Château Haut-Batailley

The property takes its name from the locality of Batailley, which the estate links to a battle fought on these lands in the 15th century during the Hundred Years' War. The estate is a classified growth in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, ranked a Fifth Growth. The Brest-Borie family acquired the property in the 1930s. Originally part of Château Batailley, Haut-Batailley had its vineyard defined in 1942, when the estate was divided into two separate properties, Batailley and Haut-Batailley. In March 2017 the Cazes family, which heads Château Lynch-Bages, bought Château Haut-Batailley from the Brest-Borie family; no price was disclosed. At the purchase the Cazes family stated that, to respect the estate's identity and the integrity of its vineyard, the property would be managed independently and have its own dedicated team of technical experts. In 2017 the Cazes family also gave the grand vin a new label, inspired by the lithographs of Gustave Doré.

• 1855: classified growth in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification, ranked a Fifth Growth.
• 1930s: the Brest-Borie family acquired the property.
• 1942: the vineyard was defined when the estate was divided into Batailley and Haut-Batailley.
• March 2017: bought by the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages, to be managed independently with its own technical team.

The Cazes family, owners of Château Lynch-Bages and Château Ormes de Pez, has owned the estate since March 2017. At the time of the purchase, Jean-Charles Cazes was general manager of the family-owned group. Before the sale the estate was managed by François-Xavier Borie. As of March 2025, Julien Galland was the estate's technical manager.

• Owners: the Cazes family, since March 2017.
• Jean-Charles Cazes: general manager of the family-owned group at the time of the 2017 purchase.
• François-Xavier Borie: managed the estate until the 2017 sale.
• Julien Galland: technical manager (as of March 2025).

The vineyard extends over 41 hectares on soils of deep Garonne gravel, with a clay subsoil, in the southern part of the Pauillac appellation, bordering Saint-Julien. In 2017, when the Cazes family took over, 22 hectares were in production and 19 hectares of land with planting rights within AOC Pauillac had not been planted, never having been reinstated after phylloxera. In 2018, following an in-depth study of the terroirs, an extensive planting programme began, and the vineyard's total surface doubled in three years, from 22 to 41 hectares. At the time of the sale the vineyard was planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, with vines averaging 35 years old. The grapes are now Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, in proportions of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. The estate's named gravel plots include Aspic and Bécades. In 2022, over 910 trees and shrubs of 14 different varieties were planted in the heart of the vineyard; the vineyard approach also includes working the soils and using green manures, with preparations such as an infusion of osier bark and a decoction of field horsetail to stimulate the vines' natural defences. The Tour l'Aspic, built in 1875 by the Demoiselles Averous and topped by the Virgin Mary facing the Gironde, marks the entrance to the Pauillac vineyard.

• 41 hectares of deep Garonne gravel over clay, in southern Pauillac bordering Saint-Julien.
• 19 hectares unplanted since phylloxera were planted from 2018; the vineyard doubled from 22 to 41 hectares in three years.
• Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot (60%, 37% and 3%).
• Over 910 trees and shrubs of 14 varieties planted in the vineyard in 2022.
• Tour l'Aspic, built in 1875, marks the entrance to the Pauillac vineyard.

Grapes are hand-picked and sorted at the vineyard and table. For the 2018 to 2021 vintages, vatting took place over three weeks with successive cycles of pumping over and 'rack and return', and malolactic fermentation took place in vats. The grand vin is aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, with 70% new oak in 2021, 65% in 2022 and 2023 and 60% in 2024. Haut-Batailley Verso is aged for 12 months in one-year-old French oak barrels.

• Hand harvest, sorted at the vineyard and table.
• Three-week vatting with pumping over and 'rack and return' (2018 to 2021 reports); malolactic fermentation in vats.
• Grand vin: 16 months in French oak barrels, 60% to 70% new (2021 to 2024).
• Verso: 12 months in one-year-old French oak barrels.

The estate makes two wines: the grand vin, Château Haut-Batailley, and the second wine, Haut-Batailley Verso. The Cazes family launched Verso when it took over the property, and 2017 was its first vintage; in the estate's words, the second wine 'receives the same level of care as the Grand Vin.' The Tour l'Aspic is depicted on Verso's back label, on the 'verso' of the bottle. The grand vin's blend by vintage was 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot in 2017, 59% and 41% in 2018, 76% and 24% in 2019, 62% and 38% in 2020, and 70% and 30% in 2021 and 2022; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot in 2023; and 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot in 2024. Verso's blend was 63% Merlot and 37% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2023 and 59% Merlot and 41% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2024. The 2017 grand vin was released at €42 a bottle ex-négociant, and Verso 2017 was offered through négociants in La Place de Bordeaux to retail at €25 a bottle.

• Château Haut-Batailley: the grand vin; 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot in 2024.
• Haut-Batailley Verso: the second wine, first vintage 2017.
• 2017 release prices: €42 a bottle ex-négociant for the grand vin; €25 retail for Verso.

The estate presents Château Haut-Batailley as 'a harmonious, elegant wine with a fine tannic structure' that 'will develop even more complexity and depth over time,' and Haut-Batailley Verso as 'a compelling and vibrant wine that offers black fruits aromas with hints of spices,' whose freshness allows it to be enjoyed from its early years onwards. Julien Galland's note on the 2021 grand vin refers to 'the elegant style that is the signature of the property.'

Primary sources (producer's own site and owner group site): https://hautbatailley.com/en, the estate's media kit linked from that page (presentation and vintages booklet; key selling points for Château Haut-Batailley and Haut-Batailley Verso): https://toolbox.hautbatailley.com/s/cpGNLt8bifkZzDT, https://www.jmcazes.com/en/news/cazes-family-acquires-chateau-haut-batailley. Secondary sources: Decanter (Chris Mercer, last updated 21 February 2019), Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, 31 March 2017) and The Drinks Business (Rupert Millar, 15 October 2019). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.