2010 Haut-Bailly

BY NEAL MARTIN | JUNE 29, 2020

In my write-up of the 2010 Bordeaux vintage earlier this year, it was unfortunate that one bottle in the blind tasting was so hideously corked that it rendered every participant’s glass unusable. (Hopefully, the injured stemware has recovered by now.) The culprit turned out to be Haut-Bailly, and unfortunately we did not have a backup at hand. After reading my report, Véronique Sanders kindly sent me a bottle to show exactly what we had missed that day.

Still fairly youthful in appearance with light bricking on the rim, the 2010 Haut-Bailly has an intoxicating nose that is in full flight: a mélange of red and black fruit, loam, truffle, just a touch of powdered dark chocolate and then gaminess developing with aeration. The aromatics have a slightly melted quality that I associate more with the 2009s. The palate shows impressive weight and poise, the acidity effortlessly counterbalancing the ripe fruit, and hints of brown spice, meat juices and Provençal herbs coming through with time. There is a sense of completeness about this Haut-Bailly that is completely disarming. What a fabulous wine. Thank God, this time, there was no trace of TCA. 95/Drink 2020-2050.