The vines already existed in the 15th century on the locality of Pujau, on the site of the current terroir of Château Haut-Bailly. In the 17th century the estate became the property of two Parisian bankers, Firmin Le Bailly and Nicolas de Leuvarde, both creditors of the previous owners. Lepremier will leave his name to the Haut-Bailly castle. In 1872, Alcide Bellot des Minières bought the land, on the advice of Monsignor Bonnet, Archbishop of Bordeaux, and had the current castle built. In a few years, this astute entrepreneur and winegrower has raised Haut-Bailly wines to the highest level. In 1955, the estate was bought by the merchant Daniel Sanders. This family, now represented by Véronique Sanders, has since remained at the helm of the estate, although it was bought out by the American Robert Wilmers in 1998. Significant investments have been made in the vineyard, the vat room and the cellars. The Haut-Bailly vineyard is based on a magnificent terroir: a sandy soil mixed with gravel, on a subsoil made up of fossil stones. Perfectly drained due to the inclination of the slopes, the vineyard is managed in the traditional way, plowed in the old fashioned way, without recourse to weedkillers. The vineyard still has very old vines, with varied grape varieties, dating from the post-phylloxera period: cabernet franc, carmenère, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, cabernet sauvignon. Yields are deliberately limited: after manual harvesting, several sorting operations take place in the vineyard, in the cellar, then on a vibrating table, after the vines have been destemmed. The vinification is carried out in separate vats according to the plots. At the end of the assembly, the wines are aged for 18 months in oak barrels of which 50% to 65% are renewed each year. The predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon gives racy wines suitable for very long aging, but also sought after for their flexibility and balance.