Château Haut-Bailly

Although the Graves enclave of Pessac-Léognan is generally considered as an amorphous whole, the majority of estates are located closer to Léognan, the more southerly part of the appellation, distant from Pessac which lies within the suburbs of Bordeaux. Of these châteaux, a number lie on the road heading north-east out of Léognan towards Cadaujac, and once you have left the streets of Léognan behind it is clear you are in wine country, as vines crowd in on either side of the road. The first château on this route is Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, an attractive but rather understated collection of buildings just on the outskirts of town. But just a few hundred metres further on, occupying a prominent roadside position (as pictured below) and looking much more the ‘real deal’, is Château Haut-Bailly.

What is it about Château Haut-Bailly? How has it amassed such a committed army of fans over the years, even in the face of some less than warm reviews from at least one prominent critic during the 1980s? Those reviews may in fact be part of the answer. In an era when the wines of Bordeaux seemed to be shifting more and more towards texture and opulence, Haut-Bailly long maintained a reputation for elegance, definition and a drier, more savoury gourmand character that appealed to those looking for high quality wines of tradition, wines that won their fans at the dining table rather than in the 100-point scoring system.

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