'Is 2025 as good a vintage as 2022?' Frédéric Castéja paused slightly when I put the question to him. 'It's close. It's better than any of 2018, 2019 or 2020'. (Not to mention 2021, 2023 or 2024). The Bordelais have a great vintage on their hands in 2025, one that marries ripe fruit and tannins with freshness, energy and moderate alcohol levels. In fact, 2025 is a complete charmer, classic in the best sense of the word, a vintage that is destined to perform very well in cellars.
This morning saw the release of perennial Uncorked favourite Batailley, and the 2025 is (yet) another success for the Castéja family. It's quintessential Pauillac, cool, clean and muscular. It opens on dark fruit, expands through layers of graphite and tobacco, and finishes on a gravelly note. That should be no surprise - the Batailley plateau sits on extremely deep gravel beds.
Recent vintages have seen Batailley adopt finer tannins and a little more gloss. Pruning has been adapted, yields have been reduced, and the introduction of a second wine (Lions de Batailley) has enabled more selection. In the cellar, the number of steel and cement vats has doubled (from 30 to 60) to enable much more precise vinification. Latterly the château has also adopted a relatively warm four-week post-fermentation maceration, to encourage more supple tannin extraction, while building body. It's still quintessential Pauillac, it's just more skilfully done than ever.
It's also worth noting that, despite the greatness of the vintage, due to the phenomenally difficult market conditions, the Castéjas have released Batailley at its lowest price in over a decade. To our mind, that represents a considerable buying opportunity. Great vintages don't come along with such keen pricing very often! /NT
