Harvest: Merlot: September 27th to October 8th
Cabernets: October 9th to 15th
Yield: 38 hl/ha.
New barrels: 50 %

Blend of Château Haut-Bailly:
Cabernet sauvignon: 60% Merlot: 40%
Blend of La Parde Haut-Bailly: Cabernet sauvignon: 56% Merlot: 40% Cabernet franc: 4%

Description:

The 2012 vintage plays like a foxtrot – in four defined steps… First, following a cold dry winter, a cool, wet spring made the flowering process difficult and threatened some of the Merlot vines with “coulure”. Then, as cool temperatures persisted until the beginning of July, we kept an extra careful eye on the vineyard and fought the onset of diseases (mildiou, oïdium). The team remained on hand throughout the summer. A third step would be the month of August with the advantage of wide temperature ranges with hot days - as sunny as in 2000 or 2009 - and cool nights. All which favour the synthesis of anthocyanin. Traditional tilling of the soil allowed better management of hydric stress. Finally, at the end of a summer-like month of September, a few millimetres of rain on September 25th and 26th helped to re-kindle the ripening of the grapes, which led to the sublimation of the fruity character of the skins and the softness of the tannins. The harvest started when the phenological maturity (tannins) caught up with the technical maturity (sugar, acidity). The Merlots were picked in ideal conditions. The weekend of October 7th was especially hot and wet, causing us to quicken the pace and pick the Cabernets before the return of the rain. The Merlots were pleasant and full of charm. The Old Vines delivered splendid Cabernets, typical of the great terroir of Haut-Bailly. Fruity, fresh and dense, the 2012 vintage has tight tannins and expresses the virtuosity of Haut-Bailly.