Château Haut-Bailly: Vineyards
The orignal Château Haut-Bailly estate accounts for 33 hectares of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, of which 30 hectares are vineyard, largely in a single block on a gravel croupe, upon which sits the château itself in quite a prominent roadside position. As of the 2022 vintage this was essentially expanded by up to 10 hectares, as the property incorporated the vineyards of the other Wilmers/Sanders estate, Château Le Pape, expanding the vineyard to approximately 40 hectares. The vineyard sits on Terraces 2 and 3, which range from an altitude of 28 metres at their lowest point, to 48 metres at their highest. Underfoot the soils are a mixture of sand and the gravel of these two terraces (visible in the image below) over Faluns de Léognan, a bedrock of sandstone rich in ancient fossilised shells.
The vines themselves are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon accounting for 65% of the vineyard, planted on the upper parts of the croupe and slopes where the drainage is best, with 25% Merlot, which are planted on those plots where the soils are richer in clay. The remaining 10% is largely Cabernet Franc, although in recent years the establishment of Petit Verdot in the vineyard has permitted the addition of this fourth variety to the blend (although see below for more detail on a special parcel planted with these and other varieties). Overall the planting density is an admirable 10,000 vines per hectare. The work in the vineyard involves ploughing and hoeing to control weeds, without recourse to chemical herbicides, and a reasoned approach to other vineyard treatments throughout the growing season.
