Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal 2016
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Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The color is dense and deep. The nose is precise and sumptuous. Aromas of red and black berries mingle with a minty touch. On the palate, the tannins are fine and coated with aromas of blackberry and raspberry. The palate is full and silky. A very long finish with an incredible depth.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very chewy and long already with ripe tannins and plenty of fruit suggesting tobacco and blackcurrant character. Long finish. From biodynamic grapes. Rating: 94-95
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich tannins, generous black fruits and an opulent character mark out this wine. Under the same winemaking team as Ferrière and La Gurgue in Margaux, this exceptional wine comes from an estate that is now biodynamic. Drink this wine from 2025.
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Wine Spectator
This is a sleek, almost brisk-styled Pauillac, with bright iron and chalk notes flanking a core of red currant, cherry and violet flavors. Persistent and defined, just frankly taut in style, so be prepared. Best from 2024 through 2038.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Haut Bages Liberal has a very focused and much more sumptuous bouquet than in previous years, thankfully without dispensing any of its character. It just seems more confident on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, pretty blackberry and boysenberry fruit laced with a touch of oyster shell, sashaying towards a quite elegant finish with admirable depth. You would not describe this as a potentially exciting Pauillac, but I suspect it will be delicious once in bottle. Rating: 90-92
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Decanter
What a lovely run of Pauillacs in this vintage; hefty, deep, not subtle at this early stage, with chewy tannins, and long lives ahead. Not charming wines, but powerful. At Haut-Bages Libéral they're undergoing conversion to organic and biodynamic. They harvested right through until 19 October in 2016, and here the rich damson fruit and tannins are enrobed by oak, with some heat on the finish. Matured in 40% new oak. Eric Boissenot consults.
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This Chateau is almost up at the top! Just one small country lane separates the property and the highest point of the appellation. A lane which runs between Haut-Bages-Libéral and Pauillac's famous Chateau Latour.
When the Chateau came on the market in 1982, the great names of the Medoc region fought to buy it. The owners of Chasse Spleen were to become the proud owners. Their first vintage was a success, in no way hindered by the fact that 1982 was an exceptional year for Medoc wines. Since then, the quality of the work carried out by the wining team has not slackened and the wine they produce is becoming more and more popular with journalists and professionals of the wine world.