2005 Château Haut-Bailly Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

Smoke, campfire embers, menthol, espresso, 5 spice and dark red fruit aromas hit it, just right. On the palate, the wine is soft, mineral-driven, tannic, fresh and with dusty tannins to offsetting the ripe dark red berries. Still youthful and perhaps a bit tight, give it another 4-5 years in the cellar to allow for further softening and additional nuances to shine.

6,748 Views   Tasted May 5, 2020

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Smoke, incense, campfire, stone and blackberry scents with a background note of coffee bean come to the forefront quite easily. Fresh bright fruits, with some tannin needing to be resolved. Full-bodied and concentrated, the wine needs another 5 years or so to further soften.

Stubbornly holding on to its youth, just like we do, as we age. Yet, there is no denying this is a beauty. Fresh, luscious, sweet and in balance, 2 hours of air brought out the smoky blackberries, wet earth, spice and cigar box aromatics. Full bodied, deep, concentrated and demanding 5-8 more years to show its best, this is the first of the great Haut Bailly wines in the modern age that rivet your attention.

Sporting a deep ruby color, tobacco and cigar box notes, coupled with cassis, tar and blackberry scents that easily pop without decanting. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, deep, fresh, concentrated and silky, with a long, clean, fresh, earthy, sweet, black plum finish. The wine was made from a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, reaching 13% ABV. Give this 3-5 more years in the cellar and you’ll see a lot more fireworks.

This continues to develop nicely. It's filled with smoky dark fruits, tobacco, truffle and cigar box aromas. Polished, classy and long, there is good freshness in the finish. This is fine now, but its best days are still ahead.

With a nose of smoke, oak, spice, black cherry liqueur, earth and tobacco, this powerful expression of Haut Bailly is long, fresh, silky and concentrated. Give it a few more years before it begins to really strut its stuff. This is first of several great wines produced by the team of Wilmers and Sanders.

Smoke, hot bricks, truffle, fresh blackberries, forest floor and cigar box aromatic fireworks open the wine up. Luscious, elegant, rich and refined, this is still young and almost primary. The wine ends with freshness, purity of fruit and balance. A few more years will add a lot to this already, special Pessac Leognan wine.

The first breakthrough vintage for Chateau Haut Bailly, from an assemblage of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, this sublime wine blends power with elegant, ripe fruit for a rich, supple, suave, smoky, mineral, cassis, spice, truffle and blackberry infused wine. Still young, give this another 6-8 years and it will reward your patience with sublime drinking.

This took me by surprise. I admit, I liked the 06, but I loved the 05! Gobs of black fruit, smoke, chocolate and tobacco. Dense and filled with elegant, ripe fruit. There is a lot going on in this wine. The style, elegance and finesse is a pleasure to taste, swirl, sniff and sip. This was so good, it is one of the few wines I bought after tasting it. The wine reminds me of scaled down version of Haut Brion. If you like Haut Bailly, or Graves, this Bordeaux wine belongs in your cellar.