AJ | Dark, opaque black red with a scarlet-purple meniscus. Harmonious, rounded and serene aromas which bring fresh currants and plums together with white pepper, ivy leaf and warm earth. There's a little dark incense note for complexity, too. So accessible and enticing already that you might take its complexity for granted, but give it time in the glass and you'll see there is much to find and enjoy here. Impressive poised wealth and weight here, and the tannins are not only fine-grained and amply present but flavourful, too -- very much a seamless part of the wine's structure. It's deft and long, and the ripeness is impeccable. As with the aromas, the seamless and harmony it already has puts the drinker quickly at ease, but spend time with this wine and its completeness is apparent. Very true to the vintage freshness for all that -- Haut-Bailly is nothing if not classic. Probably the softest and deepest tannins in the commune (from what we have in our our tasting) in 2021. And the more I go back to this, the better it is. Drink Dates: 2028 - 2040. 94
SF | Deep aubergine, star bright. The nose is generous, with ripe red fruit, hints of bitter chocolate, iodine and spice, all notes carried effortlessly down the palate which is both concentrated and elegant, the extraction level beautifully judged, the weight of fruit coincidental with the discrete potential of the vintage, without pushing matters too far. The filigree of the tannic support is exceptionally elegant and beautifully realised. Drink Dates: 2028 - 2041. 93