2006 Château Haut-Bailly

The 2006 Château Haut-Bailly is more forward and charming, but it's another seriously good wine. Dried flowers, currants, chocolate, sandalwood, cigar, and graphite all shine here, and it's one of those wines you could just smell all evening. With plenty of mid-palate depth, medium to full body, and ripe, integrated tannins, drink this beauty over the coming 10-12 years.

The 2006 Haut-Bailly is a very capable Pessac-Léognan from an oft-overlooked vintage. This repeats its showing from a few months earlier with lovely blue and black fruits and violet aromas. Perhaps a mote of chimney soot here? The palate is medium-bodied with that slightly ferrous note and tobacco. This bottle is a touch creamier in texture than previous examples. This is drinking perfectly now, but there's a lot left in the tank. Tasted at the château.

The 2006 Haut-Bailly is crisp, focused and quite vivid with blue and black fruit intermingling, more floral than the 2005 with iris and violet flowers. The palate is medium-bodied, less body than the 2005 and more mature. A ferrous tincture and tertiary red fruit are laced with tobacco towards the finish. This appears to be evolving a little quicker than expected but it is still drinking well. Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château.