine traces of Petrol. Cool, elegant and precise nose! Complex and integrated. Flavors of Stewed Fruit (Ripe, Dark Berries). Again, Earth with Leather and Tobacco. Fine Florals (Lavender) and Herbs in a soft texture creating a smooth mouthfeel. Long, harmonious finish with Fruit, Herbal, Warm Spiciness and finely-grained, soft tannins. Finesse meets richness!
Relatively light structured, very elegant, but complex and rich wine with finesse! It shows distinct earthy characters on nose and palate. With good potential left, it has reached a great drinking window now with bright, ripe fruit and multi-faceted secondary and tertiary characters showing.Drink now or enjoy within 5+ years. See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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Tasted single-blind along with 1986 Talbot and 2004 Palmer. This was served first and we glanced at the color, took a sniff and a sip and exclaimed "the Palmer!" in unison as eyes rolled backwards with euphoria. Then the Palmer came next which triggered a lot of confusion that dissolved into perplexed laughter.
This Haut Bailly does not show its age at all but at the same time feels like it's right in the prime of its drinking window. Still fruit-driven but plenty of mineral and cigar-box notes on the nose and palate. Medium-plus complexity. The finish goes on and on. Drink now or hold for another decade. A definite re-buy at roughly half the price of the current 2010 vintage.
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Lots of tart cherry and some other dark fruit notes along with a nice herbaceous note on both the nose and the palate. Still had lots of tannins and probably could have stayed in the bottle a while longer. Still very smooth though.
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Nose dominated by cedar--almost like sticking a pencil up your nose--with a bit of blackcurrant. Light-bodied, not that much fruit, underripe and slightly hollow. Structure faded.
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(From auction, so a chance of over-warm storage or some such issue.) Two hours of air. Nose is of wet tobacco, leather, raisins, bacony brett - a v different expression of classicism to the '96 St Pierre consumed recently. It's also less mature / integrated; so less compelling. In the mouth, prominent acidity initially makes the wine feel light. Relatively resolve tannin and questionable concentration makes it feel loose. However, the acidity continues to curl around, assert and promise more. The largely non-fruit flavour profile has good persistence. After lots more air, the wine feels more rounded and a little more mouth filling, but most importantly the acidity is now crackling and delicious, and it melds v well with the oxidative sweetness. Rather lovely: to many tastes I'd be underrating it at 90-91, 90. It'll age on this acidity, so will live a long time - another 10-15 years. The absence of fruit is a negative to me; but I realise it's quite possible that this wine will do more for me if the nose comes to integrate and fuzz-out; and there's clearly a chance of that. It's also possible that it'll decline to my tastes from here: as with the '95 Haut Bailly, this wine makes me favour the relative modernity of the Wilmers-ownership era at this estate.
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- Crimsom color with slow forming legs and aromas of tobacco, licorice anise, coffee and mushroom. It's balanced and has flavours of licorice anise and mushroom with a light/medium body. Smooth texture with a long finish.
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lovely bright brick red colour, classic graves nose, cear , earthy brick and great poise with plenty of fruit . Classic 96 combination of fruit and structure. Layers of flavour with depth and elegance. Delicious wine ready now.
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Nose on this was complex and very engaging: chilli powder, plum, and pencil lead; expressive, but perhaps still holding back a little. Youthful color, and medium to medium-full bodied. Well-balanced with deep blackberry flavor; good acidity; fine, slightly drying tannins; comes across as youthful, and still in need of additional time in the cellar. 12.5% alc. not noticeable. One of my favorite wines of the evening. Excellent.
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Not up to the level of the last bottle I opened, but very impressive all the same. The fruit's still very bright and fresh, but the maturing cedary, smoky and earthy flavours are only starting to emerge (whereas they were quite prominent in the bottle I opened last fall). Very nice, though I'll keep my hands off my last bottle for some time.
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From magnum. This was for me a perfect concentration of the 96 vintage. Lightstyled, but so concentrated. Acidity, but perfectly balanced with fruit and soft tannins. Close to a perfect wine.
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Flat out wow. Starts out with an incredible perfume combining fresh dark fruited flavours with developing cedar, pencil lead, savoury earth and cigar smoke elements, and at a point in its development where it tastes exactly like it smells, conveying its flavours with a sense of remarkable finesse and polish. The tannin here is remarkably fine; noticeable on the back end but not obtrusive and the structure, fruit and balance here suggest this has a fantastic future ahead.
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Decanted 1/2 an hour. Medium/deep garnet core, medium pale garnet rim. Nose shows sweet cassis fruit, some development with hints of blood, leather and tobacco. Palate is medium/full bodied, soft, velevty tannins around a sweet blackcurrant core, notes of tobacco and minerally soil, good depth here and an attractive, harmonious very good length finish. Lovely, drinking very well but no hurry.
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Julian S-M's 1996 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, London): Green chilli on the nose. Very fresh, cool, capsicum. Long. Now we're talking, proper wine. Quite long, harmonious, refreshing. A lovely drink. ****
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Ian S's Haut Bailly Offline (The Ledbury, London): Green pepper nose. Seems slightly at odds with the other wines so far. A little leaner. As Jamie says, a touch oxidised too. Seems below par for 96 but can't quite put finger on it. ***
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Tonight's gonna be a good night (Ah Orh): Tannins coat the mouth. DArk herbs and licorice. V saturated deep dark plumish. Very youngish and v rich. Excellent undeniably pauillac power n presence that turned out to be a pessac though. But a testament to how well it was drinking.
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Dinner at Ah Orh, aka - A Wonderful Night of Serious Wines (Ah Orh Seafood, Bukit Merah): Absolutely wonderful. This matched a 1982 Leoville Barton blow for blow. Just drinking ridiculously well at the moment. Tons of tobacco on the nose, with cigar scents wafting out of the glass alongside wet leaf and cassis. A wonderful left-bank bouquet. It was on the palate where this really took off though. Silky smooth, it had just the most luscious ripe cassis notes, carried on juicy, succulent acidity and wreathed with smoky cigar notes, and a mid-palate anchored by some stewed meat flavours. It was just laugh-out-loud joy juice. Really yummy stuff. Finish was really great too. Long, smoky, spicey, with cigar, earth and some tar. I was quite sure it was a 1996 Leftie, and, on reflection, it certainly was very clearly a Graves, yet I somehow guessed Pauillac on the night. Nevertheless, a wonderful wine at a wonderful place in its development.
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(From Magnum) This was classic Pessac in a wonderful refined style that I hope is not exterminated anytime soon (but I have fears it will be...) This wine featured great cool fruit, iron and minerals, some new leather and a bit of cigar box (Habanos and cedar). Still quite a firm wine (both tannins and acid are very healthy) - no fear of holding this for years to come, especially in larger formats. A real treat with food - especially great with the veal and the lamb chops.
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I loved this wine. A great ready to drink, older Bordeaux. Earthy, with fungal and typical old world bordeaux aromas. I had Filet Mignon with this and it sang. Also served a 1995 Burgess Cab which everyone enjoyed as well, but the Haut-Bailly was gone quick. Fantastic.
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Blackcurrant fruit, with gravelly overtones; medium weight, reasonably mature, with a slightly rough, burly character. A good wine, but it lacks finesse.
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Now quite mature, with slightly rustic, earthy fruit but good depth of flavour. Earlier bottles were more polished, but it is still lively and attractive.
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Deep colour; attractive, slightly gravelly,cedary nose with a good,rich palate with a touch of spice; lively with good length. Drinking well now, but no hurry to drink up.
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Served as part of a tasting at K&L. Quick notes: musty nose; odd astringent taste almost like brine from pickled olives. I asked if this was off and was told that this is a normal characteristic of the wine from Pessac-Leognan. Not my style of wine.
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Nose: pure alcohol. Initial essence of coconu; tannins build with oxidation; light tobacco with smoke. Tannin and acid overwhelm fruit to the point that i cannot distinguish. Maybe time will help. Third day: balance apparent.
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3/14/2024 - beatles wrote: 89 Points
Fading a bit. Very dry, very correct, but this needs food - and love of old Bordeaux. Better with a piece of red meat.
#KongHans
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8/12/2023 - vinero Likes this wine: 90 Points
Without looking at the etiquette, this drinks well, bit plummy, still some tannins and on the dry side. Then when reading the reading the etiquette, you realise, that this wine is almost 30 years old, held admirably well, but alas much better younger wines are available now.
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3/22/2023 - Paul D wrote: 93 Points
2/2, decanted 1-2 hours by the sommelier. More importantly served at 14-15C.
Pure, cool blackcurarnt fruit on the nose, smoke and earth notes. Medium bodied, cool dark fruit, touch of smoke and earth, lovely weight and freshness, fine tannins, fresh/vibrant acids, very good length finish. Delicious, drinking well, nio hurry
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2/20/2023 - gbanks Likes this wine:
Rich blackcurrant and cherry pipe tobacco with plenty of herbs, esp. sage. Don’t know the composition but can franc is what I hear most loudly today. I don’t think this was quite as good as my last two bottles, mainly in terms of a less vivaciously perfumed nose, but hey it’s been 7 years, things change.
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11/20/2022 - happyhyrax Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderfully balanced. Absolute prime drinking window. Black fruit, minerals, tertiary flavours. Tannins fully resolved. The very definition of left bank claret. Such a good example. Enjoyed with roast beef. (Opened 2 hours before serving but did not decant)
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9/12/2021 - JHSP Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice wine - decanted for 1-2 hrs - nice fruit, semi long finish and velvity. Quite lively still and sweet spot now
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7/19/2021 - wstromb404 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This still has a lot to give and doesn’t feel like it is on the downturn. Classic palette and a reasonably long finish. I’m going to look for more.
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1/10/2021 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classy mid-weight Bdx with light red fruit, smoke leather a bit of green pepper nose. Soft fruit but edgy energetic finish with peppery earth. Good balance, really enjoyable.
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12/14/2020 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 89 Points
Popped and poured at a restaurant. Liked it but did not love it. Might have been past its peak. Cigar box Bordeaux, but I would have liked more fruit, which had largely faded.
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11/17/2020 - Eriklainen wrote:
Next to Monte Bello 2000. This one had all the left bank goodies - cedar, tobacco, dark fruit and a touch of bell pepper. Really lovely. Long aftertaste. Balance is good. Alcohol not poking out.
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10/20/2020 - Julian Marshall wrote: 91 Points
I did not decant this but ended up wishing I had, because it took until the second evening to start unwinding. Mature, but with very concentrated notes of tongue-tingling berries and cherry, rather narrow in profile and slightly hard work - I think it needs another two or three years. At this stage, 91 is generous - more like 88 or 89: certainly classy and a fine wine, but not as enjoyable as it should be - but I think 91 will be at least what it is worth in the future.
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2/14/2020 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
2 years since we had this last ( Papies 92) and continues true to the right path. A quite evolved, earthy and leathery , classic old school claret that lovers of evolved wine like us would definitely love.
Still bright and energetic albeit the fruit has evolved and is more on the tertiary side of things ( actually what distinguishes the good from the great of this amazing vintage is how well the fruit has survived) . Super solid and very enjoyable . 92-93 drink now and avoid long decanting as the wine has a fell of fragility to it.
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9/28/2019 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
40th birthday wines (Pied a Terre): Nicely resolved claret, and very classic. A bit strict, and neither on the fruit not showing much interesting development - I think HRH summed it up well: "Low-key, neat, well balanced but pretty standard issue." Maybe a tiny hint of TCA on the finish, which could explain things.
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7/12/2019 - Paul D wrote: 94 Points
At Noize. Attractive nose, smoky earth, red and black berry fruit. Quite fragrant. Medium bodied, pure dark fruit on initial attack, soft tannins, touch of liquorice, some richness, fresh acidity, quite long, harmonious finish. Excellent and drinking really well.
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7/12/2019 - steak&pizza Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic bdx and still pretty fresh. Nice black fruit on the mid palate and herbaceaous notes. Definitely old school style compared to recent vintages from this chateau.
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7/6/2019 - mhudes Likes this wine: 95 Points
With family at Tumalo Feed Company in Bend Oregon. PnP. Medium red in color. Fragrant flowery nose. There are dark berries on the palate along with black currants, cedar and a subtle smoky nuance. Medium body with tannin fully resolved. Silky and very elegant. Herbs, black pepper and other spices linger in the background. Medium-long finish. An excellent foil for my steak. Must be at peak, but may y last for years.This wine is a good example of why we like to age some Bordeaux 20+ years.
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12/14/2018 - salil wrote: 93 Points
HDH Dec auction trip/dinners at SKY and RPM Italian; 12/13/2018-12/15/2018: One of those wines I would be content just sitting and smelling - the aromatics on this are brilliant; classic Graves with such intense smoky, gravelly, and tobacco leaf scents leading into a palate with very clean, fresh black fruit. It still feels rather youthful with lots of intensity and freshness to the fruit flavours, and I'll hold off my bottles a bit longer in the hope of more tertiary development, but this is already in a really nice place.
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12/14/2018 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH December auction; 12/13/2018-12/15/2018 (Chicago, IL): Tons of green herbaceousness and tobacco on the nose and palate. Good black fruit and graphite as well. Very good density -- this is nicely resolved and drinking quite well. For my palate, this is drinking really well.
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11/25/2018 - StefanCellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper, vanilla and oak. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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6/12/2018 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Even better than the previous bottle. Fully mature and at a great spot right now. Intense bouquet, earthy, round on the palate, medium/long finish. Great!
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2/26/2018 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Opened and left to rest, decided against decanting as the wine felt on the fragile side. Well mature, classic, elegant wine, textbook aged claret. Leather, light spice, light dark fruit. Soft tannin and just a. Joy for the style. Drink now 92
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9/22/2017 - JulianSkeels wrote: 91 Points
I’m not always a big fan of 96 left banks, and I don’t think Haut Bailly nailed it in this vintage either. Less concentration and complexity than many other vintages, and clearly in the shadow of the much better (for me) 1998 Haut Bailly. Drunk from mag. Drink now-2025. 91pts?
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9/12/2017 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank at 67
Fully mature gentle and soft. Silky smooth.
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8/15/2017 - ctwjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature, tannin, soft, elegant mouth feel, medium finish, drink up
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5/10/2017 - jfont123 wrote:
PnP for wife's birthday dinner at Ostrich farm.
Same as previous tasting note though not quite as elegant as the last bottle
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1/13/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 91 Points
During a Chateau Haut Bailly dinner with the Commanderie de Bordeaux. Nose of forest floor, earthy. Like many 1996 Bordeaux this is a bit rustic. Not bad, but lacks the charm of the more recent vintages. Drink up.
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1/11/2017 - Rowchan Likes this wine: 88 Points
Clear, ruby red hue with pink-orange rim, sporadic faster-moving tears.
Clean, med intensity, aromas of blackcurrants, black pepper, pomegranate, roast beef juices and coffee grinds
Dry, med- body, med- acidity, med tannins, med finish, med- alcohol, further tastes dark cherries, kalamata olives, quite peppery, and still very terroir-driven.
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11/24/2016 - jfont123 wrote:
Delicious old school bordeaux. Elegant, soil, tobaco with subtle dark fruits. Drink now.
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11/21/2016 - vide wrote: 91 Points
Very dark plum colour, quite dense; nose, initially closed, some stone fruit, pepper, and soft tannin and oak –very solid; taste of black fruit and earth, good mouth feel although a little thin ,with fruit giving way to oak in the aftertaste. An elegant if light wine (12.5 alcohol). A claret of the old school, and difficult to rate on a points system that awards, above all, for density of fruit.
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11/10/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
I love the fabulous, smoky, earthy, tar, cassis, cigar box and blackberry nose. Medium/full bodied, with a strict, firm personality to the tannins, which is you prefer very old school Bordeaux, you will probably enjoy that part of the wine more than I did. There is ample, earthy, spice filled, dark red fruits in the finish.
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10/13/2016 - Paul D wrote:
Haut Bailly Dinner (Medlar, Chelsea): Deep ruby, slightly reserved at first, opening to reveal blackcurrant fruit, slight beefy edge, some nice gravelly minerality, attractive vibrant acidity, quite firm even a touch drying on the finish still. ***(*).
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10/13/2016 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Haut Bailly (Medlar, London): Similarly dark. Dense dark red fruit. More exuberantly blackcurranty. A little dry on the finish. More accessible currently than the younger wines. ****
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6/19/2016 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 92 Points
drank last night with other great wine. Classic Bordeaux nose with equal shares of earth and fruit. Silky and elegant with plush black fruit, top soil, and currant. Drinking beautifully.
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4/2/2016 - Mazy Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP. Très bien, semblable à ma dernière note.
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1/21/2016 - Paul D wrote:
Graves and Sauternes Dinner (RSJ, Southwark, London): Deep ruby, narrow rim. Nose is harmonious, slightly smoky black and red berry fruit. Medium bodied, blackcurrant, touch of tobacco, quite soft, harmonious of not overly expressive. Good length, lightly grippy finish. ****.
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1/21/2016 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Graves @ RSJ (RSJ, London): A little less dense and currently rounder than the 95. Starts off reminding me of classy Cali on the nose, but it does lose some exuberance and rein in to a more classical style with air. Lovely. ****
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1/16/2016 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stellar bottle. An absolute classic Claret, with pencil lead, sous bois and blackcurrant, and a velvety texture with impeccably balanced tannins. Was even better the next day (I had a bit left in the bottle). A reminder of what a great year 1996 was.
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12/29/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
A very typical, classic bordeaux, which needs 1-2 hours of decant to open up. Very good, but no complexity to speak of.
My third vintage of Haut-Bailly (96, 2007, 2011), and I have not been very impressed.
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9/13/2015 - Mazy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ouvert 6 heures d’avance et épaulé
Au nez et en bouche, l’arôme dominant est le poivron vert. Très végétal. On y ajoute un peu de prunes, de poivre et une touche de bois. Assez tannique et minéral ce qui suggère qu’on puisse le garder encore. La longueur est modérée.
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7/28/2015 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really nice! Ruby colour. Remarkable nose! Complex and intense. Round on the palate, and excellent long finish. Gets even better with food. This wine feels younger than the 99 I had a couple of months ago. Has at least 5 more years.
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6/28/2015 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
Opened by Mark. Not decanted. Slightly cloudy burnt red color. Good fruit core with notes of tar, cassis and raw meat. Earthy texture. In a very nice spot right now. Tried is again the next day and it was still showing well. I liked this better than either the 2005 or 2009 vintages of this wine which were both very young when I tried them. 90-91 points
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6/28/2015 - mnoljo wrote: 91 Points
Earth and cedar on the nose. Hints of black fruits with a typical graves finish of asphalt and burnt earth.
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1/24/2015 - gbanks wrote:
Oh lord yes.
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5/24/2014 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Like a lot of 1996 Left Bankers, this is just coming into maturity but I loved this - a beautiful nose; dense, crystalline fruit with smoke and minerality. Just a packed palate with the above plus a great floral component. Not a seam. Long. Classy. Fantastic - really interested to drink another in 5 years.
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4/22/2014 - hajoha wrote: 92 Points
Flott parfymert nese med rødfrukt, lær, og hint av tobakk.
God konsentrasjon og en herlig munnfølelse. Lang finish med superfine tanniner og en nydelig balanse.
Riktig elegant, og er en Bordeaux på den feminine siden.
En deilig vin, som blir altfor raskt tom!
Perfekt til indrefilet av storfe med bearnaise.
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3/11/2014 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep velvet to garnet.
Little brown rim, but still dense and vital!
Aromatics of Dark, Ripe Berries and little Cherry. Fruit in Rum.
Present Earthy Characteristics. Leather, Cigar Box, Dark Chocolate and some Raisins. Perfume and fine traces of Petrol.
Cool, elegant and precise nose! Complex and integrated.
Flavors of Stewed Fruit (Ripe, Dark Berries).
Again, Earth with Leather and Tobacco.
Fine Florals (Lavender) and Herbs in a soft texture creating a smooth mouthfeel.
Long, harmonious finish with Fruit, Herbal, Warm Spiciness and finely-grained, soft tannins. Finesse meets richness!
Relatively light structured, very elegant, but complex and rich wine with finesse! It shows distinct earthy characters on nose and palate.
With good potential left, it has reached a great drinking window now with bright, ripe fruit and multi-faceted secondary and tertiary characters showing.Drink now or enjoy within 5+ years.
See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com
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9/12/2013 - gbanks Likes this wine: 95 Points
Paired beautifully with a simple filet. Drinking at or near its peak, with still another 5+ years to go.
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6/21/2013 - d'Yquembe Mutombo wrote: 94 Points
Tasted single-blind along with 1986 Talbot and 2004 Palmer. This was served first and we glanced at the color, took a sniff and a sip and exclaimed "the Palmer!" in unison as eyes rolled backwards with euphoria. Then the Palmer came next which triggered a lot of confusion that dissolved into perplexed laughter.
This Haut Bailly does not show its age at all but at the same time feels like it's right in the prime of its drinking window. Still fruit-driven but plenty of mineral and cigar-box notes on the nose and palate. Medium-plus complexity. The finish goes on and on. Drink now or hold for another decade. A definite re-buy at roughly half the price of the current 2010 vintage.
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10/29/2012 - Talisker wrote: 91 Points
Black currant, bell pepper, cedar, leather, quite light on it's feet, elegant, resolved tannins, a classic bordeaux.
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7/31/2012 - Aescalpius wrote: 92 Points
Lots of tart cherry and some other dark fruit notes along with a nice herbaceous note on both the nose and the palate. Still had lots of tannins and probably could have stayed in the bottle a while longer. Still very smooth though.
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7/21/2012 - Chez Patrick Restaurant (HK) wrote:
Case lost by storage company reimbursed by insurance for 114 USD per btl
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7/20/2012 - rdewolff wrote: 94 Points
Woaaw! Strong wine, even after that time! Lovely! I want more! Red fruits, powerfull, balanced and very long finish. Great wine!
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5/8/2012 - cooberp wrote: 87 Points
Nose dominated by cedar--almost like sticking a pencil up your nose--with a bit of blackcurrant. Light-bodied, not that much fruit, underripe and slightly hollow. Structure faded.
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4/29/2012 - campingfleurie wrote: 90 Points
(From auction, so a chance of over-warm storage or some such issue.) Two hours of air. Nose is of wet tobacco, leather, raisins, bacony brett - a v different expression of classicism to the '96 St Pierre consumed recently. It's also less mature / integrated; so less compelling. In the mouth, prominent acidity initially makes the wine feel light. Relatively resolve tannin and questionable concentration makes it feel loose. However, the acidity continues to curl around, assert and promise more. The largely non-fruit flavour profile has good persistence. After lots more air, the wine feels more rounded and a little more mouth filling, but most importantly the acidity is now crackling and delicious, and it melds v well with the oxidative sweetness. Rather lovely: to many tastes I'd be underrating it at 90-91, 90. It'll age on this acidity, so will live a long time - another 10-15 years. The absence of fruit is a negative to me; but I realise it's quite possible that this wine will do more for me if the nose comes to integrate and fuzz-out; and there's clearly a chance of that. It's also possible that it'll decline to my tastes from here: as with the '95 Haut Bailly, this wine makes me favour the relative modernity of the Wilmers-ownership era at this estate.
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4/1/2012 - Kesnel wrote:
- Crimsom color with slow forming legs and aromas of tobacco, licorice anise, coffee and mushroom. It's balanced and has flavours of licorice anise and mushroom with a light/medium body. Smooth texture with a long finish.
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3/6/2012 - redders wrote: 91 Points
lovely bright brick red colour, classic graves nose, cear , earthy brick and great poise with plenty of fruit . Classic 96 combination of fruit and structure. Layers of flavour with depth and elegance. Delicious wine ready now.
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2/25/2012 - grafstrb wrote:
Bdx. growths (1988 - 1999) (London Venue Club (Sheffield, UK)): -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 15 - 20 minutes --
Nose on this was complex and very engaging: chilli powder, plum, and pencil lead; expressive, but perhaps still holding back a little. Youthful color, and medium to medium-full bodied. Well-balanced with deep blackberry flavor; good acidity; fine, slightly drying tannins; comes across as youthful, and still in need of additional time in the cellar. 12.5% alc. not noticeable. One of my favorite wines of the evening. Excellent.
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2/19/2012 - salil wrote: 90 Points
Not up to the level of the last bottle I opened, but very impressive all the same. The fruit's still very bright and fresh, but the maturing cedary, smoky and earthy flavours are only starting to emerge (whereas they were quite prominent in the bottle I opened last fall). Very nice, though I'll keep my hands off my last bottle for some time.
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1/29/2012 - AudunG wrote: 95 Points
From magnum. This was for me a perfect concentration of the 96 vintage. Lightstyled, but so concentrated. Acidity, but perfectly balanced with fruit and soft tannins. Close to a perfect wine.
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10/7/2011 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Flat out wow. Starts out with an incredible perfume combining fresh dark fruited flavours with developing cedar, pencil lead, savoury earth and cigar smoke elements, and at a point in its development where it tastes exactly like it smells, conveying its flavours with a sense of remarkable finesse and polish. The tannin here is remarkably fine; noticeable on the back end but not obtrusive and the structure, fruit and balance here suggest this has a fantastic future ahead.
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9/2/2011 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1/2 an hour. Medium/deep garnet core, medium pale garnet rim. Nose shows sweet cassis fruit, some development with hints of blood, leather and tobacco. Palate is medium/full bodied, soft, velevty tannins around a sweet blackcurrant core, notes of tobacco and minerally soil, good depth here and an attractive, harmonious very good length finish. Lovely, drinking very well but no hurry.
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8/25/2011 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
Drank in Bordeaux with some other grand dames including an '82 Leoville Poyferre - as it has been said before - this matches it no problems
Double decanted and left for a couple of hours
An amazing noise balance and length.
Silky smooth with great complexity of flavours
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5/9/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Julian S-M's 1996 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, London): Green chilli on the nose. Very fresh, cool, capsicum. Long. Now we're talking, proper wine. Quite long, harmonious, refreshing. A lovely drink. ****
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3/9/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Ian S's Haut Bailly Offline (The Ledbury, London): Green pepper nose. Seems slightly at odds with the other wines so far. A little leaner. As Jamie says, a touch oxidised too. Seems below par for 96 but can't quite put finger on it. ***
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12/21/2010 - mychurch wrote: 90 Points
Lovely mature Bordeaux. Hope the 06 turns out as nice.
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11/5/2010 - Alex H wrote: 89 Points
Tonight's gonna be a good night (Ah Orh): Tannins coat the mouth. DArk herbs and licorice. V saturated deep dark plumish. Very youngish and v rich. Excellent undeniably pauillac power n presence that turned out to be a pessac though. But a testament to how well it was drinking.
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11/3/2010 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Ah Orh, aka - A Wonderful Night of Serious Wines (Ah Orh Seafood, Bukit Merah): Absolutely wonderful. This matched a 1982 Leoville Barton blow for blow. Just drinking ridiculously well at the moment. Tons of tobacco on the nose, with cigar scents wafting out of the glass alongside wet leaf and cassis. A wonderful left-bank bouquet. It was on the palate where this really took off though. Silky smooth, it had just the most luscious ripe cassis notes, carried on juicy, succulent acidity and wreathed with smoky cigar notes, and a mid-palate anchored by some stewed meat flavours. It was just laugh-out-loud joy juice. Really yummy stuff. Finish was really great too. Long, smoky, spicey, with cigar, earth and some tar. I was quite sure it was a 1996 Leftie, and, on reflection, it certainly was very clearly a Graves, yet I somehow guessed Pauillac on the night. Nevertheless, a wonderful wine at a wonderful place in its development.
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3/22/2010 - Blair Curtis wrote: 90 Points
(From Magnum) This was classic Pessac in a wonderful refined style that I hope is not exterminated anytime soon (but I have fears it will be...) This wine featured great cool fruit, iron and minerals, some new leather and a bit of cigar box (Habanos and cedar). Still quite a firm wine (both tannins and acid are very healthy) - no fear of holding this for years to come, especially in larger formats. A real treat with food - especially great with the veal and the lamb chops.
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5/14/2009 - envirovino wrote: 93 Points
excellent, seemed fully mature with life left. a little gravel, dusty fruit. super balanced.
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3/21/2009 - pouncey wrote: 93 Points
I loved this wine. A great ready to drink, older Bordeaux. Earthy, with fungal and typical old world bordeaux aromas. I had Filet Mignon with this and it sang. Also served a 1995 Burgess Cab which everyone enjoyed as well, but the Haut-Bailly was gone quick. Fantastic.
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11/20/2008 - La Grappe wrote: 85 Points
Blackcurrant fruit, with gravelly overtones; medium weight, reasonably mature, with a slightly rough, burly character. A good wine, but it lacks finesse.
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8/12/2008 - La Grappe wrote: 86 Points
Now quite mature, with slightly rustic, earthy fruit but good depth of flavour. Earlier bottles were more polished, but it is still lively and attractive.
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5/27/2008 - La Grappe wrote: 88 Points
Deep colour; attractive, slightly gravelly,cedary nose with a good,rich palate with a touch of spice; lively with good length. Drinking well now, but no hurry to drink up.
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9/22/2007 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
K&L: Red-brown color; tea! Forest! mintey but soft now; mushrooms, very silky entry, tart, grt a’s! med. lite bod, super fine t’s, long fin!
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9/22/2007 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
K&L Tasting - Bordeaux: Beautiful nose of cedar and molasses; Color just starting to turn; Well resolved; Would like to follow this a bit more
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9/22/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
Served as part of a tasting at K&L. Quick notes: musty nose; odd astringent taste almost like brine from pickled olives. I asked if this was off and was told that this is a normal characteristic of the wine from Pessac-Leognan. Not my style of wine.
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6/3/2007 - CorkPullerPhl wrote: 84 Points
Nose: pure alcohol. Initial essence of coconu; tannins build with oxidation; light tobacco with smoke. Tannin and acid overwhelm fruit to the point that i cannot distinguish. Maybe time will help. Third day: balance apparent.
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9/15/2006 - SimonG wrote:
1995 / 19956 Bordeaux Offline (Alba, London): 1995 or 1996 Haut Baily. Fuller nose. Slightly chocolatey, riper. Similar attack but thinner mid palate. Slightly tobaccoey. Gues HB 1996.
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