21 Sep 2022

"This is an outstanding Haut-Batailley.  94 points."  Neal Martin, Vinous

You might be wondering why 2016 Château Haut-Batailley has only just been released on an autumnal day in September 2022.  The reason is that the launch of this outstanding vintage from a Pauillac Fifth Growth was a casualty of the sale of the château, by the Borie family to the Cazes family, who took ownership in 2017.   

Happily, this means the 2016 is now released, six years after the grapes were harvested, having been stored in perfect conditions in Bordeaux.  Neal Martin's praise is echoed by James Suckling and Jancis Robinson, all three critics pointing out its classic Pauillac attributes...fine, polished tannins, dark fruits and pencil-lead aromas.  At a blind tasting seminar a few years ago we got a mild telling off for mistaking Haut-Batailley for Lynch-Bages, but now we feel vindicated, as Haut-Batailley begins to realise its full potential. 

Ready to enjoy shortly after landing and offered at or below the price of more recent releases, the 2016 is presented with a unique label, reflecting a vintage made 'between the two families (i.e. the Bories and the Cazes), which may also add to the collectibility of this new release in years to come.

Please simply email us if you would like to order.

Offered en primeur, landing spring 2023.

 

Producer Profile

Château Haut-Batailley, Cru Classé Pauillac

Château Haut-Batailley is a Cinquièmes Cru Classé in Pauillac, owned since 2017 by the Cazes family, who also own Lynch-Bages.  Originally part of the Batailley estate, it became a separate property in the 1940s, under the ownership of the Borie family. 

The 41-hectare vineyard is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 35 Cabernet Franc, on deep Garonne gravel.  19 hectares of this have recently been added by the Cazes family, land with planting rights within AOC Pauillac that had not been planted since Phylloxera.  As you would expect in the era of micro-viticulture, the new vines were planted after an extensive study of the terroir.  These vineyards will come on stream over the next few years, as new plantings mature. 

The estate is split in two parts, with part of the vineyard close to Latour and another parcel on the Bages plateau, close to Lynch-Bages.  The style here has historically tended toward elegance, but recent vintages have shown more concentration and power.