| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, this appears to be the finest Lynch Bages since the 2000, 1990 and 1989. According to the chateau, the 2009 has the highest level of polyphenols ever measured as well as high alcohol (nearly 13.5%). A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest largely Merlot with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it is an expressive, voluptuously textured effort with unctuosity and powerful, juicy, succulent blackberry and black currant flavors, low acids, a layered, massive mouthfeel, but no sense of heaviness or fatigue. This exquisite Lynch Bages should drink well for 30+ years. Drink 2012-2042.
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Lynch Bages '09 is a triumph from Jean-Charles Cazes and his team, putting in a superb performance under tough blind conditions (to the point where I speculated that it could be Mouton!) It has a wonderful controlled and precise on the understated nose - but there is a brooding presence here - the sense of a class act that does not want to be disturbed. Graphite, blackberry and crushed stone unfold with every passing moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a citrus fresh entry. There is very good weight here, primal but supremely well balanced with a gradual build towards the insistent minty finish. Gorgeous. Tasted January 2013.
The 2009 Lynch Bages is a knockout vintage at this estate. Saturated ruby colour with a big, smoky nose of cassis and forest fruit, it has the graphite and cedar tones to retain superb typicity of Pauillac. The palate's bombastic fruit is matched by rich tannins in perfect balance. Chewy and profound, this needs a little more time in bottle to reach full flight. Despite the intensity of fruit and power of structure, everything is well proportioned. The fruit continues to shine together with well-measured wood spice and cedar on a very long finish. A wine that continues to greatly impress every time we try it from bottle. Excellent.
Wow. Intense aromas of blackberries, currants and blueberries, follow through to a full body, with wonderful fruit and ultra-fine tannins. Fabulous Lynch. One of the top buys of the vintage. Best since 1989. I think that 2010 is probably better. Try in 2020.
The medium to deep garnet colored 2009 Lynch Bages is boldly scented of crème de cassis, blackberry pie and baked plums with chocolate box, incense and underbrush suggestions plus a waft of bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, taut and well sustained in the mouth, it has a firm, grainy texture and a lively backbone lifting the black fruit core to a nice long finish. 2019 - 2044.
Powerful, rich, tannins that are chewy and physical in the mouth. Liquourice bud, turmeric root, cloves, rose stems, with tight blackcurrant and softer blackberry fruits. The muscular structure of the appellation and the concentration of Lynch Bages add a more serious side to the generosity of the 2009 vintage, and together they make something very special. This is begining to open up, with plenty more to give. 70% new oak.
Dense crimson. Rich and spicy and lifted. Really rather flirtatious. Not heavy or dense but very nicely balanced without aggressive notes of rough tannin or greenness. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2020-2040.
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 consistently makes one of our most demanded and biggest selling wines and we are fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the Cazes family and good allocations which we have built up over many years. A wine to buy en primeur every year. If you are thinking of only buying a few cases en primeur then Lynch Bages should be one of them. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot in 70% new oak. A glass-staining black colour. A big dense nose of blackcurrants and a touch of cigar box exoticism. On the palate there is very impressive concentration, masses of black fruit - prunes, damsons and cherries. Really deep and powerful with some strong tannins to match. Big, classically structured and very serious. A great Pauillac to rival the 2000 vintage here. Cabernet Sauvignon at its finest - this will mature into something very special. This is one 2009 that we believe to be superior to the 2005. A very masculine Lynch Bages and perhaps the best since those great twin vintages of 1989 and 1990.
Tight and backward, this has dense, almost chewy layers of fig, currant and plum cake behind a very solid wall of cedar, roasted vanilla and charcoal notes. There's serious grip on the finish, with an iron edge that won't quit. Best from 2015 through 2035. 31,500 cases made.
The nose is action packed with ripe black fruit. The sweetness gives richness and depth on the mid palate, the complex mix of flavours ensuring real complexity. Ripe tannins all aid the generosity of flavour and rich power towards the back. Drink 2022-2050.
Dense purple red, concentrated Cabernet cassis plus rich spiciness, big volume on the palate, expressive elegance over the natural vigour, lifted and long. Drink 2015-30.
Black colour. This huge. An almost brutal wine with amazing power and density. This is an incredible mouthful of black creme de cassis fruit. Truly great Pauillac of First Growth quality.
A powerful and ripe wine with a wide-screen personality, this makes a very bold statement without becoming a jot heavy. Serious tannins at the long finish suggest this has long-term aging potential. Drink now with a big steak or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)
The black/purple-tinged 2009 exhibits a glorious perfume of graphite, black currants, and subtle smoke, powerful, thick, unctuously textured flavors, huge yet sweet tannins, fabulous purity, and a finish that lasts 40-45 seconds. Five to eight years of patience will be required, but this is a 30-40-year wine from this popular estate run by the affable and highly respected Cazes family.
The highest levels of polyphenols ever measured at Lynch Bages (20% higher than any prior vintage) are found in the 2009, which achieved 13.4% natural alcohol, and a normal pH of 3.64. Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it is the greatest Lynch Bages since the outstanding duo of 1989 and 1990. The black/purple-tinged 2009 exhibits a glorious perfume of graphite, black currants, and subtle smoke, powerful, thick, unctuously textured flavors, huge yet sweet tannins, fabulous purity, and a finish that lasts 40-45 seconds. Five to eight years of patience will be required, but this is a 30-40-year wine from this popular estate run by the affable and highly respected Cazes family. (Tasted three times.) Drink 2010-2050.
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru and then in Hong Kong. The Lynch Bages 2009 is quite backwards on the nose, taking time to open up with blackberry, cedar and graphite developing, but remaining tightly coiled. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry, more approachable than I was anticipating with supple, silky tannins. Good acidity, although I would like to see more structure on the finish. Very fine and classical, with an unerring sense of symmetry. Tasted November 2011.
Tasted at the château and UGC. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, raised in 70% new oak. Merlot was cropped from the 28th to 30th September and the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked from the 6th to the 12th October. The nose soars from the glass, pure blackberry, briary, pencil lead and a touch of tobacco. Very fine definition: reminiscent of the 2006 but with a little more horsepower. The palate is full-bodied with very well integrated new oak that really sings with the concentrated black fruit and does not disguise the minerality in this wine. Tons of freshness, that acidity really driving the wine to the finish and then the persistency is superb. Still very linear, with a strictness that is seductive. Tasted March 2010.
From Robert Parker's Hong Kong Tasting, 8th Nov 2011:
Loads of blackcurrants and mint with hints of lead pencil. Typical nose for a top vintage of Lynch. Full bodied, with chewy tannins, yet lovely and velvety. The fruit is focused and very pretty with an almost dusty texture. Try after 2018.
The nose shows amazing aromas of mint, spices and currant, with underlying licorice and tar. Full-bodied, with amazing fruit and a long, long finish. Powerful. Blockbuster, but balanced. So structured. Lynch has not made a wine like this since perhaps 1989 or 1982. Better than Wine of the Year 1985 Lynch.
