TN: 2002 Château Haut-Bailly (France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan)

[JimHow]

• 2002 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (9/17/2010)
  I realize the so-called "experts" would scoff at that statement.
  I'm sure the Jeff Leves of the world would mock this (have you ever noticed that he and Johnny Kapon give basically the same scores to their wines as their mentor Bobby Parker?).
  But the so-called "experts" are idiots.
  The so-called experts are nothing but groupthink sheep.
  This is the vintage Parker sort of missed because his wife didn't want him to fly post-9/11.
  2003 is too hot and volatile.
  2005 is just too weird.
  The rest of the vintages are too weak.
  Can't really speak to 2002R but if it is anything like the Bellevue I had a couple weeks ago, it is putrid.
  I haven't tasted 2009 yet but I'm sure it is just another high alcohol Parkerized 2005 repeat.
  Sipping on the 2002 Haut-Bailly that Art left behind in Maine a couple weeks ago.
  Aromatic, classic styled, not over-oaked, not modernized, not Parkerized.
  Surprise, surprise: 12.5% alcohol.
  Crisp, crunchy and clean.
  Color is clear, uncloudy, purple/ruby, fresh.
  This wine is stunning... like the Leoville Poyferre, and Lagrange, and Mouton, and on and on....
  Stunning.
  I swear I'm not being my usual facetious self:
  2002L is the best vintage this decade.
  And when you factor in QPR-- Mouton and Lafite went for $100 a bottle-- it is a no-brainer.
  I don't give a goddamn what anyone thinks.
  The erobertparker.com sheep can believe whatever they want, this vintage is the real deal. (95 pts.)

[robert goulet]

Not much experience with '02.
'02 Yon Figeac-eh
I have had the 02' pichon lalande, very tight but very good
on the other hand I still long for that bottle of '02 Palmer Alter Ego, absolute beauty.