2023 Château Haut-Batailley En Primeur
"The 2023 marks another major step forward for Haut-Batailley. 93-96 points." (AG)
Released for sale en primeur today is Châteaux Lafon-Rochet at £432 per dozen.
It's now five years since Haut-Batailley was purchased by the Cazes family. The 2023 shows steady progress towards the kind of quality found at sibling-estate Lynch-Bages, with Galloni scoring the new release 93-96 points. Released at 13.6% below the last vintage, this is a very affordable fifth-growth Pauillac.
Offered en primeur, on allocation. Landing spring 2026.
Magnums available with £20 ex-VAT bottling surcharge per six. Please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2023 Bordeaux can be found here.
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.
| RED | 2023 | Château Lafon Rochet | 75cl | £330 per case of 12 | Château Lafon Rochet 2023 / / 75cl £330 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"Generous and layered, the 2023 Lafon-Rochet offers up aromas of blackberries, cassis, incense and burning embers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and enveloping palate that's gourmand and charming, concluding with a gently minty finish. Like the 2023, this represents a richer, more demonstrative style for this Saint-Estèphe property, where Christophe Congé and his team are rehabilitating the vineyards. 91-93 points." (WK), Wine Advocate, Apr '24------"The 2023 Lafon-Rochet was picked from September 13 to October 5 at 42hL/ha with no saignée. It contains 4% Petit Verdot, as there was more water during the growing season (which Petit Verdot needs—. Matured in 40% new oak, this has quite an intense bouquet with mainly black fruit, hints of graphite and chimney soot, nicely focused though it needs time to absorb the wood. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that frame the layered blackberry and raspberry fruit laced with white pepper and pencil shavings. This errs slightly toward Pauillac on the finish, which is no surprise given its proximity. Displaying moderate length, this is a fine but grippy, denser Lafon-Rochet that should give 20 years or more of drinking pleasure. 2029-2047. 91-93 points." Neal Martin, Vinous, Apr '24------"This is very St.-Estephe, with blackcurrant, lead pencil, graphite and crushed stone. Medium-bodied, linear and structured. Excellent finish. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. 13.35% alcohol. 3.75 pH. 93-94 points." James Suckling, Apr '24------"2023 Lafon-Rochet is a promising wine. Today, it shows terrific depth, driven by an elevated presence of Cabernet Sauvignon and a healthy dollop of Petit Verdot. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, licorice and dried herbs show tons of character. There's plenty of Lafon-Rochet finesse, but with an added kick of textural richness not found in the wines made during the Tesseron era. This comes together beautifully with a bit of time in the glass. 2030-2055. 93-95 points." Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Apr '24 |
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