Tasted at the Batailley vertical tasting at the chateau. The 1929 Batailley has a relatively deep hue compared to other Clarets I have encountered from this famous vintage. The bouquet is surprisingly reticent at first. Then it begins to open and reveal dusky red berry fruit, tobacco and chlorophyll before moving toward woodland and mushroom-like aromas. The palate is fleshy on the entry, fully matured but elegant with soft brambly red fruit. Where it differs from, say, the outstanding 1928 Batailley that I tasted several years ago, is that the 1929 did not quite deliver that knockout blow on the finish, preferring to finish in rather foursquare fashion, whereas the 1928 had better definition and complexity. Still, it is unquestionably a pleasurable old Claret in its dotage after so many decades, even if there is a good chance that another bottle might well perform better than this example. A privilege. Tasted April 2016.