Château Haut-Bailly 2022

The freshness and balance of a Pessac-Léognan red wine

The estate

With a vineyard where the quality of the land for growing vines was recognised in local archives as early as 1461, Château Haut-Bailly has a prestigious heritage. Château Haut-Bailly was awarded the title of Cru Classé des Graves in 1953, and a new page in its history was written when it was bought by Robert G. Wilmers in 1998. Passionate about Bordeaux and its wines, this great patron of the arts and lover of French culture worked alongside his wife to preserve Château Haut-Bailly's historic heritage, while taking an innovative and modern approach to raising the estate to the highest level until his death in December 2017. Véronique Sanders, the estate's Managing Director, and Gabriel Vialard, its Technical Director, manage this emblematic Cru Classé in the Pessac-Léognan appellation with talent and passion.

The vineyard

Placed on the top of a Graves hillside, Château Haut-Bailly oversees a 30-hectare terroir. Planted on gravel, clay and sand soils, with the gentle slopes of the hilltop providing excellent soil drainage, the vines produce a great Pessac-Léognan wine.

The vintage

A relatively mild, wet winter preceded a spring marked by five major frost spells in early April, which, thanks to the resources deployed by the teams, caused little damage, concentrating on the Merlot vines. The hot weather then encouraged rapid growth development. Flowering began in mid-May. Rainfall in June was ideal for boosting ripening. The fires in Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch, far from Léognan, had no impact on the wines. In total, five heat waves hit the vineyards between May and September. This makes 2022 the hottest year since 1947.

Winemaking and ageing

2022 is the second vintage to be vinified in the estate's new winery. Initiated in 2017 by Robert Wilmers shortly before his death, the construction of this majestic, state-of-the-art winery was launched in 2018 by his son, Chris Wilmers, Chairman of the estate's Supervisory Board. Designed by the architect Daniel Romeo, the elegant infrastructure is perfectly integrated into its surroundings.

Revealing a new era in the history of the estate, this vintage benefits from ultra-precise vinification in this state-of-the-art winery. This state-of-the-art facility includes cold rooms, harvesting vats and contemporary vats adapted to plot-based vinification.

Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon (56%)
Merlot (37%)
Petit Verdot (5%).
Cabernet Franc (2%)

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château Haut-Bailly 2022

Tasting

This 2022 vintage delights with its subtle combination of power, delicateness, density and freshness.