Chateau Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, 2012

From the famous chateau estate of the Castja family, the 2012 Batailley is a very strong effort. This is a big-time sleeper of the vintage. A dense purple wine with loads of crme de cassis, blueberry notes, background forest floor and cedar, this is a strong effort from Batailley and may well usher in a new era for this fifth-growth chateau that is capable of producing great wine. The tannins are sweet and the wine has an opulence and richness that is rare for a Medoc in 2012. Drink it over the next 25 years.

Blackish purple. Unusually savoury – meat-extract notes. Interesting! Then sweet and voluptuous on the palate. Very different structure to the St-Juliens. Big and bold and makes a splash. I might have guessed a Pichon if they participated in the UGC blind tasting…