1996 Haut Batailley
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Tasting notes
The 1996 Haut Batailley has a modest bouquet with blackberry, cedar and briary scents, not the most complex you will find but it has an attractive purity, a subtle floral scent emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry. There is agreeable tertiary black fruit here although I find it just needs more cohesion and backbone towards the finish that feels a little "loose limbed." Perhaps over 20 years it has become a little slack, although the length is commendable. I would drink this now and over the next decade. Tasted July 2016.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Dark crimson. Attractive, focused but still youthful cassis nose. Tannins pretty well melded. A very attractive, gentle, classic claret. Classy stuff. Very nice classic claret. (JR)
Full, opulent and quite high volatile acidity, which adds glamour! Very slightly green underneath. Sleek and polished and worked. Quite high tannic content. (JR)
Very deep. Lustrous dark ruby. Sweet tea leaf aromas. Very neat and compact and dense. Very slightly too much oak in evidence. Warm, almost hot(!) finish – almost unheard-of in 1996… Quite a dramatic, obviously consciously sculpted wine. (JR)
About the producer
The Cazes family – owners of Lynch-Bages and Ormes de Pez – purchased Haut-Batailley in 2017. They’ve embarked on a significant replanting programme, and exciting things are likely to come from this address with its new backing.