Château Haut-Batailley 1996

Aromas of blackberries and cassis, with hints of toasted oak. Full-bodied, chewy and rich. A bit one-dimensional on the palate. Needs time.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010.

Deep ruby-red. Floral, spicy aromas of black cherry, licorice and shoe polish. Thick and dense, with lovely sweetness and inner-mouth flavor. Boasts more volume than either the '98 or '97. Finishes thoroughly ripe, with rich, well-integrated tannins. A very strong vintage for this wine.

Youthful ruby-purple color with a lilac rim. On the nose, plenty of red to blue-berry fruit, mulberries, blackcurrant, buttery notes, a delicate waxy touch, an abundance of sweetness, still very fresh, with even a hint of violet. Juicy, creamy palate with fully integrated tannins, lovely flow and extract with a comforting charm, superb balance; a spicy Cabernet Sauvignon character on the finish and excellent length. A true bundle of finesse.

97: Barrel sample (17/20): Beautifully spiced Cabernet bouquet, showing fine depth and truffle notes. On the palate rather light, well aromatic, very clean. One of the most elegant Haut-Batailley in many years. 00: Deep, dense purple with violet and ruby highlights. Gorgeously scented, gently toasty bouquet with blueberry notes, ink and cedar. On the palate lots of substance and flesh, great astringency, concentrated and radiating very interesting potential. Clearly underestimated at the en primeur tasting. (18/20). 06: On the nose lots of red to blueberry-like fruit, mulberries, blackcurrant, buttery notes, a fine hint of wax, an abundance of sweetness, still very fresh, with even violet tones. Juicy, creamy palate; the tannins are fully integrated, so the flow on the palate and the extract show a soothing charm, superb balance; on the finish, spicy Cabernet and great length. A package of finesse. 09: For a few years, the complete opposite. A terroir-driven, truffle-tinged Médoc. On the palate still quite firm with very demanding tannins, showing strong astringency. Waiting will be rewarded, as a great classic is slumbering here.

Deep, spicy bouquet with blueberries, truffle, tobacco and cedar. Balanced, medium-bodied palate with an elegant structure and fine aromatics. Long, refined finish. 17/20 drink - 2022

Beautiful classicism. Straight and frank, it reveals aromas of noble ageing.

An intense, classic nose with notes of graphite and cedar. A pleasant touch of licorice and dark chocolate. Lively structure on the palate, with grainy tannins. A powerful wine that nevertheless struggles to reveal fruity notes, despite 2 hours in a decanter. Still, the wine is in great shape and, seen from this angle, it has a lot of merit, as it doesn’t flinch in the face of decades. Very Pauillac, very classic.

Deep red color. Intense. Lively. Beautiful. Purple. Nose of medium intensity. Refined. Fruity. A lovely, delicate hint of caramel. With aeration, it becomes dense and finely spicy. This is undoubtedly the most complete Haut-Batalley I’ve ever tasted. Dense, well-structured and juicy, it has a touch of austerity, and in this vintage it isn’t as approachable as before (the 97). It will need time. Tannic, flavorful finish. A beautiful wine.