2020 CH HAUT-BATAILLEY 5ÈME CRU PAUILLAC - 6x75cl

Tasting Notes

• 

  Neal Martin, May 2021,
  Score: 92-94

  The 2020 Haut-Batailley was opened for a good hour before I commenced penning my note. This will be matured for 14 months in 60% new oak. It gently unfolds in the glass to reveal blackberry, faint sea spray scents (a whiff of the old Gironde estuary) and just a touch of crushed stone. This is well defined though not powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins on the entry that frame the bright blackberry and raspberry fruit. This Pauillac conveys superb energy, especially toward the Japanese nori-infused finish, awakening and revivifying the senses. It is a classically sculpted and very harmonious Haut-Batailley that will give 25–30 years of drinking pleasure, but should be cellared for 5–6 years. Drink 2028 - 2048

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  Wine Advocate, May 2021,
  Score: 92-94

  A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot aging in French oak barriques, 60% new, the 2020 Haut-Batailley weighs in with 13.6% alcohol, a pH of 3.85 and an IPT of 81. Deep purple-black in color, it opens with seducing, beautifully pure notes of blackcurrant jelly, juicy blackberries and warm plums, plus hints of chocolate mint, lilacs and forest floor with a touch of ground cloves. The refreshing, medium-bodied palate gives a great burst of crunchy black berries, framed by finely grained tannins, finishing with a minty lift. Drink 2025-2042

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  Decanter, May 2021,
  Score: 93

  Clear salinity and the fennel aniseed touch that I get in Verso de Haut-Batailley also. Gorgeous texture here, this has real balance and a sense of careful walking through the palate, a juice and a tension, with a saline kick. An enjoyably sleek wine, not as powerful as the Lynch Bages, and not intended to be either. Some chocolate notes as it opens, but this has an elegance to it that almost makes it more of a St-Julien, certainly not the powerhouse Pauillac that you get in Lynch Bages. Harvest from September 14 to 29. 3.85pH, 60% new oak, for 14 months. The Cazes family has almost doubled the size of the vineyard since taking over, up to 39ha. Drinking Window 2024 - 2037

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  Antonio Galloni, June 2021,
  Score: 91-93

  The 2020 Haut-Batailley is a powerful, brooding Pauillac. Black fruit, grilled herbs, menthol, licorice, smoke, dried flowers and leather add to the wine's virile feel. Here, too, the tannins are pretty imposing. It will be interesting to see what time brings. Drink 2028 - 2045

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  Goedhuis, May 2021,
  Score: 92-94

  Dark opaque in colour, lots of Black Forest fruits, with a touch of cedar and eucalyptus. On the palate the opulence and sweetness are eye-catching and give way as the pep of acid freshness appears. Good depth with a characteristic Pauillac frame and finish.

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  Wine Cellar Insider, May 2021,
  Score: 93-95

  Richly colored, right off the bat you find tobacco, cedar, savory herbs, earth and spicy red currants on the nose and mid-palate. Full-bodied, concentrated and with a big blast of sweet, juicy cassis that carries through to the finish, this is a soft textured, fruit-filled, elegantly styled Pauillac that should provide a lot of pleasure before it hits its 10th birthday. The wine blends 62% Cabernet Sauvignon with 38% Merlot.

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  Jancis Robinson, April 2021,
  Score: 17

  Deep purple. Intense, savoury nose and silky-soft tannins. Classic modern Pauillac from a ripe vintage – which is to say that it is definitely sweeter than 'usual', whatever that is. (I wonder whether, now that the Cazes family own this property as well as Lynch-Bages, they feel a sense of competition between these two wines?) Not dense but beautifully textured with good freshness. 13.6%. Drink 2029 – 2046

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  Jeb Dunnuck, May 2021,
  Score: 92-94

  Also made in a more medium-bodied, elegant style, the Grand Vin 2020 Château Haut-Batailley offers a beautiful perfume of both black cherry and darker berry fruits as well as classic Pauillac cedar, chocolate, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and seamless on the palate, they’ve done a wonderful job with the tannins, the purity of fruit is spot-on, and this will certainly be an impressive Pauillac, with 20-25 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

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Producer

Château Haut-Batailley

Château Haut-Batailley was bought by Jean-Charles Cazes of Ch Lynch Bages in 2017 from François-Xavier Borie. It has one of the highest vine densities in Bordeaux at 10,000 vines per hectare, and holds a superb location, neighbouring Chx Lynch Bages, Latour and Pichon Lalande.