Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal2009
RED WINE
- Producer Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal
- Blend 30% Merlot
- Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- Appellation Pauillac
- UPC 0 15643 42733 6
Reviews
James Suckling 94
Pretty nose of blueberries, currants and blackberries, follows through to a full body, with ultra-refined tannins and polished, caressing texture. Very refined and long. Perhaps the best ever from here.
by JS, James Suckling , 2012
Wine Advocate 92
Probably the finest Haut-Bages Liberal since the 1982, this beautifully rich wine has an inky purple color, a big, sweet kiss of creme de cassis, incense, some background spicy oak and forest floor. Its gorgeous fruit, full-bodied opulence, impressive purity, expansive texture and broad, savory finish make for a terrific wine to drink over the next 25+ years.
by RP, Wine Advocate , 2012
Wine Enthusiast 91
As so often, the wine is foursquare, tough and dark. It has powerful tannins with the weight of fruit well behind at this stage, structure to the front. It needs several years to come into balance.
by RV, Wine Enthusiast , 2012
Wine Spectator 91
Singed bay leaf and briar notes run along the edges, with ripe, almost sappy blackberry, black cherry and currant fruit leading to a finish of tobacco and olive. Latent grip hangs through the finish. Drink now through 2020. 10,000 cases made. –JM
by JM, Wine Spectator , 2012
Technical Details
Tasting notes
The vintage is the earliest of the last years. Rainfall from April to September was lower than previous years, about 45% less compared to 2007. This resulted in a lower yield per vine. September and October had cool nights, which resulted in a steady and rapid maturation of the grapes with optimal health conditions. All the varieties reached a high level of polyphenols and kept a nice freshness. The merlot were harvested from September 21st to 29th and the cabernet sauvignon from September 29th to October 9th of 2009.Vinification
Traditional in stainless and concrete vats, whose volumes are proportional to the plotsEstate
The name of Chateau Haut-Sages Liberal has two roots. The LIBERAL family ran the property in the early eighteenth century. Brokers from father to son, they sold the harvest in the Netherlands and Belgium. Their name adjoining to the topographical designation, earned them to be invited worldwide to the table of political parties of the same name. Over time, these connoisseurs gathered the best soils of Pauillac. Thus, this 5th Classified Growth in 1855 now has half of its vineyards adjacent to Chateau Latour and the other half behind Chateau Pichon Baron, on the heights of the locality "Sages", a large plateau in the south of Pauillac.The property would regain his youth when, in 1960, the Cruse fam ily, owner of Chateau Pontet Ca net, another 5th Classified Growth in Pauillac, acqu ired the property. The Cru se would launch an extensive program of replanting the vineyard. However, it was in 1983 at the arrival of the Villars family that Chateau Haut-Sages Liberal really recovered its former glory. Today, the property is run by Claire VILLARS LURTON . She undertook an overhaul of the tool of winemaking and she directs the vineyard management to a sustainable viticulture.