Château Haut Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2005
This wine benefited greatly in 2005 from damper soils at the south of the appellation, which continued to drip-feed the vines and allowed for slow, gradual, ripening. On the nose the wine is a perfect balance of real ripeness and mineral finesse, while the palate shows good grip and very fine tannins beneath pure redcurrant and damson fruit. The balance on the finish is quite beguiling.
critic reviews
Tasted at a vertical tasting at the chateau. The 2005 Haut Batailley obviously has a more intense bouquet than the 2004 with blackberry, wild hedgerow and cold gravel scents. It is still quite tight, but there is very fine precision here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe earthy black fruit. It is actually more approachable than I was expecting for a 2005 having loosened its tie in recent years. There is great depth here and fine mineralite, completing what is a classy and sophisticated Pauillac that should repay further bottle age. Chapeau! Tasted July 2016.
Medium red-ruby. Ripe, smoky aromas of plum and caramel; this smells opulent! Fat and sweet in the mouth, with a slightly roasted character to the supple plum and leather flavors. In a heavier style than the 2006 but with a reasonably fine-grained texture. Finishes with dusty tannins. I find this less refined than the 2006, but there's more material and ripeness here.