Château Batailley 1990

The 1990 offers medium dark ruby color, as well as an open knit, fragrant, spicy, sweet nose. In the mouth, the wine is decidedly less structured and tannic when compared to the 1989, but more soft, elegant and, at least for now, more flattering. A clone of Batailley's 1962? Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010.

Beautiful wine. Very dark ruby-red. Wonderful blackberry, mineral and violet aromas. Full-bodied, with round and velvety tannins and a long, beautifully fruity finish.—1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2005.

Deep red. Leather, earth, and spice on the nose. Supple texture yet musclebound today; good intensity of flavor but offers little of the fat of the vintage. Slightly medicinal. Tongue- coating tannins seem ripe enough, though.

Full developed, classic in style, with a strong lean to the bright, cassis and cranberry side of the classic, leaner style range, the wine offers notes of herbs, tobacco, green herb and leafy essences in the nose and palate. This is fully mature.

Deep, dark wine-red color. Nutty, toasty bouquet with plum aromas and a hint of cinnamon. On the palate, fleshy, with sweet tannins in a soft, silky texture, good backbone, great ripe Cabernet character, ready to drink.

Arrival (18/20): Deeply spicy, cedar, coffee, dense, almost inky. Full palate with charming tannins, superb potential wrapped in elegance. Buy! 1995 ordered for 43 francs in a restaurant: a great ’90s wine (18/20) that already gives a lot of pleasure. The wine shows enormous charm and richness. So much for people saying great Bordeaux are expensive! Open, rich chocolate-and-cinnamon bouquet, broad and almost lavish, with maturing terroir tones behind. On the palate likewise soft and generous, tannins with almost plump contours, showing plenty of charm and opulence; in the finish blackberries and blackcurrant, and again a ripe, slightly earthy note threaded with herbs. 03: Has this wine matured so quickly in so few years? Two bottles showed a noticeably light, evolving colour. The nose is open, the fruit clearly fading, earthy sweetness. On the palate the wine has become leaner and, with its earthy-sweet notes, already signals the end of its finest drinking window (16/20). 05: At the estate over a dinner, drank quite a lot of it with bright delight. 06: At the Jagdhof in the Stubai Valley, right next to the much more modest-seeming 1989 Batailley. Lots of juice and above all a dreamy bouquet showing mint, chocolate and sweet plums (17/20). 14: It was served at a dinner at Batailley. At first I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough of it. But the staff clearly picked up on my thirst, and in the end I was almost a little tipsy—like a lady.

A sweet, velvety, mineral bouquet with notes of plum, chocolate and tobacco. The palate is sweet and creamy, with powerful, sweet aromatics, a rounded structure, and a long, full finish. Great drinking pleasure. 17/20, drink by 2020.

It has retained fine vitality. The palate is medium-bodied, yet refined and bright. A fine classic to enjoy at the table.

Dark red color. Medium intensity. Slight development. Clean nose? Phenolic. Animal. With aeration, vegetal notes. Soft attack, developing slowly this time, with a medium body and a ripe flavor on the mid-palate, a little less so on the finish. The tannins are dry!