TN 2002 Haut Bailly

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

Had this last night with grass-fed, Oahu-raised sirloin.

By evening's end this wine had pretty much checked all the right boxes. In fact, it was multi-faceted in a sequential fashion.

Overture: 12.5% abv, this opens up with really high-pitched, almost acrid cabernet and old wood scents. Color is blackish-bronze and showing some translucency. Palate also shows some maturity, at least the flavors are not primary and certainly nothing like the 2009s I've been drinking lately. Well balanced with plenty of tannin, lighter-bodied but having good intensity of flavor.

Intermezzo with a baguette and free-range, hand-churned Oahu sweet cream butter laced with ea salt crystals: Gaining somewhat in depth, rounding slightly. Flavors remain intense and persistent. This has everything but the warmth of an extra degree of alcohol.

Finale/ dining phase: Ample body, good glycerin, intense. Either it's the food per se or this needs two hours' decanting. Oddly, a whisky barrel note intrudes just a bit – odd given it is not an alcoholic, overripe, or warm wine – perhaps a touch much barrel char that needs to integrate just a bit more. Round, pliant good depth and sweetness with the grass-fed Oahu top sirloin.

A mag of this would be nice. A wine one could drink all night, without finding it hot or cloying on the one hand, bland or boring one the other, or thin and tart on the third. Anyone have this en mag? Probably could have had one for $75-$80 in 2006-2007. This does remind me of the 1994 Lagrange and the 1988 Beychevelle, perhaps with a bit more stuffing than those.

For me, this is drink now and (well stored bottles) for next 10 years at least. I say this because of some question about whether the 2002s are by nature a vintage that needs time or one that needs to be drunk up sooner rather than later.

[AlexR]

Haut Bailly is a classy wine and has gone from strength to strength.

Owned by Belgians for decades, it now belongs to a banker from my part of the US (upstate New York).

Parker and other critics have not missed out on the performance, and the price has unfortuntately followed as a result.

Alex R.

[chris kissack]

They made one of the better 2002s, in my limited experience of the vintage. Remember tasting it at the château a few years ago during the primeurs, and thought it was really good.

Will be stopping by at Haut-Bailly next week for a 15-vintage vertical tasting which will surely include the 2002, so I look forward to reappraising it.

Regards

Chris

[robert goulet]

The '04 I had 3 yrs back was closed up tight, showing next to nothing. A very reasonably priced wine at the time, I think I paid $39

[JimHow]

The 2002 Haut Bailly was going for $25 on the shelves following release. Hound left me a bottle when he stopped by my house. It is indeed an outstanding wine from that outstanding left bank vintage.

[robert goulet]

Great price jim, so discouraging to see where the prices have gone, but understandable

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I think I paid $35 or so, but I'm pretty sure the 02s were released at a pretty advantageous point in time from the unique perspective of the wine consumer. Granted, they weren't desrving of hype and probably were an easy pass for the collector-types. I bought many of the usual suspects, 3rd-5th growths, all in the $20s, and all off the shelves so to speak, with the luxury of even being able to try a couple of bottles before loading up.