Château Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2020
The Castéja family’s Batailley is always one of the best value buys in Pauillac and the whilst the 2020 isn’t quite as sumptuous as the spectacular 2019, it is still a mighty impressive wine that will rank amongst their best. We must stop referring to this as the new style of Batailley, the project to elevate Batailley is well established now – we should expect seductive fruit and beautifully polished tannins. Produced from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Batailley is glossy and perfumed with a seductive bouquet of black cherry, liquorice and cloves. Although lavish and rather decadent, there’s still freshness and poise to the fruit: sleek, pure, refreshing, with graceful tannins laced with notes of coal and graphite. Coming back to this many hours later, the intensity of the fruit is even more evident. There is such power and freshness. Sure to be one of the best buys from the Medoc.
critic reviews
An exceptional vintage that is getting better every time I try it, still very much primary, bright and concentrated layers of anis, crayon, cassis. Classic Pauillac tannins where there is a sense of astringency in the best way, offering a linear Left Bank character. Harvest September 10 to 28. This is far from being ready, have patience and give at least another three to five years to really let the complexity of this body show, but there is such potential here. A wonderful wine. Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Philippe Casteja owner.
The 2020 Batailley appears to have gone up a couple of gears since I tasted it just after bottling. It has a perfumed, wonderfully precise nose, almost Margaux-like in style, with scents of cassis and crushed violet blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent blackberry and hints of licorice on the entry. It's quite saline, building with confidence toward the finish of real heft. This will need a decade to come around, but it will be worth waiting for. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Batailley is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it reveals flashy scents of creme de cassis, redcurrant preserves, and wild blueberries, giving way to touches of violets, dark chocolate, camphor, and unsmoked cigars with a hint of cedar. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright, expressive cassis and red berry flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing with a mineral lift.