Our vintages

Vintage 2022: Prophetic

The 2022 vintage was marked by extreme climatic conditions, but everything leads us to believe that it announces, or prefigures, the climate that we will encounter in the coming decades. What seems extraordinary to day will become tomorrow, if not the norm, at least usual.

Our wines

What seems extraordinary today will become tomorrow, if not the norm, at least usual.

While our gardens and forests were suffering from heat combined with drought, our vineyards were superb lush and green! This is due to several factors. Firstly, the quality of the terroir and the very nature of the vine, which needs to be under stress to concentrate its energy on producing beautiful fruit. But also, the decisions taken year after year in the management of the the vineyard. The choice made at Haut-Bailly of sustainable viticulture by preserving an old vineyard takes on its full meaning in extreme conditions. The deep roots of our vines, due to their age and the work done on the soil give them a remarkable capacity for resistance.

Blend

CHÂTEAU HAUT-BAILLY

HAUT-BAILLY•II

Weather conditions

  Winter : Mild

  Spring : Cool

  Summer : Hot

  Autumn : Warm

The winter was moderately wet and rainfall was mainly concentrated in November and December. The buds for the early Merlots first appeared the last week of March. The Bordeaux vineyards then experienced five intense nights of frost at the beginning of April 2022, which we tackled as a team with the help of frost towers and candles. This frost caused little damage to the Merlot grapes, and had almost no impact on the Cabernet Sauvignon.

The temperatures were summery from May onwards. We were amazed to see a quick onset of vegetation. The first flowers appeared mid-May. The Merlots finished flowering in a week, followed by the Cabernets. The rainy month of June brought a breath of fresh air to the vegetation. Temperatures remained high and the rain did not return until August 15th.  We experienced five major heat waves from May to September (up to 42°C). 2022 was the hottest year recorded in France since 1947!

Harvest

The months of September to November were hot and dry and the harvest began early in ideal conditions: from September 7th to 14th for the Merlot, and from the 19th to 27th for the Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our winery, inaugurated at the end of 2020, has been designed and developed to cope with climate change. Our new installations which include cold rooms, a large variety of vats for plot-by-plot vinification as well as an underground maturing cellar allow us to both preserve and refine our fruit and also to create wines that combine power and elegance, density and freshness.

Harvest dates : September 7th – 27th


En Primeurs tasting

Château Haut-Bailly

March 2023

The wines are highly coloured, dense, structured and expressive. Opulence and explosive quality for a solar vintage.

Haut-Bailly II

March 2023


A deep colour, an expressive nose where the perfumes blend together in a harmonious whole. The attack is supple and the palate is tasty and round.

PRESS

100/100 We all understand that top chefs preheat their pans to ensure precise control over the heat. If the Château Haut-Bailly 2021 was akin to this preheating, then the 2022 vintage is undoubtedly a banquet they’ve served up for us! In the face of such a profoundly moving wine, any tasting notes seem redundant. You can discern everything it aims to convey: its restraint, its nobility, its pursuit of perfection, and its nonchalant grace, all encapsulated within a piece of green ink. With it, you can write the most poignant poetry; with it, you can sketch the most breathtaking landscapes. This generous gift from Château Haut-Bailly will only grow richer with time, safeguarding ‘the quintessential Bordeaux taste’, wherever and whenever. Alexandre Ma
98/100 The 2022 Haut-Bailly was picked between 7 and 27 September and underwent a four-week cuvaison, taking longer to consume the sugar and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a bouquet that compels you just to sit and contemplate. It gradually unfolds with blackberry, raspberry, potpourri and iris flower scents, well-defined, not showy but suave. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Minerals, black pepper and clove off a gentle grip with an impressive crescendo. It will need a decade in bottle. This Haut- Bailly has a haunting beauty, the kind of wine that will
bring people to tears!
Antonio Galloni
97/100 A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Haut- Bailly is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to bring out fragrant notes of kirsch, warm cassis, black raspberries, and underbrush, followed by hints of star anise, peonies, graphite, and wood smoke. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with ripe, expressive black fruit and earthy accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. pH 3.92. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

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The Château Haut-Bailly team looks forward to welcoming you and ensuring an unforgettable experience.