Château Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2015

This popular and consistent fifth growth from Pauillac is always good value for money. It is normally a little more rustic than some of its grander neighbours, but it offers lots of chewy, juicy extract and gives lots of pleasure after 5-10 years’ cellaring. In fact the 2015 Batailley is much more refined than normal, perhaps in part due to the introduction of a second wine, Les Lions de Batailley. Notes of violets, mocha, toast and crème de mûre. There is a creaminess to the fruit here, with plenty of damsons and cassis and some well-constructed gravelly tannins. Still good honest Pauillac with a splash of class.