Haut Bages Liberal 1999

Château Haut-Bages Libéral is a Bordeaux producer in the Pauillac appellation, and one of the 18 estates deemed a Fifth Growth in the 1855 classification of the Médoc and Graves. It makes Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant red wine of the same name.

Its name references the site of the château on top of the small Bages plateau that falls between the communes Pauillac and Saint-Julien. It is also named for the Libéral family, multi-generational négociants who owned the property in the 18th Century, and helped establish the reputation that made it a classed growth.

For a number of years the wines were made at neighboring Château Pontet-Canet when both properties were owned by the Cruse family. In 1982 the Cruse family sold Libéral to Jacques Merlaut who was the head of the Taillan Group. Taillan owns several other Bordeaux estates, which are run by members of the Merlaut family, notably Château Chasse-Spleen and Château Ferrière. Merlaut’s granddaughter Claire Villars-Lurton now manages both Ferrière and Haut-Bages Libéral.

The modern estate is 30 hectares (74 acres), planted roughly with 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Merlot. Besides its grand vin, Libéral makes a second wine from its younger fruit and which is bottled under various labels such as La Chapelle de Bages and La Fleur de Haut-Bages Libéral. The second wine varies by vintage, but can have a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in its blend compared to the grand vin.