Leading off a duo of truly legendary beauties, the 2009 Château Haut-Bailly possesses that rare mix of opulence and elegance that's the hallmark of all truly great wines. Incredible notes of sweet red and black fruit, flowery incense, mint, smoked tobacco, and assorted spices give way to a full-bodied, layered, weightless 2009 with velvety tannins and a magical finish. This is pure Bordeaux magic that I wish every reader could taste. It's also been incredibly consistent for me, and this has consistently topped out my scale every time I'm lucky enough to drink a bottle.

Yes, yes, and yes indeed! This is just great. Elegant, fresh, ripe, rich, soft, polished, refined, long, and deep, everything here is hitting the right notes from the nose to the palate and the finish. Still youthful, this is all about its future greatness. Drink from 2025-2050.

Right from the first moment you look at this wine you can see that it remains young, concentrated and full of life. Clear smoked caramel on the nose, the texture is supremely silky and seductive, creamy in a way that sits against the taut precision of most vintages of Haut-Bailly and yet still maintaining control and poise. The aromatics are young and seductive, and the terroir has not yet fully overtaken the vintage expression, but it will do in another five or six years. A huge success.

Supple tannins, fleshy blackberry and cassis fruits, lives up to the high expectations surrounding this wine and yet maintains the quiet confidence and reserve that is a signature of Haut-Bailly. A magical bottle that is still at the very beginning of its drinking window, you can keep for decades. Denis Dubourdieu consultant, Gabriel Vialard winemaker, Véronique Sanders director, 55% new oak for ageing.

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Haut-Bailly hits the ground running with bold black fruit preserves, Morello cherries, baked blueberries and tilled earth scents with nuances of fried herbs, chargrilled meat and a ferrous waft plus a touch of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the taut palate has a firm, grainy texture with a lively line lifting the core of muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2009 Haut-Bailly is a blockbuster wine and is a must for fans of ripe rich cabernet-based Bordeaux. Composed of 64% cabernet sauvignon 30% merlot and 6% cabernet franc and aged in 55% new barrels for 16 months the 2009 is a darker ruby than other Pessac wines with loads of chocolate toffee and violets on the nose. Some barnyard notes also help to remind you that this is indeed French. There is an incredibly elegant wine hidden behind true power with big round and chunky tannins that should make this age very well. Drink this beauty from 2017-2035 and beyond.

Smooth and opulent this immediately appeals with its generous fruit and texture that feels like velvet. The structure sits under the seductive surface with a chocolate wood flavor fruit tannins and density. Age for over 10 years at least.

The 2009 Haut-Bailly remains a glorious example from this Pessac-Léognan estate and confirms my recent encounters. Blueberries and cassis scents soon join black cherries, blood orange and iris flower notes on the nose. It skillfully translates the precocity of the growing season, though there is just a touch of alcohol that blurs the edges compared to more recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a sensual, creamy, velvety texture. It is laden with black fruit and just a hint of liquorice, more primal than the bottle opened at the vertical the previous year. Drinking perfectly now if you like a bit of hedonism, otherwise, leave it four to five more years. Tasted at the château. -- Neal Martin

Offers a rich very dense feel but stays racy thanks to a strong graphite frame around the core of roasted fig plum sauce and maduro tobacco. Muscular but defined on the finish with a long tarry edge in reserve. This shows serious depth and is more backward than most of its peers. Should really stretch out nicely in the cellar. Best from 2017 through 2035. 6665 cases made. -JM

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Haut-Bailly ‘09 has a sweet iodine-scented bouquet with pure creme de cassis and violets that is more Margaux than Graves, hints of black olive emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition. There is a lot of extraction here, lending this a more modern personality, with plenty of sweet rounded dark cherry and boysenberry fruit on the lithe finish. Tasted January 2013.