2025 Haut-Batailley (Pauillac)

Good concentration, muscular but sappy texture, waves of liquorice, black chocolate, slow unrolling and depth, impressive. In this vintage, Haut-Batailley is less St Julien in Pauillac, and more squarely showcases the full character of the appellation. 3.7pH. 55% new oak. Harvest September 8 to 18. 94 points

Matured in 55% new barrels, the 2025 Haut-Batailley wafts from the glass with aromas of dark wild berries, spices, flowers and licorice, complemented by elegant notes of violet. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s built around a fleshy core of fruit framed by velvety tannins, concluding with a long, spicy and taut finish. A very fine wine in the making, it expresses a classical Medoc profile, notably with a fresh, subtly mentholated note on the finish. It`s a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. 92-94 points

The 2025 Haut-Batailley is a brooding young Pauillac with a bright future. Dark and brooding, with tons of vertical energy, Haut-Batailley is quite the powerhouse. Black fruit, leather, incense, licorice, dried herbs and mocha are some of the many aromas and flavors that gradually open in the glass. Readers will have to be quite patient, as the tannins are rather imposing, but there`s more than enough fruit density to balance things out. 93-95 points

The 2025 Haut-Batailley was picked between September 8 and 18, matured in 55% new oak. This has a more intense, bolder nose than the Verso, graphite-infused black fruit that is Pauillac through and through. Razor-sharp. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, but there is gentle and insistent grip. Sapid, an Haut Batailley that evokes images of the Gironde Estuary, this is a marvellous contribution to the vintage, perhaps the best under Jean-Charles Cazes. 95-97 points