Following a cold dry winter, a cool, wet spring made the flowering process difficult and threatened some of the Merlot vines with coulure. Then, as cool temperatures persisted until the beginning of July, we kept an extra careful eye on the vineyard and combated the onset of diseases (mildiou, oïdium). The team remained on hand throughout the summer. The month of August took advantage of wide temperature ranges with hot days – as sunny as in 2000 or 2009 – and cool nights. All encouraging the synthesis of anthocyanin. Traditional tilling of the soil allowed better management of water stress. Finally, at the end of a summer-like month of September, a few millimetres of rain on September 25^th and 26^th helped to re-kindle the ripening of the grapes, which led to the sublimation of the fruity character of the skins and the smoothness of the tannins.

The harvest started when the phonological maturity (tannins) caught up with the technical maturity (sugar, acidity). The Merlots were picked in ideal conditions. The weekend of October 7^th was particularly hot and wet, causing us to quicken the pace and pick the Cabernets before the return of the rain. The Merlots were pleasant and full of charm. The Old Vines delivered splendid Cabernets, typical of the great terroir of Haut-Bailly.

Fruity, fresh and dense, the 2012 vintage has tight tannins and expresses the virtuosity of Haut-Bailly.

Harvest: September 27^th – October 15^th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon – 40% Merlot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon – 40% Merlot – 4% Cabernet Franc