CRITIC REVIEWS
Neal Martin
The 2020 Haut-Batailley has a seductive and opulent bouquet with precocious black fruit, though it doesn't quite boast the complexity of the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with an edgy opening, lightly spiced with a grippy, tarry finish. Give this another couple of years in bottle.
JancisRobinson.com
Full bottle 1,345 g. Cask sample taken 16 April. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot. Merlot was picked 14 to 18 September and Cabernet 22 to 29 September. Three successive triages. 14 months' ageing in barrel (60% new) envisaged. Deep purple. Intense, savoury nose and silky-soft tannins. Classic modern Pauillac from a ripe vintage - which is to say that it is definitely sweeter than 'usual', whatever that is. (I wonder whether, now that the Cazes family own this property as well as Lynch-Bages, they feel a sense of competition between these two wines?) Not dense but beautifully textured with good freshness.