2021 Haut Batailley
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Oxidising? Could do with rather brighter fruit and I fear this won’t last well in the glass. Drying, pinched finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Much more Cabernet Sauvignon-based, the 2021 Château Haut-Batailley is straight and focused, with textbook Pauillac graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco notes as well as beautiful fruit, medium body, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. It shows the elegant, seamless style of the vintage and brings enough concentration and structure to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and shine over the following 15+.
Bottled at the end of May, the 2021 Haut-Batailley has a well-defined bouquet with briny, seaweed-infused black fruit, certainly demonstrating more concentration and cohesion compared to the Verso at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Fresh and focused, touches of cassis infuse the black fruit with impressive grip, classic in style with a sapid, black olive-tinged finish. Very fine.
The 2021 Haut-Batailley shows an estate in evolution. Aromatic and medium in body, the 2021 is not quite as bombastic as some previous editions, which is a positive. Savory, earthy and expressive, the 2021 also feels a bit closed at this stage. This is a super-classy and refined Pauillac.
About the producer
The Cazes family – owners of Lynch-Bages and Ormes de Pez – purchased Haut-Batailley in 2017. They’ve embarked on a significant replanting programme, and exciting things are likely to come from this address with its new backing.