Château Batailley 2003 – emblematic of the 2003s?
Wither the 2003s in Bordeaux? In Pauillac we normally expect tannic bruisers, which need at least 10 years of bottle age to begin to become approachable. Château Batailley, a 5th level cru classé is no exception. Given that it has avoided producing a second wine (for the lesser parcels), and tended to resist other ways of selection into its top château wine until recently, it has risked unripeness and a lack of finesse in the past – a good, honest, earthy claret at a modest price (for a cru classé that is!).
Opening the 2003 recently, I feared the worst, remembering the very high summer temperatures in Bordeaux that year, and the risks to the vines and the wine makers, especially where Right Bank merlot was concerned. Hence it was with some trepidation I opened my first Left Bank 2003 at home, (although I had tasted a few whilst visiting the Médoc in 2006). So what sort of tasting note to write?
‘Ch Batailley 2003. Ripe and forward, savoury, with good fruit (not too jammy) and more balance than expected. Alcohol evident, but not oppressive. Tannins soft. No real ‘grip’. A pleasant enough drink. No evidence of falling apart, but what sort of evolution? We have been fooled before about longevity (both ways) – it should keep a minimum of 5-10 years I guess. 11.11.2007.’
I decided to look to see how others had written about the wine. Sebastian Payne commented in 2004 in his Wine Society notes (after the initial tastings in Bordeaux) in the following terms - 'Proper Pauillac with splendid, ripe fruit and big bone structure. A cross between a more concentrated 1982 and a ripe 1996 says delighted owner Philippe Castéja 2010-2023.’ Having tasted both the 1982 and 1996 within recent memory (both of which I liked), I can see what he means. Robert Parker enjoyed the wine, giving it a score of 89-92 in his second Wine Advocate article in the April 2005 issue (increased from an initial 87-89). He was impressed, and thought it would last two decades.
The annual Bordeaux tasting marathon held every January at Adnams of Southwold tasted 219 wines of the 2003 vintage in 2007. In the Decanter magazine Bordeaux 2007 supplement, under the heading ‘2003: Hot or not’ Steven Spurrier wrote that the Pauillac section fell into two categories – “There was a great contrast between the less prestigious growths in the first flight, mostly for early drinking, and the grander wines in the second flight, which showed ‘magnificent quality of fruit that pulls you into the glass’ (Andrew Jefford)’” – I hope for Andrew’s sake, not literally! Château Batailley was not referred to in the article, but my tasting experience seemed to agree with the above comment, and the reports of other 5th growths such as Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Ch Lynch-Moussas in the article.
As someone who has purchased quite a bit of 2003 (across the range, and up to the grand wines), I feel reassured. Indeed, a recent e-mail from Julia Harding, who had just left a tasting of 60 2003s, noted ‘Much less jammy than I expected’. But I suspect we need to be vigilant, not least with the following caveat from Steven Spurrier on the Southwold tasting –
“Overall, the tasting was considered to be a success, confirming Stephen Browett’s view of the 2003s and surprising many of the tasters. But it is definitely a Left Bank vintage.”
Wither the 2003s in Bordeaux? In Pauillac we normally expect tannic bruisers, which need at least 10 years of bottle age to begin to become approachable. Château Batailley, a 5th level cru classé is no exception. Given that it has avoided producing a second wine (for the lesser parcels), and tended to resist other ways of selection into its top château wine until recently, it has risked unripeness and a lack of finesse in the past – a good, honest, earthy claret at a modest price (for a cru classé that is!).
Opening the 2003 recently, I feared the worst, remembering the very high summer temperatures in Bordeaux that year, and the risks to the vines and the wine makers, especially where Right Bank merlot was concerned. Hence it was with some trepidation I opened my first Left Bank 2003 at home, (although I had tasted a few whilst visiting the Médoc in 2006). So what sort of tasting note to write?
‘Ch Batailley 2003. Ripe and forward, savoury, with good fruit (not too jammy) and more balance than expected. Alcohol evident, but not oppressive. Tannins soft. No real ‘grip’. A pleasant enough drink. No evidence of falling apart, but what sort of evolution? We have been fooled before about longevity (both ways) – it should keep a minimum of 5-10 years I guess. 11.11.2007.’
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Tasting 2003 at Domaine de Chevalier
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The annual Bordeaux tasting marathon held every January at Adnams of Southwold tasted 219 wines of the 2003 vintage in 2007. In the Decanter magazine Bordeaux 2007 supplement, under the heading ‘2003: Hot or not’ Steven Spurrier wrote that the Pauillac section fell into two categories – “There was a great contrast between the less prestigious growths in the first flight, mostly for early drinking, and the grander wines in the second flight, which showed ‘magnificent quality of fruit that pulls you into the glass’ (Andrew Jefford)’” – I hope for Andrew’s sake, not literally! Château Batailley was not referred to in the article, but my tasting experience seemed to agree with the above comment, and the reports of other 5th growths such as Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Ch Lynch-Moussas in the article.
As someone who has purchased quite a bit of 2003 (across the range, and up to the grand wines), I feel reassured. Indeed, a recent e-mail from Julia Harding, who had just left a tasting of 60 2003s, noted ‘Much less jammy than I expected’. But I suspect we need to be vigilant, not least with the following caveat from Steven Spurrier on the Southwold tasting –
“Overall, the tasting was considered to be a success, confirming Stephen Browett’s view of the 2003s and surprising many of the tasters. But it is definitely a Left Bank vintage.”
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Ch Lascombes in the 2003 sunshine
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