CHÂTEAU BATAILLEY

The 2017 Batailley was picked between 19 and 27 September at 52hl/ha. Like the deuxième vin, the nose demands coaxing from the glass, initially quite restrained with cedar and cigar box infused black fruit that finally begin to unfold after five minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, fine depth and balance, well judged acidity and a precise, quintessential Pauillac finish. This feels long on the aftertaste – a fine follow-up to the 2015 and 2016 and it may well land at the top of my banded score. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

Deep crimson. Sweet cassis and light-handed oak giving a very slight char. Quite chewy on the palate, a little austere with the structure outmanoeuvring the fruit at the moment. Drinking range: 2025 - 2034 Rating: 16+ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

Blended of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Batailley gives profound notes of crème de cassis, preserved plums and licorice over a core of espresso, tapenade and Marmite toast. Medium-bodied with a ripe, firm backbone of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the vivacious, sustained fruit, it finishes long with a red fruit lift. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

This is good, showing less dominant oak than in some recent years and with a good level of fruit and extraction. It's a good year for appellation typicity up in this part of the Medoc, and this displays firm Pauillac tannins, well held together, with savoury and juicy fruit. I get the impression that this will close down, because those tannins are pretty serious, and with good levels of freshness this will age very well. They are doing great work at this estate at the moment. 52hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

Pauillac is one of the highlights in the Médoc in 2017, and the 2017 Château Batailley has outstanding potential. Deep purple-colored with a smoky, graphite, back fruit-driven bouquet, it’s broad, chunky and chewy on the palate. It lacks some elegance at the moment, but it’s an undeniably pleasure-bent effort. Rating: 88-91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

This is a classically structured young Pauillac with tannins that roll over the finish. Medium to full body and a bright aftertaste. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Focused, if slightly taut and austere in style, with cedar and tobacco notes leading off, pulling red currant and damson plum fruit along with them. A cedar edge hangs on the finish, where a savory streak checks in. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

The vines of Château Batailley sit quite far west in the appellation of Pauillac, and this may have had some influence on the character of the wine this year. This starts off with a nose of dark and smoky fruit, with a slightly granular presence, showing blackcurrant and a little icing sugar sweetness, plus a little light toast, but also a minty-green freshness. The palate shows a really charming and confident texture, with fresh seams of crushed blackcurrant and red cherry fruit, with just a little dusting of that minty sugar seen on the nose. Overall this is fresh, supple, charming, with a nice grip of moderately grained tannins. The truth is it all works together rather well. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)