Positioned on a high ridge of land excellent for drainage, the soil is sandy and mixed with gravel, sitting on a layer of sandstone petrified with the remains of prehistoric fossil shells. All this contributes to the special character in Haut-Bailly wines.
Alcide Bellot des Minières, the owner of Château Haut-Bailly at the end of the nineteenth century, was against grafting his delicate French vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks – something that was being done in the majority of other Bordeaux vineyards. Although some American graft stock was eventually planted, Haut-Bailly still has 4 hectares of its old vines which are over a hundred years old – a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The remainder of the estate is planted with 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.
