Château Haut-Bages Libéral
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend
Pauillac, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Wow, still ripe, lush black fruit, bell pepper and jalapeños popping thru. Lots of secondaries…leather, smoky, mushrooms, bakkng spices and slight vanilla..this could age another 10 years easily…incredible.
Wow, still ripe, lush black fruit, bell pepper and jalapeños popping thru. Lots of secondaries…leather, smoky, mushrooms, bakkng spices and slight vanilla..this could age another 10 years easily…incredible.
Nov 26th, 2022
Vintage 2000 / friendly refinement with mocca and autumnleaves in smell, powerful elegance, very nice
Vintage 2000 / friendly refinement with mocca and autumnleaves in smell, powerful elegance, very nice
Feb 4th, 2020
For our wedding reception in Cortona, I packed a magnum of 1986 Haut-Bages Liberal. Since then, we have bought it in all good Bordeaux years and have one on our anniversary. Sadly, I have an 86 somewhere in my EuroCave cabinets. I just couldn’t find it. It has been a challenging afternoon. Next year! A excellent vintage of Haut-Bages Liberal will just have to fill in.
The nose reveals; dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, some dark spices, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals.
Most of the 2000 Left Bank wines typically remain tight as a drum. This is just starting to open up and ascend.
The body is full, ripe, rich, lush and showing the beauty of the vintage. The tannins are rounded but, still show plenty of teeth and meaty, sticky, tarriness. The structure & tension are just starting to relax. The length and balance are really nice and will continue to better with many years in bottle. It’s still a hold for 7–10 years for its full beauty. Dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, strawberries, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, dark spices with palate heat, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, expresso roast, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry, crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, hints of black pepper, old & fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; ripe, well balanced with fruit and earth with penetrating earth/minerals and persists several minutes.
Happy Anniversary Sofia...would love to do it all over again as we did in 2012.
Photos of; the Piazza of the La Repubblica...the building we were married, us leaving for our reception and one of the better meals of our life, walking through town on the way to our reception and our wedding ceremony.
For our wedding reception in Cortona, I packed a magnum of 1986 Haut-Bages Liberal. Since then, we have bought it in all good Bordeaux years and have one on our anniversary. Sadly, I have an 86 somewhere in my EuroCave cabinets. I just couldn’t find it. It has been a challenging afternoon. Next year! A excellent vintage of Haut-Bages Liberal will just have to fill in.
The nose reveals; dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, some dark spices, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals.
Most of the 2000 Left Bank wines typically remain tight as a drum. This is just starting to open up and ascend.
The body is full, ripe, rich, lush and showing the beauty of the vintage. The tannins are rounded but, still show plenty of teeth and meaty, sticky, tarriness. The structure & tension are just starting to relax. The length and balance are really nice and will continue to better with many years in bottle. It’s still a hold for 7–10 years for its full beauty. Dark currants, heavily extracted blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, mix of purple fruits, strawberries, sweet tarriness, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, cinnamon, vanilla, light clove, dark spices with palate heat, lots of steeped, dark fruit tea, fresh Provenance herbs, anise, expresso roast, limestone minerals, dry clay, dry, crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stones, a fair amount of graphite, hints of black pepper, old & fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood to cedar, leathery notes, dry underbrush, bright; dark, red, blue and violet florals. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; ripe, well balanced with fruit and earth with penetrating earth/minerals and persists several minutes.
Happy Anniversary Sofia...would love to do it all over again as we did in 2012.
Photos of; the Piazza of the La Repubblica...the building we were married, us leaving for our reception and one of the better meals of our life, walking through town on the way to our reception and our wedding ceremony.
It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a complex red Bordeaux from Pauliac.
Great, seductive, earthy nose and palate with black and blue fruits, wood, forest floor, tobacco leaf, spices, black tea and peppercorn.
Medium plus in finish with firm tannins and tangy cranberries.
This 5th growth still needs another 5 to 10 years of bottle time, as it is not peaking yet, but already gorgeous.
Needs 4 hours in a decanter to open up properly and show complexity. Tasty, interesting and approachable.
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats, dried fruits and cheeses.
12.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$100.
It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a complex red Bordeaux from Pauliac.
Great, seductive, earthy nose and palate with black and blue fruits, wood, forest floor, tobacco leaf, spices, black tea and peppercorn.
Medium plus in finish with firm tannins and tangy cranberries.
This 5th growth still needs another 5 to 10 years of bottle time, as it is not peaking yet, but already gorgeous.
Needs 4 hours in a decanter to open up properly and show complexity. Tasty, interesting and approachable.
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats, dried fruits and cheeses.
12.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$100.
Smells old, barnyard everything you want in a Bordeaux. Like a mature scent tickling my nose throughout the night. It entices my palate with its age and vibrant character. Syrupy on the finish. Would drink again
Smells old, barnyard everything you want in a Bordeaux. Like a mature scent tickling my nose throughout the night. It entices my palate with its age and vibrant character. Syrupy on the finish. Would drink again
1 person found it helpfulFeb 4th, 2017
Duidelijke Bordeaux geur en smaak, heerlijk fruitig en zacht, fijne tannines, mooie afdronk, redelijk lang, alhoewel niet breed.
Duidelijke Bordeaux geur en smaak, heerlijk fruitig en zacht, fijne tannines, mooie afdronk, redelijk lang, alhoewel niet breed.
Mar 9th, 2024
This like a lot of the 00’s I have tried was still youthful showing red & black fruits, cassis, cedar, leather, savory spices, lead pencil & tobacco notes.
This like a lot of the 00’s I have tried was still youthful showing red & black fruits, cassis, cedar, leather, savory spices, lead pencil & tobacco notes.
Jul 4th, 2021
Twenty years old and still excellent.
Twenty years old and still excellent.
May 8th, 2020