Lovely dinner and vertical tasting at Haut Bailly

The main reason that I visit Vinexpo - which happens once every two years (always odd-numbered years) in Bordeaux - is to savor great wine and food at some of the best properties in Bordeaux. 2015 was no exception, with dinners at Château Margaux, Montrose, Smith Haut Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier.

Here a review of Haut Bailly's vertical tasting (2014-2004) and dinner (with more wines). The entire event, from A to Z, reflected the elegance and refinement of the wine. Following the vertical and servings of Pol Roger 2004 vintage Champagne, some 100 participants were enchanted by the superb culinary art of Alain Dutournier, chef of the famous Carré des Feuillants restaurant.

The style of Haut Bailly appeals to me.

Never large scaled or "built to impress", the wine in the best vintages manages to combine both opulence and elegance. Owner Robert Wilmers and director Veronique Sanders take special care to make their Vinexpo dinner a major highlight for #winelovers. Each year, special guests share their wines for the dinner. In previous years, we enjoyed such wines as Harlan and Screaming Eagle.

The event is not unlike Domaine de Chevalier’s Tour de France Vinexpo dinner, where wines beyond Bordeaux are served. But where Domaine de Chevalier celebrates casual elegance, Haut Bailly is more a refined elegance – with assigned seats and table settings that can be described as haut couture.

Here links to previous events (2013: http://www.connectionstowine.com/vinexpo-2013/intro/ and 2011: http://www.connectionstowine.com/vinexpo-bordeaux/dinner-at-haut-bailly/).

This year we had the great pleasure of enjoying magnums of Domaine Bonneau du Martray’s Corton Charlemagne 2007, which proved to be an amazing pairing with a blue lobster variation that Dutournier prepared for the starting course. Other dinner wines included such legendary nectars as Le Pin and Pingus. In my notes below - for the wines served for dinner - I will describe the food as well. But most of the notes are about Haut Bailly as tasted in the vertical before dinner.

• 2004 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Hey! The 2004 is coming around. I recall buying it for the Chanticleer on Nantucket Island - and stupidly opening a bottle for a customer back in 2008. Far too young! Now, about over five years later, the wine has entered a drinking window: with tasty cranberry freshness, a purity of fruit and precision on the palate leading to a medium long finish.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Bailly 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Power, freshness, balance and elegance. These words came to mind when I tried this wine in 2013. Interestingly, the wine has closed down since then. A deeper nose than that of the 2004 at this stage, but not as expressive. There is much ripe fruit and concentration on the mid palate, and I love the precision that leads to lift on the finish but the wine seems muted as compared to two years ago. If you have any 2005s, do not open them now! Very promising for the future however - and no surprise.

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• 2006 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Very graphite very Cabernet driven aromatics - with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. The aromas, the nose, is more "open" than the 2005, promising a wine that should be generous and rich. And yet the wine is not quite open for business on the palate. Sure, there is density and opulence on the mid palate, but still somewhat tight - and not quite as much depth as the 2005. This is a fine vintage to enjoy in about two or three years - and then to wait as the 2005 comes around in five to seven years ;-).

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• 2007 Château Haut-Bailly 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  I like this more than when I had tried it back in 2013. Really, quite a nice development in bottle! Fine depth and focus, with a rather opulent mid palate that charms the drinker. It charmed me. Marked by finesse. Red and dark fruit ripeness. The finish is medium length but this wine has entered a favorable drinking window.

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• 2008 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  A lovely wine, precise and balanced yet with a certain richness on the mid palate that bodes well for further aging - as acidity is relatively high. The nose is promising: fresh and fruit driven with faint touches of tertiary aspects including Cabernet derived lead pencil. This is, after all, 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. Still a bit tightly wound on the finish, give it another three to five years to enter a drinking window and enjoy over next 15.

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• 2010 Château Haut-Bailly 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  An excellent vintage as most readers know. Here no exception. The estate manages to combine remarkable freshness and elegance with concentration and ripe tannins. Indeed, at this very youthful stage, it comes across as almost too powerful - foreboding - yet there is a sense of charm and grace on the long finish, not without a certain edgy tannin that demands more time in the cellar for the wine to truly enter a drinking window: wait at least another five years. Gabriel Vialard, technical manager at the estate since 2002, prefers the 2010 to the 2009. For me, either one is a winner. With the 2009 more sensually appealing.

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• 2011 Château Haut-Bailly 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Interesting to compare this with the 2012, which may indeed provide more immediate sensual pleasure, but perhaps not as much precision or potential for aging as the 2011. Neither vintages truly excite me, but I like the mix of depth and full bodied aspect of the 2011, with a certain freshness reminding me of a better version of the 2007. Indeed, it has more body than the 2007, which may possibly be reflected in slightly higher alcohol - 13% as opposed to 12.5%. In any case, there is even more Merlot in 2011 than in 2012 (47% Merlot) and yet it is not as opulent as the 2012.

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• 2012 Château Haut-Bailly 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This wine came across as rather rich on the mid palate, with a plump Merlot aspect (40% of the blend). Interesting to compare with the 2011, which, by contrast, seems to have more precision and length if not as much sensuality. 2012 is not a great vintage, but Haut Bailly did well with the vintage, taking full advantage of weather that seemed to favor Merlot over Cabernet. Anyway, many tasters preferred the 2011 as a longer term wine.

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• 2013 Château Haut-Bailly 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This is one vintage that gives me problems throughout Bordeaux no matter how good the estate that is producing it. Yes, there is Haut Bailly refinement to the tannin and a freshness that lends drinkability, which is to be expected. I would give this aging - at least five years - to mellow the tannins so that the wine will turn into a good medium bodied claret to enjoy with steak. I could not get past a metallic aspect and austerity on the finish. A difficult vintage, and it shows.

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• 2014 Château Haut-Bailly

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Tasting experience not very different from what I had experienced en primeur in early April. There is a tightness to the wine, coiled up, which is normal. Fine and ripe tannins. Very bright and red fruit with vivacity. Long finish. 91-93+ You can consult my detailed en primeur notes here: http://www.wine-chronicles.com/blog/bordeaux-2014-barrel/

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• 2004 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Certainly after going through 10 red wines in a vertical tasting, including recent and more evidently tannic ones, a glass of Champagne is more than welcome. But tasting the Pol Roger 2004 reminds me how good that vintage can be for some Champagne houses. Not that I have had that many 2004s, but I have not met one that I did not like. This was no exception: crisp and focused with mid palate opulence, marked by wet stone, citrus and chalky aspects, it was just palpable pleasure to sip on a sunny June evening - after assessing 10 vintages of Haut Bailly. Long finish!

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• 2007 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Gorgeous white Burgundy: Fresh, wet stone, citrus, red apple, sumptuous yet vivacious palate, fine acidity and ripeness. Coming from magnum gave it extra freshness. Nearly the top wine of the dinner :-). OK, not as good - not nearly as good - as the 2010, which I had tasted at the estate a couple of years before (along with the 09, 08, 07, 06) but over dinner this was singing! No sign of premox.

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• 2008 Château Le Pin 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  At first it seemed underwhelming. A couple of years ago, I had tried the 2005 which was amazing by comparison. But over time, the wine showed subtle power and a long finish. More red than black fruit, highish acidity. Medium bodied. Some fellow diners said that it would perhaps displease people expecting a full bodied and opulent Pomerol. I see what they meant, but it grew on me - and I preferred it to the high octane Pingus 2007 served along with it.

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• 2007 Dominio Pingus Ribera del Duero 91 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Powerful and heavy. I like it somewhat. At 15.5% alcohol, one can feel a certain heat, which annoys me. But there is no denying its flamboyance and breadth on the palate - so score higher if you love the style!

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• 2009 Château Haut-Bailly 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Yes, today - in June 2015 - 2009 for me is a more enjoyable experience to drink than 2010. The 2010 may prove more satisfying an experience in, say, 2030. Do I have a crystal ball? No. All I know is that when this wine was served for dinner, it outclassed both Le Pin 2009 and Pingus 2007. Such sumptuousness combined with elegance. Fellow taster - and Gault Millau writer - Eric Riewer thoroughly loved it, as did I.

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• 2000 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Quite pleasing. This wine showed off light notes of leather and musk but still with red and black fruit. Lacking the weight and precision of later vintages including 2005, 2009 and 2010, the 2000 nonetheless is a real pleasing wine - and would go very well with a steak in a mushroom sauce. For example. Medium plus body and medium finish.

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• 1994 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional 97 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  I am tempted to give this 100. Gorgeous aromatics, delicate, orange rind, dry fruit, floral, red fruit, you name it - it was utterly lovely. With such depth and concentration on the palate! Only 190 cases produced. This was the wine of the dinner.

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