Chateau Haut-Bailly

Château Haut-Bailly is a historic wine estate located in Pessac-Léognan on the left bank of the Gironde. Half a century ago, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine frequently commanded the same prices of the first growth wines and, in the 1959 Graves Classification, the château was given Grand Cru Classé status.

There are 30 hectares (74 acres) of vineyards on a high, sandy ridge with lots of sandstone and fossils. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up the majority of the vineyards, but Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are also planted here. Traditionally, these were interplanted, and a 4-ha (10-acre) plot is still planted this way. Following fermentation, Château Haut-Bailly is aged in cask for 16 months, with the proportion of new oak depending on the vintage. As well as the grand vin, the château makes a second wine, La Parde de Haut-Bailly, and a rosé.

The foundations of the modern vineyards date back to the mid-1530s, under the proprietorship of the Goyaneche and Daitze families. The estate was sold to the Bailly and Lauvarde families in 1630, who invested in the building of a manor house as well as the cultivation of the land surrounding the estate. Before his death in 1655, Bailly gave his name to the wines that were produced at the château. The château is now owned by American banker Robert Wilmers.