2016 Chateau Batailley

Also available: 2008 Vintage

ABOUT THE WINE
Chateau Batailley is Borie-Manoux’s and the Castéja-family’s flagship winery. One of the oldest estates in the Médoc the name is derived from the battle (“bataille”) that took place during the Hundred Years’ War and where the chateau and vineyard are sited today. The estate is currently experimenting with biodynamic farming techniques on a 5- hectare parcel. Overall vinification is pretty standard, with hand-harvested grapes fully de-stemmed before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place partly in the tank, and partly in the barrel, and the wine is then aged in 60% new French oak for about 16 months before bottling. Since 1995, subtle changes have seen the wines achieve more delicacy and purity of fruit character, resulting in wines of greater finesse which still remain true to their Pauillac roots.

TASTING NOTES
A rare, but beautiful blend of fresh red berries of raspberry and rose hip married with the savoury meatiness and cigar box with a sweet vanilla undertone, not to mention the charming crushed violets. A truly elegant and complex claret, which shows power in a restrained way, but still managed to have polished and gripping tannins that are dazzling and promising facing forward. This wine is now in its drinking window, and will stay there until the late 2040s…

FOOD PAIRING
Roast mallard with radicchio and pear salad, braised veal shank with winter root vegetable purée. Any seared & dry-aged beef cut should also pair impeccably. 

FRIARWOOD SAYS
This wine will never cease to surprise, glass after glass, and is unquestionably moreish. Drinking beautifully now but still retains some solid ageing potential.