2014 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 82% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, 2% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc.
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
Fragrant nose of ripe dark berries, cedar, graphite, woodsmoke and floral scents, seamless mouthfeel with supple texture, excellent fruit purity and good depth, oodles of flavours of blackberry, black currant, cherry, plum, coffee and white pepper liberally laced with sous-bois and stony mineral undertones, well-judged acidity and powdery tannins leading onto a long, harmonious finish. Though lacking the concentration and complexity of greater crus classés, this is an utterly charming wine with understated elegance and refined succulence. While Batailley was often inconsistent and uninspiring in the 1980s and 1990s, this 2014 bears witness to the great strides made by this estate over the last 15 years. At the beginning of its drinking window, it’s a well-crafted, classic yet very enjoyable Pauillac indeed. (02/2023)