Château Haut Bailly

History

The vineyard is attested in the locality "Pujau" as early as 1461, but it was in the 17th century that Firmin Le Bailly and Nicolas de Leuvarde gave the estate its current limits and its commercial dimension. Alcide Bellot des Minières, nicknamed "the king of winemakers", brought the property to the level of the first classified growths at the end of the 19th century. After a period of weakening linked to the two world wars, Daniel then Jean Sanders restored the estate to its rank from 1955. Robert G. Wilmers, an American Francophile banker, acquired Haut-Bailly in 1998; his family has continued his work since his death in 2017, with the construction of a new winery that came into service in 2021.

Château Haut-Bailly, Classified Growth of Graves in Pessac-Léognan, has been cultivating an exceptional terroir on one of the highest hillsides of the left bank of the Garonne for nearly four centuries. Owned by the Wilmers family since 1998, the estate retains a unique plot of century-old vines planted in 1905, a veritable genetic conservatory that gives the wines their characteristic consistency and elegance.

The Vineyard

The vineyard rests on one of the highest hillsides on the left bank of the Garonne, providing particularly effective drainage. It is rooted in a sandy soil mixed with clayey gravel from a tertiary slide, on a subsoil rich in faluns (petrifications of fossil shells) that brings minerals and freshness. Six grape varieties are grown here — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère — including a unique plot of 4 hectares of century-old vines planted in 1905, a conservatory with a rare genetic heritage. Harvesting is manual, with rigorous sorting from the time of picking.