Chateau Haut-Bailly 2014
- Producer Chateau Haut-Bailly
-
Blend
66% Cabernet Sauvignon
34% Merlot - Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- Appellation Pessac-Leognan
- UPC 0 15643 47231 2
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Item# 1757-14
Jeb Dunnuck
94pt
James Suckling
95pt
Wine Enthusiast
95pt
Wine Spectator
94pt
Wine Advocate
94pt
Winery Technical Data
2014 vintage was the stage for a long performance featuring hope, concern, and a miracle!
It began early and finished late: totaling 114 days between flowering and harvest. Winter was wet and mild. The vines awoke to the new growing season in mid-March and developed quickly thanks to a beautiful month of April. This early start gave rise to high hopes for a great vintage. The abrupt arrival of cool weather in late May slightly dampened early expectations, and slowed the early vintage... Flowering took place under good conditions for the Cabernets, but Merlots were affected by coulure and millerandage. Growth continued, but at a slower rhythm in July and August. The vineyard team worked hard to keep the vines clean and healthy, allowing them to channel their vigor into the fruit. The berries grew in size, but ripened very slowly… leaving us to worry. Fortunately, after the vegetative growth halted at the end of August, a new moon brought longlasting anti-cyclone and true summer weather in September. This was nothing short of miraculous, and saved the vintage! The weather was sunny and dry, with warm days (28-30 Celsius) and cool nights – ideal for locking in fresh aromas. The month of September was the warmest since 1921 and 1961. The grapes decreased in size, became more concentrated, and still had a full month to ripen. The harvest began, in no great rush, on the morning of the 24th of September. The "grands Merlots", the organic plots, and the wonderful gravelly hilltop, home to our old vines were picked starting on the 30th. Perfect weather – dry and radiant – meant that the harvest could take place over a twenty-two day period (with 12 days of picking). Grapes in each plot were harvested at peak ripeness. They had good anthocyanin content with promising levels of tannin. The wines feature beautiful aromas as well as a velvety texture and fresh fruit typical of the summer of 2014 and the long ripening period that followed. 2014: a vibrant vintage of great style.
It began early and finished late: totaling 114 days between flowering and harvest. Winter was wet and mild. The vines awoke to the new growing season in mid-March and developed quickly thanks to a beautiful month of April. This early start gave rise to high hopes for a great vintage. The abrupt arrival of cool weather in late May slightly dampened early expectations, and slowed the early vintage... Flowering took place under good conditions for the Cabernets, but Merlots were affected by coulure and millerandage. Growth continued, but at a slower rhythm in July and August. The vineyard team worked hard to keep the vines clean and healthy, allowing them to channel their vigor into the fruit. The berries grew in size, but ripened very slowly… leaving us to worry. Fortunately, after the vegetative growth halted at the end of August, a new moon brought longlasting anti-cyclone and true summer weather in September. This was nothing short of miraculous, and saved the vintage! The weather was sunny and dry, with warm days (28-30 Celsius) and cool nights – ideal for locking in fresh aromas. The month of September was the warmest since 1921 and 1961. The grapes decreased in size, became more concentrated, and still had a full month to ripen. The harvest began, in no great rush, on the morning of the 24th of September. The "grands Merlots", the organic plots, and the wonderful gravelly hilltop, home to our old vines were picked starting on the 30th. Perfect weather – dry and radiant – meant that the harvest could take place over a twenty-two day period (with 12 days of picking). Grapes in each plot were harvested at peak ripeness. They had good anthocyanin content with promising levels of tannin. The wines feature beautiful aromas as well as a velvety texture and fresh fruit typical of the summer of 2014 and the long ripening period that followed. 2014: a vibrant vintage of great style.
