Château Haut-Bailly 1999

This wine is light to medium-bodied, with sweet currant and smoke-infused flavors and some oak in the background, but plenty of red fruits, vanilla, and dried herbs. This is a soft, well-balanced wine to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.

A warm but fairly wet vintage, where the well-draining gravels of Haut-Bailly came in handy. Feels slightly more evolved than the 1998, with the emphasis here on smoked raspberry, cool ash and earthy aromatics. Again the striking character is elegance and balance, and juicy drinkability backed up by layers of subtle aromatics and exotic spices.

Moderately saturated medium red. Aromas of red fruits, leather, tobacco and roasted meat, along with a note of fresh herbs. Offers decent red fruit intensity but could use more sweetness and depth. Less structured than the subsequent vintages. With less density, the tannins show a dry edge. The light herbaceous element repeats on the finish.

Medium-bodied, bright, fresh, floral, cassis, red currant and strawberry-filled wine with accents of wet earth and tobacco leaf. Classic in nature, with lots of crisp acidity in the not quite, piquant red berry, herb and earthy finish. This is probably at full maturity.

The 1999 Château Haut-Bailly is another refined, elegant vintage for this incredible château. Dried flowers, tobacco, cedary herbs, and both red and black fruits define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a silky, elegant mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's not massive by any means, but it shines for its incredible charm, complexity, and nuance.

Brightening ruby-garnet color, with surprisingly little depth. A delicate, already quite approachable bouquet: red cherry notes, coffee, toasty aromas. On the palate, a bit too light for a ’99: juicy tannins, slightly bitter skin extract, rather furry, grainy tannins, and a subdued finish. A missed opportunity.

00: Barrel sample (16/20): open bouquet, floral notes, wild berries, green leaves. Light palate, yet with a fairly creamy extract, lots of red berry and damson notes, good length, strict, firm-knit structure, miles behind expectations and the region’s overall potential. 03: Brightening ruby-garnet, surprisingly little color depth. Delicate, already quite approachable bouquet with red cherry, coffee and toast aromas. On the palate a bit too light for a ’99, juicy tannins but also slightly bitter skin extract; the tannins are rather furry and grainy, with a restrained finish. A missed opportunity! 16/20 2003 – 2012

Reserved, firm nose with Maggi and celery notes. Firm, lean, dry palate. Medium finish. 15/20 drink - 2007

The aromatics head towards undergrowth rather than the crushed roses of 1998, colour still firm ruby russet, opening to show grilled sandalwood and dusted cocoa beans, soft olive, iron, raspberry fruits, tobacco, campfire and ash. Again feeling of suspension and caressing tanins, so balanced and moriesh. Hard not to love the understated elegance on display. Harvest September 10 to October 5. Denis Dubourdieu consultant. 50% new oak.

A fresh, natural, captivating bouquet, with an enticing richness of fruit. On the palate, the intensity and concentration of the fruit is impressive for a 24-year-old wine. A certain perfumed softness accompanies the power through the long finish.

The 1999 clearly shows its age, yet still reveals the classic mineral notes that the terroir imparts to Haut-Bailly. It also displays nuances of eucalyptus and camphor, followed ultimately by fruity notes. On the palate, the wine is sleek, charming and tightly knit. The finish has good persistence. The wine clearly indicates that it is time to drink it. It nevertheless highlights the finesse for which Haut-Bailly is known.

Deep, mature colour. The bouquet is just beginning to open. Still fruity. The palate is melting and suave, supple, highly aromatic and, in the end, simply impossible to spit out. Pure pleasure. Here, you can clearly sense that, in general, bottles that never leave the château keep in better shape.

Its moving classicism is a reminder of just how well the Haut-Bailly style is made for ageing. An early vintage, subject to climatic vagaries, 1999 is a model student. The bouquet blends notes of fur, cigar box and cherry pits. And what freshness still! The tension underpins the structure, honed like a prima ballerina, through to a long finish lifted by vibrancy. The texture grows more slender, yet delicate, like a supple veil.