Andrew Jefford | Dark, saturated black-red in appearance, still opaque. Gorgeously refined aromas of perfumers’ spices, gentian, and orris root, dried citrus peels, fine leather... There is real class here. I haven’t mentioned fruit yet, because it doesn’t shout but supports (warmed currants, fresh plums), as one might expect in better endowed vintages than this. Surely one of the finest aromatic profiles of the year? Bravo to the team at Haut-Bailly—and I haven’t even put it in my mouth yet. Pure, long, delicately structured, with ample length and huge aromatic charm, even here on the mouth. It’s not hugely concentrated, nor it is shriekingly acidic as it can be farther north up on the Médoc; everything is in fresh balance and poise. Superfine aromatic grain. One of those Bordeaux wines that really can evoke the finest Burgundies, though of course the fruit qualities are different. Only a lack of inner swell distinguishes it from the great, cellar- seeking vintages. As with most of its peers, this will be best in the medium term and not beyond, and the cool tones of the vintage are faithfully reproduced here. | 93

Michael Schuster | Sweetly ripe red fruit to smell, dense and subtle, gravelly and refined; a rich mid-weight wine, fresh in acidity, finely dry in tannin, beautifully balanced in the context of the year; gently black-fruit juicy in flavor, long and fine and elegant across the palate, long and aromatic to finish. A notable success in this often-challenging year, rich and complete, and with an almost Burgundian transparency. This will be lovely given half a decade more. 2027–37+. | 92