Château Batailley 2018

This is intense and concentrated with beautifully smoked grilled oak notes, clear, precise cassis, blackberry, liquorice and dark chocolate, and a slow, slate finish. Great quality, welcoming and full of character. 60% new oak. A yield of 52 hl/ha. Tasted twice.

Deep ruby garnet, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Gentle woody notes, dark forest berries, nuances of cassis and blackberries, mineral, as well as a fine cedar note. Juicy, medium complexity, red berries, lovely freshness, integrated tannins, delicately leafy reverberations. A savoury supper companion. (2020-2035)

Purple with ruby highlights. Seductive bouquet of blueberries, dark cherries and refined cassis spice. On the second nose, bright tobacco notes and chocolate pastilles. On the palate, powerful, with a well-supportive framework of ripe tannins, a finely firm texture and plenty of ripe extract. A focused medium finish with a basket of blue berries and a delicate astringency. Top value from Pauillac!

Kunz barrel sample 19: (74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 13.5% vol. alcohol) Dense, mineral, fresh and elegant bouquet, black berries, plums, cedar, dark chocolate, slate. Balanced, finely creamy, multi-layered, tightly woven palate with dense fruit, varied, sweet aromatics, fine tannins, finely muscular structure, long, full finish.

Silky, sweet, powerful, fresh bouquet, dark chocolate cream, cassis, plum, mocha, licorice. Dense, fruity, finely opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, fine tannins, a creamy, delicately muscular structure, complex aromatics, and a long, full finish. With this wine, one bottle for two is not enough. 18/20 2025 - 2050

Damson and black cherry, creme de cassis and baking spices. A warm vintage and there is a luscious spice-driven character that makes it a little atypical, with creamy vanilla, coriander and baking spices. We are still on the Left Bank here, but a less austere and structured version. A change in the estate's internal winemaker at this point, with the departure of Arnaud Durand and arrival of Benoit Bouchonneau. This is also the vintage where the team introduced 3rd wine Pauillac de Batailley. Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, Philippe Casteja owner.

The 2018 Batailley has a deep garnet-purple color. It opens with notes of cedar, clove oil, and wild sage, over a core of redcurrants, black cherries, and cassis, plus a hint of tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers great intensity of tightly wound fruit, framed by grainy tannins and compelling tension, finishing long.

Successful in a lighter expression, yet as precise and balanced as that of the grand vin. In short, exactly what one expects from its category.

Aristocratic. Rich but not exuberant, it handles the ripeness of the fruit well, relying on good freshness from the Cabernets. The wine does not lack tension or length on the finish.

Chewy, crisp, fresh and lively in character, the wine is packed with herbs, tobacco leaf, dark currants, espresso and cedar. More savory than sweet, with a noticeable, classic crunchy character on the palate, the finish really lingers. Nearly forward in style, this is a charming Pauillac that will age for at least 2-3 decades with little effort.