Château Haut-Batailley Verso 2017

James Suckling

An expression of sweet berries, plums and currants on the nose as well as a touch of baked fruit. A slightly sweet-sour accent has a direct impact, giving this early appeal but less finesse or complexity. Fluid, juicy and firm at the end. Medium-long finish. 54% merlot, 43% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Drink in 2026.

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Verso, matured in one-year-old French oak barrels, reveals aromas of dark berries, violet and dark cherries. Medium- to full-bodied, juicy and supple, it’s elegant and built around a core of fruit with good depth, concluding with a long, delicately fresh finish.

Château Haut-Batailley spans around 40 hectares in the southern sector of Pauillac, on gravelly soils that favor Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Since the Cazes family acquired the estate in 2017, investment has proceeded with clarity of intent, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Viticulture remains traditional in its foundations, with straightforward canopy management and parcel-by-parcel harvesting. In the cellar, fermentations take place in temperature-controlled vats adapted to each lot, followed by élevage in barrels, a significant proportion of which are new, with regular rackings. The approach stays classical, but the tools now allow for greater control and more measured extraction.

Haut-Batailley has moved steadily toward a more refined expression. The style has gained in definition and restraint, with each vintage marking a step forward. Year after year, the wines show a clearer articulation of freshness, supported by tannins that feel increasingly velvety and precise, without sacrificing the Pauillac frame.

In 2025, the estate delivers a particularly strong performance. The wines capture this ongoing evolution, combining freshness, control and textural finesse, confirming the qualitative progress achieved in recent vintages.

Jeb Dunnuck

Framboise, cassis, sweet spice, and floral notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Haut-Batailley Verso, a forward, charming, velvety textured second wine that shines for its purity and balance. It's going to drink nicely right out of the gate, yet it still has solid underlying structure, and I see no reason it shouldn't evolve nicely for 15 years in cold cellars.