"Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 92/100
Made in a more charming style than the normally backward, rather formidably tannic wines of Batailley, this 2010 is an endearing, elegant wine, but it has no shortage of power, richness and intensity. It displays loads of beautiful cassis, cedar and Christmas fruitcake notes along with impressive purity, texture and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Usually much more austere, this vintage seems to have produced a richer, more layered and opulent style of Batailley that can be approached in 3-5 years and consumed over the following 25 years."
Located south of Pauillac, Château Batailley is one of the oldest estates in the Médoc. Its name comes from the French word for battle, and reminds us that a fight took place on this site between French troops trying to capture the Latour fortress from the English during the Hundred Years War (15th century). Batailley's vines are situated on a gravelly plateau that descends towards the Gironde. The superb soil has excellent natural drainage ideally suited to the estate's combination of premium grape varieties. The wines are well-structured with ripe tannin and a typical blackcurrant bouquet of Cabernet Sauvignon at its best. Belonging to the Castéja family, the vines are tended with the greatest of care and the wine is made in cellars with the latest equipment. This technological capacity perfectly complements a first-class terroir fully worth of its classification as a great growth in the 1855 classification.
