Chateau Batailley 2020

DECANTER: "Really quite fragrant, lots of purple flowers and purple fruits, ripe blackcurrants, pencil shavings - deep and brooding. Supple and succulent, immediately just so balanced and comfortable in the mouth, calm and quietly confident, less showing off, not so overt or upfront, but more mouthfilling and expansive. Tannins give a stronghold in the mouth but are fine and velvety in texture, cushioning the cool fruit - blueberries and black cherries with mint and liquorice edges but not spiced. There’s an air of style but also of ease, you could drink this now, it's so approachable and likeable in the glass. Mouthwatering acidity, long and giving. Lovely structure and frame, great definition and persistence from the beginning. Opulent and structured, this needs some time, but I like the texture and tension, excellent potential. 18 months ageing in oak barrels, 60% new."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of black and red currants as well as orange. Ink pot. Cassis bush. Bramble berry. Graphite. Full-bodied yet tight and back-loaded with intense tannins, but they turn soft and polished. Very classic structure. Reminds me of a top Batailley from the 1980s, like 1985, but much more precise and clear. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 2% petit verdot, and 2% cabernet franc. Try after 2030."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Sporting a deep hue, the wine pops with its display of black currants, blackberries, espresso, cedar, cigar wrapper and mint leaf. The wine is full-bodied, round, and concentrated, with layers of ripe, polished, dark red pit fruits and berries, creamy tannins, and vibrancy, all of which make you go back for sip after sip. Drink from 2027-2055. "

WEINWISSER: "Delikates rotbeeriges Bouquet, frisches Himbeermark, zarte Fliedernote und getrockneter Thymian. Am geradlinigen Gaumen, weiche Textur, feinkörnige Extraktfülle, stützende Rasse und mittlerer Körper. Im gebündelten feinaromatischen Finale Wildkirsche, Estragon und Wacholder. Top-Wert aus Pauillac."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zarte Nuancen von dunklen Früchten, Kirschen und Pflaumen klingen an, zart nach Veilchen und Cassis, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten. Saftig, elegant und frisch, mineralisch-salzige Textur, straffe Tannine, zitronig im Nachhall, zart blättrig im Abgang, braucht noch Zeit zur Entwicklung."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2020 Batailley is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it reveals flashy scents of creme de cassis, redcurrant preserves, and wild blueberries, giving way to touches of violets, dark chocolate, camphor, and unsmoked cigars with a hint of cedar. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright, expressive cassis and red berry flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing with a mineral lift."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A strong effort for this Pauillac fifth growth, the 2020 Batailley offers up aromas of sweet blackcurrant fruit mingled with notes of cloves, baking spices, vanilla pod and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, with good depth and concentration, its pure core of fruit is framed by powdery, youthfully assertive tannins."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Darker currants, black cherries, leather, ripe tobacco, and cedar pencil notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Batailley, a classic, balanced, nicely concentrated Pauillac with lots to love. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and just a charming, satisfying character that will evolve nicely for two decades if well stored. It's certainly in the same league as the 2015, 2016, and 2019."