2005 Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Gloriously Pauillac on the nose, dark, rich, medicinal fruit, serious, with hints of spice. Lovely savoury fruit on the palate, mouth-filling and profound, dark fruit, spice and menthol, all wrapped up in a velvety structure. Good acidity and ripe tannins round this off perfectly. This is beginning to show very well now, precise balance and depth, with good length. Perfect Sunday lunch Claret. Drink now-2035.
Chris Pollington, Fine Wine Advisor (January 2021)

Deeply coloured with a crimson hue, this was remarkably expressive at first taste before decanting for a few hours. Instinctively, I was expecting a muscular and brooding Batailley, such is the nature of the vintage, but rather quite the opposite with a silky and seductive wine which showcased layer upon layer of complexity, forest fruits and blackberry pie, through to cedar and spice box. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plentiful structure keeping this completely alive, the tannins finely etched into the background, and acidity plays a balancing role, however, I find the wine is in harmony at present, with 16 years under its belt. With an opportunity to do this justice, I served alongside a roasted rare topside of fine beef and couldn’t have asked for more - this was absolutely singing, with mineral freshness and impressive length to boot. I would certainly recommend this food pairing, otherwise it is extremely enjoyable on its own after a few hours in a decanter. It’s going to give for another 10-15 years no doubt, but there is certainly no harm in cracking open some 2005 Ch. Batailley now! A stalwart of Pauillac from a brilliant vintage, it’s a reminder of how good Bordeaux can be….Fabulous. Drinking 2021 – 2040.”
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager (January 2021)