| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years.
Deep plum in colour, holding its Pauillac character perfectly at 25 years old, opening up to show cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, graphite, cassis and touches of raspberry purée. This is very much in the drinking window, with waves of camphor, charcoal, woodsmoke and tobacco adding complexity and interest. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Prior to this tasting, I had never had the opportunity to taste the 1996 vintage of Lynch-Bages and I quite liked the wine, though it is still a ways away from really starting to drink well. The blossoming bouquet delivers a combination of cassis, cigar smoke, a fine base of gravelly soil tones, French roast, toasty new oak and still a dollop of fresh herb tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with firm, well-integrated tannins, fine focus and grip and a long, promising finish. All of the constituent components are in place here to make a fine bottle with a bit more bottle age. 2026-2075.
In the flight of young wines, with all the vintages of the nineties represented, this wine stood out for its absolute purity of creme de cassis, ripe fruit, medium to full body, high tannin, wonderful sweetness, massive richness on the mid-palate, and abundant power, density, and ripeness. It is clearly the finest Lynch Bages since the 1989 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.
Lynch Bages has turned out an outstanding 1996. It offers an opaque purple color, and outstanding aromatics consisting of dried herbs, tobacco, cassis, and smoky oak. Full-bodied and classic in its proportions, this dense, chewy, pure Lynch Bages will have considerable longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.
It has turned out to be considerably better than my early spring barrel tasting report suggested. Tasted on 3 separate occasions in November, it had fleshed out signifcantly, exhibiting more depth than my initial tasting reports. The wine is low in acidity, but it possesses an opaque black/purple color, as well as extraordinary sweet, full-bodied, cassis fruit aromas intermixed with cedar, fruitcake, and licorice scents that soared from the glass at each tasting. With superlative structure, a boatload of ripe tannin, massive body, and dazzling intensity and power, this may be the greatest Lynch Bages produced since the 1989 and 1990.
