| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
***Jane Anson's WINE OF THE YEAR 2022***
Inky plum in colour, you can see this is rich and textured even before going anywhere near the nose, which then displays ripe fruit. Gorgeous quality, a wine that is packed full of graphite, pencil lead, waves of violet, cassis, liqourice, and chewy but well defined tannins. Leaps out of the glass and is clear proof that, when it gets it right, the 2014 vintage equals the 2015 in this northern sector of the Médoc. Good value also compared to the 2015 and 2016 - a must buy for me. 70% new oak, Eric Boissenot consultant.
The 2014 Lynch-Bages is full of promise, offering up a classic bouquet of rich but vibrant blackcurrant fruit mingled with with hints of loamy soil, cedar and vanilla pod. Full-bodied, deep and layered, with an abundance of ripe but youthfully assertive tannin, lively acids and a long, resonant finish, it will hit its stride in 10 to 15 years. This is an excellent Lynch-Bages that represents especially good value in the contemporary marketplace. 2028 - 2068
Aromas of currants, blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of chocolate and spices. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Juicy and muscular wine. Needs three or four years to open. Beautiful.
The 2014 Lynch Bages was actually similar to the 2014 Pichon Baron on the nose: tight and surly at first, demanding a lot of coaxing from the glass. It eventually opens up with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and tobacco, gaining more harmony and intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite linear and focused at the moment, precise if just needing a little more body and depth to evolve on the straight-laced finish. Give this Pauillac 4-5 years in bottle and it is likely to repay you. Drink 2019 - 2038.
The 2014 Lynch-Bages is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. The nose is a little restrained, slowly unfurling to reveal notes of blackcurrant jelly, kirsch, and sauteed herbs followed by wafts of cedar, leather, and dried lavender. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound, with a lively line and firm, grainy tannins framing the taut fruit, finishing long and savory.
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Rather rich and glamorous. Dense and velvety but not at all sweet. Dry minerally finish. Very Pauillac! Just as it should be.
Drink 2025-2045
This was the top scoring wine outside the First Growths in Pauillac when tasted blind in the Southwold Group tasting for 2014s.
Deep, opaque ruby in the glass. Ripe and brooding cassis and clove on the nose, with hints of blueberry and sweet smoke. The palate is chewy, dense and extremely powerful, and will need plenty of time to unfurl in the bottle. The tannins, however, are ripe and in balance with the greatly intense and superbly delineated black fruit. The oak treatment is perfectly measured, adding touches of smokiness but plentiful star anise, clove and vanilla. Though still firm through to the finish, this fruit power and length show that this sleeper will be one of the best long-term wines of the vintage, typifying the strenght of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2014.
This has beguiling hints of plum cake and melted licorice peeking out, while a core of cassis and blackberry confiture waits in reserve. There's ample grip, but this remains very polished and integrated, with lovely echoes of anise and fruitcake showing through the very lengthy finish. Will be hard to keep your hands off this while it ages. Best from 2019 through 2035.
Fresh, fragrant, violets, mint the nose has a floral charm the start of the palate fresh. Rich in the middle with sweet ripe fruit fine tannins suppleness and fleshiness. The rich mix of black fruits gives depth at the back the finish although full of rich black fruits has brightness and elegance. 2027-40
Fans of this château, of whom there are many, should be delighted with the quality of its 2014 release, which is up there with the super second growths. It's a very complete, harmonious wine, even at this young age, with superb oak integration, noble tannins and impressive fruit density. A 20 year wine.
The Château Lynch Bages 2014 is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot matured in 75% new oak. Yields were a respectable 40 hectoliters per hectare, although that figure is less than Jean-Charles Cazes predicted earlier in the season. The nose is well defined with veins of graphite infusing the black fruit: quite strict for Lynch Bages, a little reserved at this early stage. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin, racy acidity although the pH is around 3.7, linear and a little austere on the finish. This is tightly coiled at the moment, gritty in the mouth but I like the Pauillac typicité here – not a million miles away from Grand Puy Lacoste in style. This deserves respect and I suspect it will age with the style of Jean-Charles's father, who turned 80 on the day of my visit. Drink: 2018-2040.
This has fascinating aromas already with blackcurrants and cassis. Hints of spices. It's full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and a long, focused finish. Muscular but toned and beautiful.
Blackish crimson. Sweet and luscious and almost with black-cherry super-ripe aromas! A note of something charred here. Pretty interesting. Lots of work to overpower the tannins. Should make very good old bones to chew over. Long and glamorous. Tasting it blind, I guessed it was Lynch. Drink 2024-2040
Lynch Bages is one of the most popular and reliable Châteaux of Bordeaux. Release prices of this classic Pauillac are usually modest compared to those that consumers are happy to pay for mature vintages. This much-loved Chateau, 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 here and recent vintages have been amongst the best ever. 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, with 75% raised in new oak. Deep purple colour. Big, intense nose of brooding black fruits. Plenty of concentration here. Very Cabernet. Smoky and cedary with classic grahite and cigar box character and plenty of generous, opulent blackcurrant. Big, juicy and rich on the palate. Generous, velvety, layered. Some spicy, peppery notes. Balanced acidity lends freshness. Nice symmetry and precision on the long and ripe finish. Impressive.
