Our vintages
2018 Vintage: Freedom
2018 was a year of extremes : the excessive rainfall of winter and spring was followed by drought with along sunny summer for more than four consecutive months ... rare and ideal !
Blend
Weather conditions
Winter : Mild
Spring : Cool
Summer : Hot
Autumn : Warm
From December 2017 to May 2018, Bordeaux had 800 mm of rain, the equivalent of an entire year of rainfall.
Spring was cold and the vintage started late.
June was hot and humid! A virulent mildew threatened the entire French vineyard. This pressure extended until early August. Unfortunately our vineyard was not spared. Mid-July, the same day that France won the football World Cup, the trend of the vintage was reversed. Summer was dry and hot (the hottest since 2003 and 1947).
The speed of the vine growth was rapid and the water sufficiency stimulated the enlargement of the berries. These conditions made it possible to make up the vegetative delay of spring. The vintage was earlier than initially expected.
The hot summer followed by a beautiful late season was favorable to maturation, and the high temperatures, close to those of 2016 and 2010, were particularly useful for the colouring and aromatic potential of the grapes and to promote the synthesis of anthocyanins.
Harvest
The summer, fine, warm and sunny, continued advantageously in September and October, and provided us with exceptional conditions to achieve a “made to measure” harvest: fifteen days of picking over four weeks. The harvest began quietly with the Merlots on September 17th. Petit Verdots, Cabernets Francs and Cabernets Sauvignons were picked from October 1st to 9th.
Paradise after a hellish spring!
Careful and meticulous sorting was carried out by an incredibly international and dedicated team of pickers… and efficiently completed by a destemming process (Cube and Viticlean) and a high-performance vibrating sorting table.
Given the high alcoholic degrees, the fermentations were longer than usual.
If the quantity is small, the quality is remarkable.
Harvest dates : September 17th – October 9th
En Primeurs tasting
March 2019
The wines are full of colour, dense, structured and expressive. Opulence and exceptional quality for a solar vintage.
March 2019
The 2018 vintage is voluptuous and forms a colorful and dense wine, with a nice aromatic complexity. This wine is rich and powerful.
PRESS
2017
Vintage 2017: The wonder of nature
Harvest: September 13th - 29th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 32% Merlot - 4% Petit Verdot - 4% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon - 65% Merlot
2016
Vintage 2016: Le Bonheur
The 2016 growing season was marked by extremes, records and luck. Torrential rain in winter and spring was followed by tremendously dry, sunny summer and autumn. In June, a wonderful window of opportunity opened up, wide enough to enable flowering to take place quickly and evenly. July and August will be remembered for high temperatures and extreme drought.
Conditions at the height of summer were ideal for ripening. The temperature range set new records. Cool nights locked in fresh fruit aromas and were conducive to the synthesis of anthocyanins. Despite drought conditions, water stress was only moderate. Vines in all plots, including the estate’s great gravel terroirs, took advantage of deep rooting enhanced by working the soil. The vines were thus able to seek nourishment from a water table filled to the brim by spring showers.
Our doubts gradually gave way to joy. The beautiful, warm, sunny weather continued into September and October. Outstanding weather enabled perfectly ripe grapes and a serene harvest. The wines are deeply-coloured, with round tannin and high phenolic content. 2016 is fruity, concentrated, powerful, and elegant. Great years always come in pairs...
Harvest: September 26th - October 18th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot - 4% Petit Verdot - 3% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon - 47% Merlot - 6% Cabernet Franc
2015
Vintage 2015: Plenitude
Harvest: September 15th - October 8th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 36% Merlot - 4% Petit Verdot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon - 60% Merlot - 10% Cabernet Franc
2014
Vintage 2014: Vibrant
Harvest: September 24th - October 15th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon - 34% Merlot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon - 56% Merlot - 14% Cabernet Franc
2013
Vintage 2013 : A Miracle
Harvest: October 1st - 10th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon - 34% Merlot - 2% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon - 46% Merlot - 2% Cabernet Franc
2012
Vintage 2012: Virtuoso
Harvest: September 27th - October 15th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot - 4% Cabernet Franc
2011
Vintage 2011: Stamped with the Seal of its Terroir
Harvest: September 9th - 29th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon - 47% Merlot - 3% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon - 65% Merlot
2010
Vintage 2010: Excellence
Harvest: September 22th - 30th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon - 36% Merlot - 2% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot - 20% Cabernet Franc
2009
Vintage 2009: Mythic !
Harvest: September 15th - October 14th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 37% Merlot - 3% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 44% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot - 16% Cabernet Franc
2008
Vintage 2008: Purity
Harvest: September 25th - October 23rd
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon - 30% Merlot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 41% Cabernet Sauvignon - 51% Merlot - 8% Cabernet Franc
2007
Vintage 2007: Regularity
Harvest: September 21st - October 12th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon - 26% Merlot - 4% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon - 42% Merlot - 8% Cabernet Franc
2006
Vintage 2006: Classicism
Harvest: September 13th - October 5th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon - 35% Merlot
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon - 49% Merlot - 6% Cabernet Franc
2004
Vintage 2004: A Rare Perfection
Following three years of low yields, the 2004 vintage produced generous quantities of remarkably fine wines. The cool, dry spring, relatively rare in the generally mild, damp Atlantic climate, had two main consequences: first, the vines flowered late, in June, under excellent conditions and, secondly, water stress affected the vines unusually early, resulting in an amazingly high polyphenol content in the grapes. Extensive bunch thinning in July ensured that the grapes were evenly distributed on the vines and hot, dry September weather brought all the grape varieties to peak ripeness.
The Merlot grapes were picked from September 27th to October 4th. Harvesting continued with the Cabernets Francs and Cabernets Sauvignons, ending in the second week in October. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the intense colour of the wines, the brilliance of the Merlots, and the velvety tannins of the Cabernets Sauvignons showed that the final blend would have exceptional promise, with lots of fresh, ripe fruit and an impressive tannic structure.
Harvest: September 27th - October 18th
Château Haut-Bailly blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon - 45% Merlot - 5% Cabernet Franc
La Parde Haut-Bailly blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon - 30% Merlot - 20% Cabernet Franc
CONTACT US
At your service
The Château Haut-Bailly team looks forward to welcoming you and ensuring an unforgettable experience.
