Chateau Haut Bailly - Haut Bailly II 2022

JAMES SUCKLING: "Lovely mocha, chocolate hazelnut and dark berry character with orange peel undertones. Full and very polished with ultra-fine tannins and a persistent and focused finish. 65% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot."

WEINWISSER: "65 % Merlot, 30 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot, 30 hl/ha, Lese vom 07.- 27. September. Delikates rotbeeriges Bouquet, helle Graphitnote, Fliederparfüm, Preiselbeersaft und schwarzer tasmanischer Bergpfeffer. Am eleganten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, reifem Extrakt, stützender Rasse und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im gebündelten aromatischen Finale ein Korb mit Schattenmorellen, Estragon und körniger Adstringenz. Was für ein Zweitwein, der lässt schon vieles vom Grand Vin erwarten. Es gibt ab dem Jahrgang ‘22 keinen Le Pape mehr. 2028 – 2045."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine schwarze Waldbeerfrucht, ein Hauch von Kirschen, etwas Nugat, zart nach Gewürznelken, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten. Kraftvoll, reife Pflaumen, dunkle Kirschen, feiner Säurebogen, reif und schokoladig, bleibt gut haften, ein komplexer Speisenbegleiter mit Entwicklungspotenzial."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2022 Haut-Bailly II is based on 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Harvest here spanned from May 7 to 27, and this is the first vintage where the Le Pape cuvée is no longer being produced, hence those grapes are now included in the second wine of Haut-Bailly. This beauty offers a great nose of ripe black fruits, smoked herbs, tobacco, and black olives that carries to a medium to full-bodied, round, elegant 2022 with beautiful tannins. It's unquestionably a terrific second wine that will provide two decades of prime drinking."

DECANTER: "Beautiful fragrance on the nose, so floral and aromatic. Clean and crystalline on the palate, smooth and supple but so clean and pure. Quite light, you can tell they didn’t push this, it feels calm and gentle with creamy blueberry fruit and soft black cherries. Lovely approachability and ease of drinking. Quietly seductive, has the power and concentration of the vintage but keeps a sleek and straight frame with bite and crunch. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.8pH. As of this vintage, the 6ha Château le Pape production will go into this wine and Haut-Bailly's third wine. Consultants Christophe Olivier and Axel Marchal."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Cigar wrapper, mint leaf, spice, smoke, cherries, plums and cocoa pop effortlessly in the nose. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky, and creamy with energy to the spicy red fruits. This is a very classy second wine with complexity, and character. This is perfect to enjoy while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. The wine blends 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec. This is the first vintage incorporating the vines from Chateau Le Pape. Drink from 2025-2037."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Haut-Bailly II reveals aromas of licorice, dark berries, plum, spices and cherries, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that's round, succulent and concentrated, concluding with a penetratingly saline finish. It’s a fleshy yet long Haut-Bailly II, matured in only 30% new oak. The erstwhile Château Le Pape is now partly integrated in this cuvée."

VINUM: "Vergnügliche Noten von Kräutern und Beeren: voller Auftakt, grosszügige Entwicklung über erstklassigem, erfrischendem Tannin, ideale Länge; besonders gelungen, hat Klasse, schmeckt schon früh doch gewinnt durch etwas Reife."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2022 Haut-Bailly II, a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, is deep garnet-purple in color. Scents of black cherries, mulberries, and crushed blackcurrants jump from the glass, followed by wafts of fallen leaves, camphor, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is filled with juicy black fruits and earthy accents, supported by plush, rounded tannins and soft acidity, finishing with a peppery kick."