Château Haut-Bailly 2011

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Haut-Bailly 2011

Tasting

Color

The color shows a deep, saturated purple-ruby hue with intense violet highlights. This rich, vivid shade reflects the concentration of the berries and the thorough extraction of coloring matter.

Nose

The bouquet unfolds with subtlety and nobility, revealing aromas of ripe black fruits, notably blackcurrant and blackberry, intertwined with notes of sweet cherry. With aeration, tertiary nuances emerge: graphite, black truffle, blond tobacco, and forest floor. Hints of sweet spices, spice box, and cocoa complete this harmonious, complex aromatic profile.

Palate

The attack is supple and delicate, with no tannic harshness. The fruit expresses itself fully from the first seconds, gradually evolving toward sophisticated tertiary notes of sweet spices, cocoa, and a light smokiness. Fine, distinguished tannins—non-astringent—provide a velvety, enveloping texture. The long, slightly mineral finish leaves a persistent impression of purity and depth, with well-integrated acidity bringing freshness and vibrancy.

Food and wine pairings

This Pessac-Léognan wine pairs harmoniously with grilled or braised red meats, feathered game such as duck or partridge, and dishes in sauce. The estate especially recommends confit lamb shoulder, quail with figs, duck with orange and spices, as well as poultry with porcini mushrooms. Aged cheeses and charcuterie also make excellent accompaniments.

Serving and cellaring

Château Haut-Bailly 2011 is ideally served between 16 and 18°C. Aeration for one to two hours in a decanter allows for better aromatic expression and more complete tannin integration. This wine can be enjoyed until around 2036, or even beyond depending on cellaring conditions.

A Grand Cru Classé of Pessac-Léognan combining elegance and richness

The estate

With a vineyard whose land quality for vine growing was already recognized in local archives as early as 1461, the Château Haut-Bailly benefits from a prestigious heritage. Granted the title of Cru Classé des Graves in 1953, the Château Haut-Bailly saw a new chapter in its history written following its acquisition by Robert G. Wilmers in 1998. Passionate about Bordeaux and its wines, this great patron and lover of French culture worked alongside his wife to preserve the historical legacy of Château Haut-Bailly, while bringing an innovative, modern vision to elevate the estate to the highest level until his passing in December 2017. Managing Director of the estate, Véronique Sanders, together with Technical Director Gabriel Vialard, manages with talent and passion this emblematic Cru Classé located in the Pessac-Léognan appellation.

The vineyard

The Château Haut-Bailly vineyard enjoys an exceptional position on one of the highest gravel rises of Pessac-Léognan, in Léognan. The 39 hectares in a single block lie on sandy soils mixed with gravel, with a subsoil of faluns made up of fossil stones and shells. This composition ensures effective natural drainage and a regulated supply of water and minerals. The vineyard is planted with 60% cabernet sauvignon on the upper parts and slopes, 34% merlot on parcels with richer soils, 3% cabernet franc, and 3% petit verdot. A historic four-hectare plot dating from 1905 serves as an ampelographic conservatory with six interplanted grape varieties. The average vine age is around 45 to 50 years, with 15% of the vines over 120 years old.

The vintage

The year 2011 began with an exceptionally hot, dry spring, leading to early flowering and fruit set in May. A heatwave episode occurred on June 26 and 27, causing sunburn, followed by a cool summer with normal rainfall, ensuring the resumption of vegetative growth. The hot winds at the end of June damaged the cabernet sauvignon, requiring rigorous selection in the vineyard and in the cellar. A summery September allowed for optimal ripening, with harvests running from September 9 to 29 in dry, sunny conditions. Yields were around 38 hectoliters per hectare.

Vinification and aging

Harvesting for Château Haut-Bailly 2011 was carried out entirely by hand, with an initial selective sorting in the vineyard and subsequent sorting in the cellar on a vibrating table after destemming. The estate devoted 3,800 hours of work to grape selection and sorting. Vinification of each parcel was carried out separately in double-walled, temperature-controlled vats. Alcoholic fermentation was conducted gently at around 26°C, with gentle pump-overs to preserve the integrity of the raw material and delicate tannins. Aging took place in fine-grain French oak barrels from seven different coopers for 16 to 18 months, with 55% new barrels. The wine was bottled without filtration or fining.

Grape varieties

Cabernet sauvignon (50%), merlot (47%), cabernet franc (3%).