Chateau Haut Bailly 1993 (1x75cl)

This is the red from Haut-Bailly, not the white - Pessac-Leognan in Graves makes both, and the reds are the ones with the smoky, earthy signature people associate with the area. 1993 puts it past thirty years in bottle.

At that age every bottle is its own thing: fill levels, cork condition and how the wine has held all vary, and none of it is visible from outside. Stand it up for a day or two, open it slowly at the table, and pour carefully off the sediment.

Tasting notes

Graves reds usually blend Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and typically carry a smoky, gravelly edge alongside dark fruit. After three decades you'd generally expect dried fruit, tobacco, mushroom and old leather, with tannins largely resolved and a shorter window once open.