Château Haut Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2020
The third full vintage made under Cazes ownership, and it is beginning to find its new identity. There’s noticeably more density compared with Haut Batailleys of old, but with no less charm. Expressive and quite lavish on the nose, there is a mass of sweetly spiced plums and dark cassis infused with minerals. The palate is pure cashmere. There’s a real sense of luxury to the finely poised fruit and tannic structure – intense, bright and very pleasing. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot.
critic reviews
The 2020 Haut-Batailley is another Pauillac that appears to be blossoming in bottle. It has a very complex bouquet with pencil-box-infused black fruit that unfurls gracefully in the glass. Quintessential Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, real depth and concentration and plenty of cassis toward the precocious yet controlled finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Great balance and depth, beautiful character of cassis, crayon, cruhed rock, slate and ink with juicy bleuberry underneath, great quality wine with real Pauillac character, brushed with a softer edge. Julien Galland technical director as of this vintage. 60% new oak. Harvest September 14 to 29, with fruit from 22ha of vines.
The 2020 Haut-Batailley is rich and demonstrative, offering up aromas of blackberries and cherries framed by sweet spices, smoke and new oak. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's broad and expansive, with more overt ripeness, body and texture than was formerly the case for this estate.