Proprietor Robert Wilmers and general manager/winemaker Veronique Sanders have done an extraordinary job at this estate, which has now become one of the superstars of Bordeaux as recent vintages have admirably demonstrated. An opulently styled effort, the blue/purple-hued 2010 offers a sweet kiss of graphite, charcoal, black cherries, black currants and compelling forest floor-like notes. A seamless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol and oak is found in this full-bodied yet delicate, precise 2010. There is plenty of tannin but it is well-hidden behind the extravagant quantity of fruit. Give it 5-7 years and drink it over the following 35-40 years. 95-97 points

The nose is very dense and rather introspective at first, gradually unfurling in the glass with blackberry, boysenberry and a slight "clayey" aroma that moves towards coca with continued aeration. The palate is full-bodied and very powerful, very structured and tannic although the tannins and not quite as fine as say, Smith Haut-Lafitte or Pape-Clement. Touches of graphite linger on the aftertaste. The sample at the Château needed a little more tension and precision...the sample at the UGC gave it to me! Tasted April 2011. 92-95 points

My best score ever given to the cru en primeur. One of the most intense emotions of this en primeur campaign and the best Haut Bailly I have ever tasted - right behind the 1964. Palate is the word. Magnificent on entry. pulpy, gushing with fruit and immediately showing a finely woven texture. Wonderfully aromatic, broad and generous on the mid-palate, with fat and an unsurpassed velvety feel in the mouth. The superb mix of pulp and fresh lively fruit is the terroir finest expression. A terrific wine, showing poise, amazing charm and complexity. A beauty! 94-95 points