"Neal Martin 93/100
Tasted at the Batailley vertical tasting at the château, the 2005 Batailley continues to be an excellent Pauillac that I suspect is overshadowed by some of its more illustrious and, let's not forget, more expensive neighbors. Here, it has an effervescent bouquet with vibrant red berry fruit and superb mineralité. This is extremely well focused, with hints of rose petal emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than in previous years. I feel there is still some oak to be fully absorbed, so don't be afraid to cellar this 2005 for another four or five years; but, even at this early stage, you can appreciate its precision on the graphite-infused finish. The 2005 Batailley is where the estate began its upward swing that is continuing to this day. Tasted April 2016. The Wine Advocate"
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.
