Critics reviews
Neal Martin - 28/07/2017
About this WINE
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
The 1990 Haut Bailly has always been a good rather than great wine for the vintage, this predating the acquisition by Bob Wilmers, which was eight years later. It has a fully mature bouquet with smudged earthy, smoky aromas, maybe with just a slight greenness in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with rustic tannins, a little chunky in the mouth, animally with a slightly animally/Rhne-like finish that just fades a little too quickly. It's a rough sketch compared to the detailed portraits drawn by the estate these days, and as such, I would drink this now rather than later. Tasted March 2017.
Neal Martin - 28/07/2017
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