"The 2000 Haut-Bailly has a well defined bouquet with red berry fruit, earthy tones, touches of melted tar and leather. This seems fully mature but still offers plenty of vigour. The palate has surprising acidity and quite sharp on the entry. Fresh but unapologetically, it is a little rustic with a ferrous, slightly dry finish. This is a fine, mature Haut-Bailly that just seems a touch more developed than I anticipated. Tasted at the Haut-Bailly vertical at the château." -Neal Martin
Robert Parker
RP91
"It has been a little while since I last tasted the 2000 Haut Bailly. Now at 17 years of age it does not quite deliver the authority and the pedigree of the 2005 or 2010, moving into secondary notes with cedar wood, smoke and a touch of undergrowth, though it has lost a little cohesion. The palate is medium-bodied with a very well balanced opening. Hints of clove and black pepper infuse the black fruit, and it exerts a gentle grip in the mouth with quite a persistent finish. You can broach this now although it should continue to drink well for another 15-20 years." -Neal Martin
Decanter
D96
"A gorgeous wine that is still flexing its muscles, showing controlled brilliance, barely putting a step out of line. The tannins are perfectly integrated but full of life, and the fruit is savoury with autumnal berries of blackberry and bilberry, set against grilled cedar, cool ash and careful flicks of black pepper spice. The overall character remains concentrated, barely a hint of tertiary flavours, still well bedded down with a long life ahead of it. A stretched-out harvest from September 13 to October 11, giving plenty of time to pick at full ripeness."
Wine Spectator
WS92
"Wonderful finesse and length to this wine. Loads of plum and berry, with hints of raspberry. Full-bodied, with a solid, velvety core of ripe fruit and tannins. Long finish. One of the few Pessacs better in 2000 than 1998."
Wine Enthusiast
WE92
"For the vintage, this is an austere style of wine, emphasising tannins over fruit. The fruit is certainly rich, and the tannins are dusty rather than dry, but it is a wine which is developing more slowly, suggesting it is also a wine for long-term aging."