Deep ruby, medium rim. A floral, red-fruited first nose(red currents and plums). Certain ripeness from more than 60% Merlot fruit shows fresh red cherries and plums on the second, followed by coffee and liquorice tones. Extended oak ageing and storage hint chocolaty, cedary and forestry tones. The remaining 40% is Cabernet Franc, which gives some freshness and grass tones. Think du Tertre of Margaux, in terms of stylistic influence from Franc. The palate is lighter with soft extract and high acidity, medium towards a long finish.
2013 is an excellent year to show wine-making skills—a great value Grand Cru Classe. DD90+, WS88, Falstaff88. Reasonable scores.
Updated: Sep 9, 2024
The Château Haut-Batailley 2013, a wine ready for immediate enjoyment, presents a deep ruby colour with a tight rim. It is a dense, fruit-intense example, featuring fleshy blackberry and boysenberry flavours with robust Pauillac tannins. The wine evolves towards a precise style, revealing lively blood orange and pomegranate tones, crunchy cassis, thyme, spice, coffee bean scents, and a hint of toast. It is crisp, bright, and spicy, finishing with a light red berry note. This elegant St Julien-style wine is well-balanced, with 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot grapes, and is matured in 60% new oak. The wine has a medium finish and a modest alcohol by volume (ABV) of 13%. It is not a full-bodied Pauillac.
This Château Haut-Batailley 2013 has been rated DD91 and RP90, with the 2010 vintage receiving an RP91, making the 2013 scores quite respectable.
The Château Haut-Batailley 2013 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, harvested from October 2nd to October 10th at a rate of 31 hectoliters per hectare (hl/ha). It has a light and slightly leafy bouquet with hints of bay leaf and undergrowth, and while it lacks vigour at this stage, it gains cohesion towards the finish. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline character at the entry, reminiscent of Lynch Bages, and it maintains a classic style with a touch of austerity lingering on the aftertaste. This assessment is based on a tasting conducted in April 2014—deep ruby with a tight rim. A fruit-intense, dense example from 2013, this bottle gives a good sense of fleshy blackberry and boysenberry with robust Pauillac tannins, facilitating a development towards a precise style. The second nose points to lively blood orange and pomegranate tones, crunchy cassis, thyme, spice and coffee bean scents, and toast; the wine is crisp, bright and spicy, finishing with a light red berry note. This Pauillac with St Julien personality and elegance is ready for immediate consumption. It remains an attractive quintessential Pauillac that is well-balanced using two grapes(76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, matured in 60% new oak) and gripping with a medium finish. ABV is a mere 13%. If you want a full-bodied Pauillac, this bottle is for someone else.
We accord it a DD91. It's an RP90. Considering that its 2010 vintage is an RP91, 2013 scores are pretty decent and excellent value.
RP90 is from Parker, who writes that the Château Haut-Batailley 2013 blends 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, picked from 2 to October 10th at 31hl/ha. It has a light and slightly leafy bouquet with touches of bay leaf and undergrowth. It is missing a little vigour at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied, with a saline character at the entry (like Lynch Bages). It gains cohesion towards the finish, remaining resolutely 'classic' in style with a nice touch of austerity lingering on the aftertaste. RP et al. tasted April 2014.
Deep ruby; medium rim. Fresh red fruit with some complexities. Elegantly woody- soft and clean with round and smooth nose. Traditional ageing in oak barrels, this wine has a classic, rich suppleness and develops a hint of ripe, darker fruit. Soft, elegantly chalky; almost can't feel the alcohol. Recently promoted to Cru Bourgeois Supérieur status in the 2003 revision of the 1932 classification, Château Coufran has positioned itself among the leading crus bourgeois of the Haut-Médoc. It was still going on fine.
It seems to be an Ex-château sold directly from the winery after being bottled and stored in its cellar. They have never left the production site before the purchase, and often, they are perfectly aged and ready to drink when offered ex-château, meaning their storage should be perfect.
Frequently described as Médoc Pomerol, Château Coufran's special character is due to its geographical location and the choice of grape variety, which might initially seem unusual. Consisting almost entirely of Merlot(the other 10%), the vines cover hilltops that look down over the Gironde estuary. Merlot's tendency to ripen early works wonderfully on this dry gravel/sandy terroir, which is particularly well-oriented.
