{"id":2061738,"date":"2026-06-17T11:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/2026\/06\/17\/the-2020-batailley-lions-the-second-wine-as-a-barometer-of-the-vintage\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T11:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:21:48","slug":"the-2020-batailley-lions-the-second-wine-as-a-barometer-of-the-vintage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/2026\/06\/17\/the-2020-batailley-lions-the-second-wine-as-a-barometer-of-the-vintage\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2020 Batailley Lions: The Second Wine as a Barometer of the Vintage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2020, in the M\u00e9doc, is one of those vintages that people are still talking about even before the bottles have been opened. Sun-ripened grapes, controlled extraction, ripe tannins without over-extraction: conditions were consistent across the entire Left Bank. Le Lions de Batailley, the second wine of Ch\u00e2teau Batailley in the Pauillac appellation, is precisely where this interpretation of a vintage comes to life without the price tag of a grand cru.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ch\u00e2teau Batailley\u2014a Fifth Growth classified in 1855, managed by Borie-Manoux\u2014produces its \u201cLions\u201d from the estate\u2019s young vines and certain plots not selected for the blend of the main wine. This is not a \u201cdowngraded\u201d wine: it is a parallel selection, made from grapes grown on the same gravelly soil as the main cuv\u00e9e. <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The 2020 Blend: The Logic of Cabernet on Gravel Soils<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in barrels, 40% of which are new oak. This blend profile is consistent with the Batailley terroir: the well-drained gravel soil favors Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives there with a firm tannic structure but without astringency. The Merlot softens the attack. The Cabernet Franc contributes the aromatic precision\u2014blond tobacco, pencil lead\u2014that characterizes the great Pauillacs.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The color is a deep ruby. The nose opens with distinct blackcurrant notes, without the jam-like character found in less well-managed vintages. On the palate, the attack is direct, and the body is powerful without being heavy. The 2020 is enjoyable now but has the tannic structure to age for ten years in the cellar.   <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The motto \u201cIn Bello Leones\u201d\u2014<\/strong> the lions guarding the gate to Batailley\u2019s main courtyard\u2014gave its name to the second wine in 2013. The Latin motto\u2014 <em>In Bello Leones<\/em>, \u201clions in battle\u201d\u2014clearly signals the cuv\u00e9e\u2019s positioning: not a trivial wine, but a Pauillac with a distinct character. Suggested retail price: 28 euros.  <\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At 28 euros, the 2020 Lions de Batailley rounds out a trilogy of vintages\u20142018, 2019, 2020\u2014whose consistency speaks volumes about how the vineyard is managed. Over the past decade, the second wines of the classified growths have become one of the few ways to access Bordeaux\u2019s great terroirs at prices that are still reasonable. The question is how long this segment will be able to withstand pressure from Asian markets.  <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"266\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LIONSDEBATAILLEY-2020-266x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2060144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LIONSDEBATAILLEY-2020-266x1024.jpeg 266w, https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LIONSDEBATAILLEY-2020-78x300.jpeg 78w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2020, in the M\u00e9doc, is one of those vintages that people are still talking about even before the bottles have been opened. Sun-ripened grapes, controlled extraction, ripe tannins without over-extraction:&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2060145,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30493],"tags":[77867,77868,77865,77866],"class_list":["post-2061738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wines-and-spirits","tag-cabernet-sauvignon-from-the-medoc","tag-chateau-batailley-2020","tag-grand-cru-classe-1855","tag-pauillac-second-wine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2061738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2060145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2061738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2061738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.luxsure.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2061738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}