2021 Batailley
Buying options
Tasting notes
The team here waited until 11th October to pick their Cabernet Sauvignon, making them one of the last in the vineyards of Pauillac. The risk paid off, giving them ripe tannins and a richness not found at all addresses. It’s one of the best Batailley’s we’ve tasted – elegant, fresh and typically old-school Pauillac. There’s an enticing sweetness to the nose, with vanilla and baking spice (from 60% new oak), backed up by ripe red plum fruit and cassis. Having waited for their Cabernet to ripen, there’s a lovely density and structure to the wine, with chalky tannins that provide good grip, while the year’s cool conditions give balance and freshness. They chaptalised to reach a modest 13% alcohol, but it’s beautifully integrated. Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Looks relatively evolved. Hint of charcoal on the nose. Sweet and juicy and a little simple, but easy to like in the relatively short term. Not fighting the vintage and held up well in the glass. Energetic. (JR)
The 2021 Batailley is quite the powerhouse. Even so, it offers fine balance. Broad tannins enshroud a core of dark-toned fruit, licorice, spice, black olive, lavender and sage. Batailley is a rare 2021 that is going to need time to come together. Its intensity, breadth and overall persistence are impressive. There's real textural resonance here, not to mention tons of character.
The 2021 Batailley almost revels in a cooler, challenging vintage like this. It has a well-defined, clean, fresh, classically styled bouquet, with a pencil shaving-infused black fruit aromatic profile that could only come from Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, very harmonious with white pepper and sage, gently building in the mouth toward a cohesive, long, graphite-tinged finish. This is a Batailley that feels comfortable in its own skin. I suspect it has 25-30 years of drinking pleasure to give.
About the producer
It was on the site of Batailley in 1453 that one of the final battles (or “batailles”) of the Hundred Years’ War took place. Today owned by the Castéja family, the Fifth Growth is renowned for producing wine that is the epitome of classic Claret.