Château Haut-Batailley 2020

Compact and dense, with robust Pauillac tannins, good length; can age a little.

Dark, winey, structured and very Pauillac, this is laden with cassis and blackberry purée flavors marked by charcoal and warm earth, with tobacco and cast-iron notes. Very long, focused and seriously well-built finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2040.

Potent on the nose, the Cabernet speaking with herbal tones, some minty freshness, aniseed, vanilla and cedar. Crystalline and pristine handling of the fruit; it’s so smooth and succulent, not exactly crisp perhaps but right on the edge—strikingly clean and very pure. Feels effortless to drink; it still has concentration, but a lovely easy juiciness combined with grip from the well-integrated tannins makes this a joy to drink. I love the cool touches, the slightly bitter, dark-chocolate licorice elements. Refined and restrained with elegance throughout, not overpowering, yet with a broad finish that suggests a large structure but remains graceful. I love this kind of wine—one that offers a lot of pleasure and isn’t too hard to think about. A great buy!

Full bottle 1,345 g. Cask sample taken 16 April. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot. Merlot was picked 14 to 18 September and Cabernet 22 to 29 September. Three successive triages. 14 months’ ageing in barrel (60% new) envisaged. 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. (JR)

The 2020 Haut-Batailley is a huge, somber Pauillac, just as it was from barrel. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of black fruit, gravel, incense, tobacco, smoke, cured meats and charcoal embers. Readers will have to be patient. I imagine the 2020 will always be a big, virile wine, certainly more about power than finesse.

Cigar box, menthol, cocoa, blackberries, smoke, cedar, and tobacco notes are close to being on full display. Creamy and supple on the palate, the wine is fresh, polished, and requires only a few years in the cellar before it is ready to go. The wine blends 62% Cabernet Sauvignon with 38% Merlot. Drink from 2027–2050.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, deep core, delicate rim brightening. Black forest berries, cassis, blackberries, fresh orange zest, mineral nuances. Complex, red cherries, fresh acidity, fine, supporting tannins, mineral-salty finish, a lively food wine with certain ageing potential.

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Haut-Batailley is a step up and is composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot. This medium- to full-bodied, ripe, layered, elegant Pauillac offers plenty of classic Cabernet darker currant fruit, along with notes of chocolate, leafy herbs, and damp earth, a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It already delivers pleasure yet will evolve for 15–20 years.

Intense blueberry bouquet, cooled fruit tea and delicate violet fragrance. On the elegant palate with tremendous precision; the finish shows blue berries and dark graphite paired with fine‑grained astringency. Rightly earns the higher score.

Deep, dark, elegant bouquet: black cassis, fine woods, currants, truffle, graphite. Densely woven, multi-layered palate with dark, concentrated fruit, varied and powerful aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, an elegant, finely muscular structure, and a long, firm finish with dark after-flavors. Can improve further. 18/20 2027 - 2050

Great balance and depth, beautiful character of cassis, crayon, crushed rock, slate and ink with juicy blueberry underneath. High-quality wine with real Pauillac character, brushed with a softer edge. Julien Galland, technical director as of this vintage. 60% new oak. Harvest from September 14 to 29, with fruit from 22ha of vines.

The 2020 tasted is a very seductive wine, still slightly marked by the élevage, but with a smooth, creamy palate. The whole is promising, with present yet integrated tannins and lovely fruit. It will be perfect at around 10 years of age.

An heady nose of ripe fruit, with notes of plums and black cherries. On the palate, a beautiful combination of opulence and floral freshness, with a touch of acidity that lifts you up, leading to a highly expressive, lightly toasted finish.

Haut-Batailley 2020 was aged for 14 months in barrels, 60% of which were new. Its stylistic identity is clearly established, and the terroir shows through with nuances of graphite. Supported by compact, fine-grained tannins, the wine benefits from the freshness of the terroir and a structuring acidity that imparts tension. A flavorful wine with good density.

With its very beautiful nose of fully ripe Cabernets expressing red rose and noble vegetal notes, with its lovely fine velvety texture—tight-knit yet airy—and its racy concentration, Haut Batailley gains in density in this 2020 vintage. A gourmet finish of fresh pepper and spices, a delight.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: deep, dark, elegant bouquet, black cassis, fine woods, currants, truffle, graphite. Densely knit, multilayered palate with concentrated dark fruit, powerful and complex aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, an elegant, finely muscular structure, and a long, powerful finish with dark echoes. Has room to improve.