1984 Haut Bailly

The 1984 Haut-Bailly was poured from a double magnum, a risky vintage to pour given its reputation. But it was so good that a friend born in that year came up to me and said she was going to beg Véronique Sanders for a bottle! The bouquet possesses far more fruit and vivacity than you would presuppose: redcurrant and wild strawberry, cedar and freshly rolled tobacco scents following through. The palate is fresh, bright and lively, not earth-shatteringly complex, yet it has a joie-de-vivre and charm you rarely find in this vintage. It's doubtless that provenance and format play a role, but if you are in the same boat as my beleaguered friend, born in a rubbish Bordeaux vintage, this could be your savior. Tasted from an ex-château double magnum at the Académie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux.