David Kermode of The Buyer really enjoys a once-in-a-lifetime vertical tasting of Batàr.
David Kermode is a journalist and broadcaster, with two decades of experience across TV, radio and print media, and a lifelong love of wine and spirits. As well as Drink Me, and Vinosaurus, he has regular slots on BBC radio and regularly judges for wine competitions. Writing on The Buyer about a once-in-a-lifetime vertical tasting of Batàr – including the 1998 vintage that he describes as a ‘miracle’ – Kermode does not shy away from expressing enjoyment and appreciation. In particular, Batàr’s unrivalled ability to age, its freshness and intricate complexity seem to have struck a chord.
“Few if any of us can claim to have escaped the effects of ageing – Tom Cruise even has a few wrinkles these days – yet just south of Florence, there’s a white wine that could lay some sort of claim to vinous immortality.” —DK
The latest release of Batàr is the 2018 vintage, regarded as one of the best of the past decade thanks to a prolonged ripening season and perfect harvest conditions. To celebrate its UK launch, winemaker Manfred Ing has put together a spectacular line-up that included some of the most iconic vintages of the past decades. You can read the full article on the digital publication The Buyer.
Batàr 2018
“With a delicate nose of lemon rind and wild honey, the palate offers both weight and elegant restraint. In turns, extravagant, fruity and plump, yet also poised, precise and teasingly laced, like the lovechild of Barry White and a ballet dancer. I’ll take you just the way you are…”—DK
Batàr 2013
“A golden bauble colour, there’s astonishingly youthful apricot, peach and pear, with lustrous, lacy texture from the Gouges clone that made its debut in this year. Ing has some of this in his personal cellar, which he is hiding from himself, as it still has so far to go.” —DK
Batàr 2011
“From a warmer vintage, there’s chamomile, waxy lemon, hazelnut, with plump fruit and just a hint of evolution, I would dare to suggest it might be at its zenith, a decade into its life. I think this was my favourite.“ —DK
Batàr 2008
“With the oak slightly more evident, as this predates the Ing dynasty and Manfred’s efforts at dialling back, but it comes from a very well balanced vintage. There’s vibrant lemon zest, mandarin and sweet souk spice, the Pinot Bianco making its presence felt in the rich texture.” —DK
Batàr 2002
“Predominantly Pinot Bianco, rather than the 50/50 blend with Chardonnay of more recent vintages, due to the wet conditions and cooler temperatures that year, there’s orange rind, and perfumed mandarin with a delicious suggestion of Marsala.” —DK
Batàr 1998
“Boasting fresh, plump fruit notes after all these years, with Kaffir lime leaf and lemon zest, there’s still tension from the vibrant citrus acidity and a subtly savoury undertow. Like a statue of the Virgin Mary shedding a tear, this must be a miracle.” —DK
