2005 Château Haut-Batailley

Château Haut-Batailley is a 54-acre estate in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. It is a Fifth Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. The estate was part of Château Batailley until 1942, when the owners, the brothers Francois and Marcel Borie, divided Château Batailley into two properties. The smaller part of estate became Haut-Batailley and it is still owned and operated by the Borie family, who also owns Ducru-Beaucaillou and Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The vineyards of Haut-Batailley are planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. About 10,000 cases are produced annually. The second wine is Tour d’Aspic.

Pauillac is Bordeaux’s most famous appellation, thanks to the fact that it is home to three of the region’s fabled first-growth châteaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Latour. Perched on the left bank of the Gironde River north of the city of Bordeaux, Pauillac is centered around the commune of Pauillac and includes about 3,000 acres of vineyards. The Bordeaux classification of 1855 named 18 classified growths, including the three above mentioned First Growths. Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal grape grown, followed by Merlot. The soil is mostly sandy gravel mixed with marl and iron. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “the textbook Pauillac would tend to have a rich, full-bodied texture, a distinctive bouquet of black currants, licorice and cedary scents, and excellent aging potential.”