Pauillac is the heart of the Médoc. St Julien may well be more consistent but it is no accident that three of the four Médoc first growths are in Pauillac – this is arguably the most important vineyard area in the world.
Château Batailley’s reputation for producing Pauillac that consistently over-performs is well-justified. One of the oldest estates in Bordeaux, it sits on a plateau at the southern end of the appellation, with Grand Puy Lacoste and Lynch Bages to the north and Latour and the two Pichons to the east.
Their 2016 is as good, if not better, as could be expected. We have opened multiple bottles in the office – and what sticks every time is that it is so “Pauillac” in character. If you want to show someone what Pauillac is supposed to taste like then this is the wine.
Praise from the critics is high. Neal Martin writes “The 2016 Batailley just screams "Pauillac" on the nose”, going on to note its “lovely tobacco and pencil box notes”, scoring it 94 points, whilst Jane Anson is particularly lyrical, writing of its “wonderfully deep fruit flavours of blackberry and crushed cassis.” finishing “this is a buy, that’s for sure.” It is a benchmark example of Pauillac, and of the brilliance of the 2016 vintage overall.
At £460 per dozen in bond we don’t think you can buy better 2016 Pauillac, or indeed a better 2016 Bordeaux, for less. At eight years old it is unwinding nicely – you can approach this now with a decant – though ideally it wants another five years in the bottle, and its drinking window will extend for at least a decade after that.
Shows beautiful, ripe cabernet aromas with currants, plums, meat and smoke. Flowers, too. Full body, deep and ripe fruit and exquisite, ripe tannins. Flavorful finish. Tight right now, but shows excellent potential. Best ever. Try after 2024.
The 2016 Batailley just screams "Pauillac" on the nose - it could not come from anywhere else. Lovely tobacco and pencil box notes infuse the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with smooth tannin and a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious and less rustic than the Batailley of yesteryear, while maintaining its classic DNA. This is a superb wine from the Castèja family and should give many years of pleasure after several years in the cellar. Drink 2022-2050
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep ruby-purple in colour. You can sense the high proportion of Cabernet immediately on the nose, cool with blackcurrant fruit, there are subtle and sophisticated layers of cedar and toasted spices. Pure and focused, it remains youthful on the nose. This follows on the palate, which has great drive. Black fruit lines the palate in tandem with ripe tannins that offer a velveteen bite. The proportions here are superb; tannin, fruit, acid and alcohol all lie in harmony, with flecks of wood spice adding a generous touch of glossy sweetness. Not as showy as some other recent Batailleys, this is proper Pauillac that harnesses the vintage superbly. If approaching now it should be decanted, but you can already enjoy it with food. It will only improve over the next decade in bottle, and will then have a long drinking window.
The 2016 Batailley is deep garnet colored. It rolls up with gregarious blackcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and cedar chest scents, plus touches of violets, dark chocolate, and graphite. The light to medium-bodied palate is bright, breezy, and refreshing, delivery crunchy, youthful fruit and a firm grainy frame, finishing on a lingering mineral note.
A tunnel of tannins takes you right through the palate, but it is not fully walled in as with 2010, rather the tannins are pliable and the overall feeling is of well controlled fruit that deepens as you go along. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, and a pH of 3.6. Wonderfully deep fruit flavours of blackberry and crushed cassis reside against black chocolate and well contained tannins. A lovely vintage that has power but is just the right side of big extraction. Good persistency with a coffee-scented finish. This is a buy, for sure.
