The presentation of the Bordeaux primeurs of 2022 will take place next April. I don’t go there anymore, preferring to evaluate the vintages after they have been bottled 18 months later, while refining the judgment made on the vintage in question. According to Véronique Sanders, at the helm of the famous Château Haut-Bailly in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, this 2022, eminently sunny, is part of a temperature trend that is now on the rise (remember here the monster fires and averages of more than 30 degrees Celsius last September in Gironde). An on-site vertical of several vintages of the cru in question confirmed above all an exceptional freshness (even on the great 2009), but above all its formidable capacity to lengthen in detail under glass. A match that confirms a great terroir wine. A few words from our interview.
What does Château Haut-Bailly represent for you? What is your story there? Why are you sensitive to it?
Château Haut-Bailly belonged to my family until 1998. I grew up with the image and the certainty that it was an exceptional terroir. Terroir which imposed on us more duties than rights, including that of sublimating it. When Bob Wilmers, a well-known American banker, acquired it in 1998 and entrusted me with the reins, my passion for Haut-Bailly never ceased to grow. For 25 years, and thanks to the investments of the Wilmers family, we have been able to deploy a vast program of upgrading: in-depth analysis of the soil and the vineyard, repair of the wine-growing buildings, renovation of the château itself, creation of new cellars for high technology perfectly integrated into the environment. This year we are celebrating 25 years of work, passionate commitment and innovation, 25 years of shared dreams, 25 years of demonstrated success!
How do we approach the phenomena linked to current climate change in the domain?
Our estate has adapted well to date to current climate change. Bordeaux has produced for more than twenty years very great wines, naturally ripe and greedy. Cabernet Sauvignon is a resilient variety, and the current conditions suit it perfectly. But the secret is probably to have been able to constantly adapt to climatic conditions: viticulture at the start of the 21ste century has nothing to do with that of the previous century… The challenge ahead will be to overcome the ever more extreme conditions that are sure to shake us up every season. Finally, and for a very long time, Haut-Bailly has practiced sustainable viticulture, respectful of people, the soil, the vines and the environment, a viticulture that strengthens the natural defenses of plant material. This taste for upstream thinking, thoughtful experimentation, constant optimization of our processes, all based on collective thinking with which all teams are closely associated — what the Japanese call “Kaizen” — is t is our trademark, our ethos and, today more than ever, the secret of our resilience.
Does the 2022 vintage happen to be a continuation, or does it turn out to be atypical due to rising temperatures?
Every year since 2015, the year is warmer than the previous one. And everything suggests that the 2022 vintage announces or foreshadows the climate that we will encounter in the coming decades. Very solar, it is in line with vintages such as 1982, 1989, 1990, 2009, 2010, or even the trio 2018, 2019, 2020. We are nevertheless surprised this year by the balance and freshness shown by these wines again being reared. The vine has an incredible capacity for adaptation…
The challenge ahead will be to overcome the ever more extreme conditions
Are you observing a stressful water phenomenon for the vineyard? If so, what are the solutions to fix it?
While the surrounding gardens and forests suffered from the heat combined with the drought, our vines were verdant and superb! This depends on several factors. The quality of the terroir first, but also the directions taken year after year in the management of the vineyard.
The choice made in Haut-Bailly for sustainable viticulture preserving an aged vineyard takes on its full meaning in extreme conditions. The deep rooting of our vines — due to their age and tillage — gives them a remarkable capacity for resistance. Irrigation for the young vines will nevertheless be to be considered in the years to come in order to enable them to come to life fully and to take root durably. The vine is a heritage that we cultivate for generations to come…