Chateau Haut Bailly 2009

100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Leading off a duo of truly legendary beauties, the 2009 Château Haut-Bailly possesses that rare mix of opulence and elegance that's the hallmark of all truly great wines. Incredible notes of sweet red and black fruit, flowery incense, mint, smoked tobacco, and assorted spices give way to a full-bodied, layered, weightless 2009 with velvety tannins and a magical finish. This is pure Bordeaux magic that I wish every reader could taste. It's also been incredibly consistent for me, and this has consistently topped out my scale every time I'm lucky enough to drink a bottle.

100 Points - Robert Parker

It goes from strength to strength, and it is not surprising that it is now one of the perfect wines of this great, great vintage the finest vintage of Bordeaux that I have tasted in 37 years covering that epicenter for world-class quality in wine. Much of it is attributable to winemaker Veronique Sanders and her boss, Robert Wilmers. Their incredibly draconian selection process and their enormous investments in both the viticulture and the estate as well as the winemaking facility have paid off brilliantly over the last decade. The 2009, which has an opaque ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, blackcurrants and spice, hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, saturated and rich mouthfeel, but an elegant and ethereal quality that is difficult to articulate. It is rich, complex and tastes as if it were the vinous equivalent of a remarkable haute couture creation from the late Coco Chanel. It is full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety-textured, sumptuous and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s tend to be, given their richness of fruit, low acidity and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade away, and this wine is set for 50 or more years of longevity. Kudos to Haut-Bailly!

100 Points - Wine Advocate

The 2009 Haut-Bailly has an opaque ruby/purple color, a beautiful nose of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, blackberry and plum, followed by an intense, super-concentrated mouthfeel that is expansive and savory, with beautifully integrated tannins and low acidity, as most wines in this vintage possess. There is still plenty of freshness and liveliness from this great terroir. The finish goes on for close to a minute and the wine, while still a young pre-adolescent in terms of its evolution, is absolutely spectacularly complex and enjoyable already.