Château Haut-Batailley 2018

Juicy, fresh and nicely compact, with sleek iron along the edges of a core of steeped plum and cassis fruit flavors. Subtle tugs of savory, tobacco and cedar through the finish, with a last, lingering perfumed whiff of dark tea. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2038.

A big-shouldered, muscular wine. This shows a classic Pauillac signature with the full gamut of pencil lead, cigar box, curls of woodsmoke and floral edges. Very good quality, sappy and juicy as well, and it will age. It has settled in nicely over ageing. pH 3.61. IPT 81.

59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot. Barrel sample. Dark and pure on the nose, with a slightly stony/smoky note adding finesse to the fruit. Oak is quite evident on the palate but there’s enough fruit to fill it out. Less aromatic than the second wine (new name: Verso) yet there’s still restraint and subtlety in a powerful vintage. Long on the finish, though the persistence is gentle. Fine-grained tannin texture. (JH)

The 2018 Haut-Batailley has come together well. Plump and juicy in feel, the 2018 shows plenty of creaminess in its inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice and leather. The new oak is prominent at this stage. Even so, this is nicely done and promising.

Dark, big and bold, with layers of crisp Cabernet Sauvignon character, you also find bitter chocolate, espresso, cigar wrapper and herbs. Full-bodied, tannic and concentrated, the wine is rich, juicy, chewy and long. The finish serves up ample waves of sweet and tart red berries, cocoa, peppery spice and herbs. The wine was made from blending 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot, 14.3% ABV

Dark ruby, purple reflections and delicate brightening on the rim. Attractive dark berry fruit, subtle cassis and blackberry, background notes of tangerine zest and fine oak nuances. Juicy, elegant with concentrated fruit character, ripe sweet cherry flavours, integrated tannins, fresh and long, a balanced food wine with a promising future. (2020-2045).

The flagship 2018 Château Haut-Batailley is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot, aged in 60% new French oak. It’s another deeply colored, classic Pauillac for the vintage, offering wonderful purity along with loads of ripe blackberry and currant fruit, medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful aromas and flavors of graphite, cedar, and tobacco, building yet polished tannins, background oak, and a great finish. This pure, classic Pauillac needs 7–8 years of bottle age (it will certainly offer pleasure earlier) and will drink fabulously well for over two decades.

Deep purple with an opaque core and a delicate ruby rim. Fine, filigree aromas of wild cherry and elderberry jelly, followed by forest berries, dried rosemary, and a subtle violet perfume. On the powerful palate, Pauillac shows its true face: a very tight-knit tannic corset, finely crumbly extract, and a well-trained body that has a lot to endure here. In the focused finish, mulberries and sloe juice; the astringency covers (almost) everything. Drinking window logically pushed back.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 14.3% vol. alcohol) A velvety, fresh, elegant, fruity, full bouquet—black berries, currants, licorice, cassis, fine woods, black olives. Densely woven, fine, elegant palate with plenty of fine tannin, powerful dark fruit, a finely muscular structure, intense dark aromatics, and a long, fresh finish.

Elegant, dense, fresh, fruity bouquet with cassis cream, vanilla, coconut, mint, currants, fine woods, truffle. A tightly knit, elegant palate with powerful, precise dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely concentrated structure, varied, intense aromatics, and a very long, full, fresh finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2025 - 2055

A bigger vintage than 2017, which translates into a more powerful, more structured wine—no doubt also helped by the influence of the new team. For drinking now, I would suggest the 2017 vintage, but this is great quality, with plenty of ageing potential, showing layers of cocoa bean, dense cassis and bilberry fruit, and enjoyably supple tannins. Yield of 38 hl/ha, 60% new oak for ageing, with time in oak brought down to 14 months. Harvest from September 21 to October 8.

Haut-Batailley 2018 is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly unfurls to reveal notes of cassis, cedar, and pencil shavings, followed by hints of unsmoked cigars, tapenade, and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super taut and muscular, supported by fantastically ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and layered. It needs time!

A charming wine, with a rounded palate and generous fruit. Good intensity and a delectable finish.

The nose is elegant, fresh, beautifully racy and offers a certain intensity. It reveals notes of bright black cherry, bright blackberry and, more subtly, blueberry, combined with touches of raspberry as well as hints of blond tobacco, licorice, small blue fruits, fine hints of star anise and a very discreet hint of pepper. The palate is fruity, mineral, beautifully balanced, all in elegance, and offers freshness, lovely definition, finesse, and an almost airy feel on approach. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy/pulpy blackberry, pulpy blackcurrant and, more subtly, small blue fruits, combined with touches of raspberry, pulpy plum, violet, as well as hints of tobacco and nutmeg, a subtle hint of cardamom, an iodized touch and a very discreet hint of pepper. The tannins are elegant and well-handled. Good length. A very discreet touch of caramelization on the finish/persistence.

Logo on the cork: CB

The first vintage fully overseen at Haut-Batailley by the Cazes family (château Lynch-Bages), this 2018 immediately embraces its sunny, powerful character. The heady, full-bodied nose displays all the aromatic hallmarks of Pauillac, with graphite surfacing beneath cedar and spice. Sleek in texture, wrapped in firm yet refined tannins, with a minty juiciness on the finish—this is serious wine.