Haut Batailley 2019

Enjoyable, balanced, smoked earth, black tea and slate, grilled black fruits that have plenty of Pauillac character. Not as muscular as its sibling estate Lynch Bages, but this is a delicious wine that has years ahead of it.

Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Ripe and slightly damp and furry on the nose. Solid and concentrated, but no lift for the moment. Very embryonic, but it should blossom eventually. Inky, sour finish. 14.5%Drink 2027– 2041

The 2019 Haut-Batailley, matured in 60% new oak for 14 months, has a tensile, well-defined bouquet, linear and focused (much more so than last year from barrel), featuring blackberry, briar, that same tincture of blood orange and a hint of cedar. The palate is silky-smooth on the entry and very cohesive and harmonious. Though there is a little new oak to be subsumed, that will happen over the next 2–3 years. Showing great depth and composure on the finish, this is a wonderful Pauillac that will give 30 or 40 years of drinking pleasure. Drink 2025-2055.

A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, the 2019 Haut-Batailley is deep garnet-purple colored. It has a pretty, floral nose with hints of lilacs and lavender over a core of warm cassis, blackberry pie, and wild blueberries with suggestions of chocolate cherries and truffles. Medium-bodied, the palate sings of juicy red and black fruits with a lively backbone and plush tannins, finishing long and perfumed.

The 2019 Haut-Batailley, now of course part of the Cazes family's portfolio, is nicely detailed on the nose with blood orange and even a touch of marmalade tincturing the black fruit. The palate is very intense on the entry, the fruit remarkably pure with fine-grain tannins. This is a Haut-Batailley with ambition: very harmonious with touches of white pepper and cedar towards the finish. Is this a harbinger for things to come? I hope so.2025 - 2055

Plenty of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. It’s full and chewy with a powerful finish. Tar and graphite at the end. Solid core of fruit and tannin here. One of the most structured I have had from here. Cazes family making the difference.

Displaying a deep garnet-purple color, the 2019 Haut-Batailley opens with fragrant notes of blackcurrant cordial, blackberry preserves and redcurrant jelly, leading to suggestions of fragrant soil, dried mint, woodsmoke and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers impactful, vibrant black fruit flavors with a racy line of freshness and finely grained tannins to support, finishing long with lots of savory and mineral sparks. 2025 - 2045

The third vintage under the Cazes ownership, and happy to see that they maintain a style that is distinct from Lynch Bages, one than emphasizes the elegance that Cabernet Sauvignon can give over the power and concentration of Bages. This has a touch of rusticity on the tannins, with an unfussy elegance, some delicious juicy cassis fruits and a ton of Pauillac character. Drinking Window 2024 - 2037