2020 Château Batailley
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Tasting notes
There’s a lovely crunch to the nose of 2020 Batailley – with aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, vibrant fresh blackcurrant, but it’s also really floral, with rose, violet, a white pepper spice, a little cocoa, and a savoury, barnyard touch behind. On the palate it is soft and beautifully textured – like reams of silk, but then the wine firms up as layers of chalky tannins build up to give the wine structure. There’s a slight warmth of alcohol, but a wave of tart, almost green-apple acidity that keeps the wine feeling really fresh. Even now this feels surprisingly approachable, fresh and moreish, with a core of dark and savoury fruit. Once the scent of florals and red fruit fade, the finish is long, earthy and iron-edged.
Critic scores
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Lifted and leafy black fruit. Invitingly aromatic. Darker and more savoury on the palate, the fruit intense but not really sweet, the tannins fine. Dry tannic finesse and length but oaky and oaky-sweet on the finish. (JH)
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.
A strong effort for this Pauillac fifth growth, the 2020 Batailley offers up aromas of sweet blackcurrant fruit mingled with notes of cloves, baking spices, vanilla pod and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, with good depth and concentration, its pure core of fruit is framed by powdery, youthfully assertive tannins.
About the producer
It was on the site of Batailley in 1453 that one of the final battles (or “batailles”) of the Hundred Years’ War took place. Today owned by the Castéja family, the Fifth Growth is renowned for producing wine that is the epitome of classic Claret.