Inky colour, pencil lead and smoke concentration, where the tannins lend a sense of pressure bearing down on the fruit, keeping things moving and building in tension through the palate. Tiny edge of peony and iris flower as it opens in the glass. Harvest September 9 to 25th. Extremely well extracted, this is not a delicate wine but it is a measured one, and it has the sense of slowly building towards the close of play that is most enjoyable. 30% of overall production in HBII this year. Not vinified in the cellar, but will be aged in it. 92 points

The 2020 Haut-Bailly II was picked September 9–25. It offers a mélange of red and black fruit on the nose, hints of morels/undergrowth lending complexity, then becoming more floral with aeration, all quite mercurial in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit that gently grips. Very marine in style, shucked oyster shells infusing the sappy finish, which leaves an impressively long aftertaste considering this is the Deuxième Vin. Excellent. 91-93 points