Château Haut-Batailley 2019

Critic scores

• Vinous95
• Jeb Dunnuck95
• Wine Enthusiast94
• Wine Advocate93
• Decanter93
• Wine Spectator93

The 2019 vintage in Pauillac

Vintage benchmark: 96/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: A hot end of summer after a rainy spring gave wines that hold ripeness and freshness together; the cabernets shine here.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Pauillac. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

With its garnet color with dense ruby reflections of astonishing brilliance, Château Haut-Batailley 2019 already suggests a beautiful tasting. With its background of dark fruits, slightly vanilla, the intense nose is supported by notes of freshness which seem to be a characteristic of this 2019 vintage. On the palate, we find this balance which is both concentrated and silky. The grapes harvested at full maturity offer remarkable richness and tannin presence, marked by the elegant style of the property.

Blend of the 2019 vintage

Winemaking

A first sorting is carried out in the vineyard. A second, then a third sorting takes place, before and after destemming. The vatting takes place for three weeks, following the rhythm of successive pump-over and rack and return. Once finished, the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in vats then are aged in barrels.

Ageing

14 months in French oak barrels (60% new oak)

Terroir

The distinctive character of the Haut-Batailley terroir comes from its situation in the south of the Pauillac appellation, on the border with Saint-Julien. The influence of this neighbouring appellation is felt in the cru, where one finds the grace, charm and delicacy that stand for a femininity often less marked in the wines of Pauillac. This harmonious complexity gives the wine character and a great deal of personality.