2009 Pauillac, Château Batailley
About Producer
The origins of this estate date back to the 15th century with its 57ha vineyards sitting on gravel, clay and sandstone soils at the southern end of Pauillac, on the site of a battle (bataille in French) between the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War, hence the name Batailley. The modern history of Batailley started in 1961 when the property was inherited by the Castéja family of the famous négociants Borie-Manoux who also owns other Bordeaux estates, notably Trotte-Vieille in St-Emilion. Under the management of Philippe Castéja since 2003, now assisted by his son Frédéric, Batailley has made significant progress and the recent vintages have considerably gained in purity and aromatic finesse while remaining at brilliant quality-price ratio.
Varietals
Blend of 74% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.
About Appellation
Largest town in the Médoc and slighly more elevated than its surrounding area, Pauillac has always played an important role in the wine trade, notably when the city of Bordeaux lost its privilege and monopoly of wine exports to England in the 18th century. The vineyards cover 1,213ha and sit on well-drained sand and gravelly soils, with the best sites being located on rolling mounds, called 'croupes', that reach their highest point at 30m above sea level. Cabernet sauvignon is the predominant grape variety, albeit always blended with merlot, and to a lesser extent, with cabernet franc and petit verdot. Pauillac is home to 18 grands crus classés in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, including Lafite-Rothschild, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild (since 1973) as first growths.
Tasting Notes
Inviting nose of dark berries, fresh leather, graphite, smouldering ember and violets, round mouthfeel with velvety texture, excellent focus and good depth, multilayered flavours of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, plum, tobacco, sous-bois and baking spices underscored by wet earth notes, vibrant acidity and resolved tannins carrying through a long, pleasurable finish. Having just turned the corner towards drinkability, this is a delightful wine with composed poise, effortless balance and quiet complexity. It’s classic and somewhat old-style, yet a well-crafted and utterly enjoyable Pauillac. A spectacular change from its uneven track record of the past, this 2009 is undeniably the best wine produced by this estate for decades and a much welcome harbinger of the ensuing string of excellent vintages. (01/2022)