Château Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2022
Frederic Casteja described 2023 as an "unprecedented" vintage. Temperatures were 1.5 degrees above the norm and there were no blockages to maturity. Even so, he decided to wait a little for extra maturity, finishing the harvest on the 5th of October. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, this impressive 2023 is packed with spicy, dark fruit, toasty, earthy notes, incense and hedgerow fruit. Balance and composed, there's good energy here, long flavours and a generous texture. Finishes with suggestions of bitter chocolate, black cherry, graphite, licorice and spices.
critic reviews
I find plenty of fragrant and spicy oak on the nose here, with a little trace of reduction in this bottle. The palate follows with very dark and reduced fruit, with a rich and toasty liquorice and damson character, before a finish that is wall-to-wall tannin. This is clearly one that will require a long slumber in the cellar before broaching. Even the finish is completely laden with tannin, drying and puckering the palate. The Castéja family have pushed this estate in this vintage, seemingly keen to place it among the great and most cellar-worthy wines;be prepared for a long wait for this one to come around.
The 2022 Batailley exudes a sense of precision on the nose that distinguishes it from vintages you might have found up to a decade ago. It has very focused, seamlessly integrated oak and predominantly black fruit laced with pencil shavings and cedar, rubber-stamping its Pauillac origin. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. This is very harmonious with a smooth texture, finely pitched acidity and a slightly spicy finish that will require five or six years to soften. The Castéja family has really taken Batailley to greater heights in recent years, reliving some of the past glories like the 1947, 1955 and 1961.
You can't ignore the construction of the tannins here, but there is a plenty of juice in between and this is a gorgeous Batailley. On brand Pauillac, as it so often is, delivering slate, liquorice, energy, cassis, blackberry, orange peel, cardamom, black pepper, graphite, grip. Classic balance also, you don't feel you are in an extreme vintage here. Two thirds of the production is in the first wine of Batailley in this vintage. 55% new oak. A label in honour of Queen Elizabeth II also...
An especially strong effort for this estate, the 2022 Batailley exhibits aromas of dark berries, cassis, licorice and sweet soil tones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered palate. It's a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the balance Petit Verdot.