2010La Parde de Haut-Bailly

A splendid La Parde with an elegance and complexity comparable to the wines produced by Château Haut-Bailly twenty years ago.La Parde de Haut-Bailly 2010 has a harmonious structure and an intense colour; it reveals fruity and floral aromas, powerful, smooth tannins and a fine acidity bringing superb freshness. A very appealing wine that will be ready to drink from 2016 onwards

We had a prolonged cold winter: heavy snowfalls twice brought France to a standstill. The cold but dry weather was good for pruning. This resulted in late budbreak. Flowering had started during an exceptionally hot week in late May, but was interrupted by wet and cold weather in early June. July was consistantly hot and sunny inducing early water stress, stopping plant growth which is propitious for the development of small grapes - a promise of quality and concentration. Ripening was stimulated by a hot summer followed by a mild late season. With the dry weather, water stress was sustained but moderate, perfect for producing polyphenols. The 10mm rainfall on September 9 came as a blessing, resuscitating the physiological process and attaining simultaneous technical, phenolic and aromatic maturity. The fine weather continued until the end of the harvest with alternating fine hot days and cool nights.