| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Lynch Bages is one of the most popular and reliable châteaux of Bordeaux. Release prices of this archetypal and significant Pauillac (100 hectares) are usually modest compared to those that consumers are happy to pay for mature vintages. This much-loved château, owned by the Cazes family for nearly a century, consistently makes one of our most demanded and biggest selling wines. Jean-Michel Cazes' son, Jean-Charles, is now in charge and recent vintages have been amongst the best ever. A new state of the art winery was completed in 2020. The second wine is now labelled "Echo de Lynch", replacing Haut Bages Averous. The Cazes family recently added near neighbour Haut Batailley to their portfolio but this will be kept separate from Lynch Bages.
The 2025 vintage had the same picking dates as the legendary 1989 vintage produced here (9 - 21st September). It is comprised of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Maturation in 75% new oak for 18 months. 13.3% alcohol. Yield 29.5 hl/ha. The grand vin will be 70% of the total production with the rest Echo de Lynch Bages or generic Pauillac. Jean-Charles commented to us that the balance here is perfect with great concentration and balance, yet moderate alcohol. He sees it as a cross between the classic and serious 2016 and the exuberant and crowd-pleasing 2019 vintages. It's a great Lynch Bages to be sure.
The 2025 Lynch-Bages was picked 9 to 21 September and matured in 75% new oak barrels. This has a stunning bouquet with exceptionally pure blackberry, cassis and subtle violet scents, the oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with finely embroidered tannins, perfect acidity, a touch of cedar and black pepper that dovetails into a peacock's tail finish that “clings” to the mouth. This continues the strongest run from Lynch-Bages since the 1980s and, perhaps with the 2025, it is close to surpassing that. Drinking Window 2032 - 2060.
Saturated purple in the glass - this must be one of the deepest wines in 2025. Dark-fruited and rich on the nose, there are tones of roasted coffee bean, dark chocolate and oodles of cassis and brambly fruit. The palate is broad-shouldered, with muscular, mouthcoating tannins but an intensity of fruit to match. Cedary, smoky and earthy spice come through, but it is that drive of dark fruit that pushes everything forward. For those with patience, this will be one of the great, long-lived wines of the vintage. The acidity is bright and lifts the finish, but the power and intensity is most striking here. An excellent Lynch Bages - not dissimilar to the 2016 in style - structured and powerful but still fresh. Very long on the finish.
The 2025 Lynch-Bages wafts from the glass with aromas of dark wild berries, lead pencil and spices, framed by well-integrated new oak. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it’s deep and muscular, with a broad-shouldered profile, yet more velvety and precise than usual, showing a touch of freshness through the mid-palate, concluding with a long, cassis-inflected finish. Without departing from its customary style—combining power and generosity in youth—it is more approachable en primeur, with softer, more polished tannins than in recent vintages. This is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, matured with 75% new oak.
Lots of great energy, with a precision and focus that sends you down the road to gorgeous dark fruits and mineral nuances. A cool, minty note. Medium- to full-bodied. Racy and intense, with a lightness at the end. Juicy fruit, too. A blend of 66% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.
Damson, cassis, bilberry, a wine that doesn't feel so far away from the very top vintages of the estate, clear expansion in the mid palate, with an uncompromising architecture that has the supple tannins of a warm year, with pomegranate, incense, blackberry, cedar, slate, crushed rocks. Excellently put together with juice, promise and personality. 3.68 pH. 75% new oak. Harvest September 9 to 21. Jean-Charles Cazes owner, along with his three sisters, Nicolas Labenne technical director. 2036-2055
The 2025 Lynch-Bages is a wine only very patient consumers should contemplate. Dark and explosive, with incisive tannins, the 2025 is quite the powerhouse. Huge beams of tannin lend serious intensity and power. In many warmer years, this level of richness is accompanied by commensurately high alcohols and viscosity, but the 2025 is built around fairly classic lines, which only reinforces its sheer brawn. 2035-2075.
