93pts James Suckling
Fruity nose with strawberries, red currants and spices with a touch of hibiscus and mineral. Medium body on the palate with plenty of fine, dusty tannins and juicy fruit, showing a nice tension with chalky tannins. Bright, fresh and polished. Drinkable now, but better from 2025.
91-93pts Wine Advocate
This 17-hectare amphitheater of a vineyard has produced a successful 2021 Barde-Haut, offering up aromas of sweet berries, cherries and plums framed by a creamy patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with tangy acids and a generous endowment of powdery structuring tannins, it's a blend of more or less 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc (the latter increasingly deriving from massale selections taken at Clos l'Eglise).
92pts Vinous
The 2021 Barde-Haut is laced with black cherry, plum, mocha, spice, new leather and tobacco. This soft, juicy Saint-Émilion is supple full of near- and medium-term appeal. It's a fine effort from Hélène Garcin and Patrice Lévêque in this very challenging vintage. -Antonio Galloni 2023
92pts The Wine Independent
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Barde Haut is deep garnet-purple in color. Notions of blackberries, Morello cherries, and wild blueberries spill from the glass, followed by hints of menthol, violets, and clove oil. The medium-bodied palate is velvety and laden with pure black fruits, the acidity is soft and well-knit, whilst the finish is spicy.
92pts Vinous
The 2021 Barde Haut has a very composed bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and touches of melted tar- well-defined and focused. This has retained the elegance that I discerned out of the barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a peppery entry, fine acidity and good balance, showing modest concentration toward the briny finish. It tapers just a little shorter than anticipated but is still a well-crafted, classically styled Saint-Émilion. - Neal Martin 2023
91pts Jeb Dunnuck
A solid, undeniable success, the 2021 Château Barde-Haut has a healthy ruby hue as well as medium-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, chalky minerality, sappy flowers, and underbrush, with a beautiful, almost Pomerol-like damp earth and meatiness. Balanced and elegant, it has fine tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and outstanding length. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 10-15.
History
Chateau Barde Haut is a 17 hectare estate located at the extreme east of the village of Saint-Emilion. The vineyard forms an natural amphitheatre and is particularly well exposed to the south. The soil is very typical of Saint Emilion being mainly composed of clay which is found on a layer of chalk.
There has been significant investment in renovating the cellar so that all work is completely done by gravity to ensure that the precious grapes of the Chateau are well respected. The cellar is equiped with wooden vats, stainless steel tanks and concrete vats of 50 to 70 hl. A strict policy of selection to ensure the quality is undertaken and individual steps including pigeage are all carried out by hand. It is the combination of exceptional soil and the introduction of natural wine producing and winegrowing technologies combining tradition and modernity that have made CHATEAU BARDE-HAUT one of the rising stars of Saint Emilion.
