Chateau Batailley 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2012

Linear and precise, with fine-grained chalky tannins, generous oak and complex flavours of dark fruits, leather, bitter chocolate and game. The power and weight of this wine leads straight to a Cru Classé from the Left Bank, and the polish is very Pauillac.

Drink 2020 - 2030

The 2012 Batailley has plenty of fruit on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, a touch of shoe leather and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry, nicely balanced though, with cedar and tobacco infusing the black fruit with a touch more fruit on the finish compared to Haut-Batailley. It just needs more time in bottle.

Drink 2023 - 2038

From the famous château estate of the Castéja family, the 2012 Batailley is a very strong effort. This is a big-time sleeper of the vintage. A dense purple wine with loads of crème de cassis, blueberry notes, background forest floor and cedar, this is a strong effort from Batailley and may well usher in a new era for this fifth-growth chateau that is capable of producing great wine. The tannins are sweet and the wine has an opulence and richness that is rare for a Médoc in 2012.

Drink 2015 - 2040

A full-bodied red with chewy and polished tannins, lots of ripe fruit and toasted oak, though this turns slightly lean on the finish. Needs two or three years to soften. 

Better in 2017