Piers Morgan a fan of this Bordeaux producer

Bottles of red wine from one Grand Cru Classé producer keep cropping up in photos posted on Instagram by the former newspaper editor and television personality, db has noticed. Former editor of The Mirror and Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan took to social media to document a dinner with friends last week, with a bottle of Bordeaux wine taking centre stage. Morgan, who met pals at The Swan pub and restaurant in West Malling, Kent, shared that he had bought his first home with his dinner companions, who are his “oldest and best village mates”. One photo showed a decanted bottle of Château Batailley 2017, a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, described by Berry Bros & Rudd as giving “an array of coffee bean, mocha, damson and olive notes”, which Morgan enjoyed alongside steak and chips. The 2016 vintage by the same producer features on The Swan’s wine list priced at £120. Penchant for Pauillac Château Batailley is one of the oldest properties in the Bordeaux appellation of Pauillac, and is named after the battle that took place in 1453 between the French and the English on the land which would become the prestigious wine estate. Acquired in 1924 by brothers Marcel and Francis Borie-Castéja, the pair decided to divide the property in two in 1941, giving rise to Château Haut-Batailley, owned by Francis, while Marcel kept Château Batailley. Hugues Mathieu joined Château Batailley as head winemaker and cellar master in March 2023,