| 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 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. Classic Pauillac is made here with cassis fruit, a touch of mint and cigar box aromas.
The 2016 Lynch Bages has a wonderfully perfumed bouquet of intense black fruit laced with pencil lead, cigar box and incense aromas that soar from the glass, all displaying impressive delineation. The taut, focused palate is very well defined, with a fine line of acidity and great depth and concentration on the sophisticated, mineral-driven finish. Bon vin! Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drink 2023 - 2060.
Very rich and exotic with blackberry, black-tea, graphite and lead-pencil aromas. Full-bodied, dense and structured with lots of ripe tannins and a long, flavorful finish of currants and forest floor, combined with fresh mushrooms and bark. Needs four to five years to show its true potential. Try after 2024.
The 2016 Lynch-Bages is blended from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot and has a deep garnet color. It is closed to begin, requiring a lot of swirling to unlock notes of blackcurrant pastilles, fresh black plums, and black cherries, plus suggestions of mossy tree bark, truffles, black olives, and lilacs. Medium-bodied, the palate is like a tightly wound spring waiting to explode, featuring layers of minerals and crunchy black fruits, supported by very firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and energy. When this opens up, in another 5-7 years, be prepared to be blown away!
Muscular but finely-tuned, with a floral, rose-stem edge to Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant flavours that elevates this beyond its surrounding vintages, as is often the case with exceptional 2016s on the Left Bank. Give it time in the glass if you are going near it any time soon, and allow the brambled fruits to appear, with creamy black cherry and damson puree on full display finessed with pencil lead, plum pudding, liqourice and slate-strewn tannins that give a mouth-watering finish. Great stuff, this is one to savour over the long term. 75% new oak.
Tasted blind. Pretty heady, verging on volatile! A little sweet, oily and flashy. But then it tightens up on the palate and is really very impressive. Inky but correct. Dry finish – maybe just too dry. Rather St-Estèphe-like. A long life ahead!
Drink 2027 – 2050
Lynch Bages is one of the most popular and reliable Châteaux of Bordeaux. Release prices of this archetypal 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. Classic Pauillac is made here with cassis fruit, a touch of mint and cigar box aromas. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 75% new oak this year, with two thirds of the production going into the Grand Vin. Dense and brooding on the nose, with blackcurrant, blackberry, wod smoke and sweet vanilla. The palate is bold, robust and firm with rich black fruit framed by chewy, ripe and refined tannins. There is great weight and intensity, but it builds layers of complexity and freshness through the mid-palate. Cedar, black chocolate, nutmeg and clove all meld with fruit and tannin, before focusing through to a very fine, long, harmonious and yet concentrated finish. A really fantastic Lynch Bages, a firm favourite from all at Farr in 2016.
The flagship 2016 Château Lynch Bages is a powerhouse, checking in as 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot raised in 75% new French oak. This deep, concentrated, powerful 2016 is going to be one for the ages, but if you’re looking for instant gratification, this isn’t for you. Saturated purple-colored, with thick black fruits, graphite, and scorched earth aromas and flavors, it fills the mouth with fruit, has masses of tannins, and beautiful overall balance. Don’t even think about opening bottles before 7-8 years from now, and it’s going to have 3-4 decades of longevity. Drink 2026-2066.
The nose has sweetness depth of flavour the palate ripe black cherry and cassis a complex mix. Bright in the middle the tannins integrated the fresher fruits giving a lighter feel on the back palate. The finish has sweet fruit and good depth. 2025-40
Like Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Lynch has made a Fifth Growth wine of First Growth quality in 2016. This is a stunningly pure Pauillac, with incredible focus, balance and harmony. Mocha oak leads into a fresh, leafy, grassy palate of understated concentration. 2029-40
The 2016 Lynch-Bages delivers on its promise from barrel with an intense blackberry, cedar and mineral-driven bouquet that actually reminds me of Lafite-Rothschild. A faint dark chocolate scent makes a brief appearance. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, pure black fruit and a velvety texture. There is wonderful structure and focus on the finish, followed by a persistent saline aftertaste. This is an outstanding Lynch-Bages, easily the best since the twin titans of 1989 and 1990. Drink 2023-2060.
The 2016 Lynch Bages is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot with 13.7% alcohol and an IPT of 95, the highest ever for this property and probably one of the highest on the Left Bank this vintage. It was picked between from 27-30 September for the young vines, then the picking team stopped, restarting on 3 October with the Merlot and the Cabernets finished on 12 October. This vintage is matured in 75% new oak. It has a very concentrated, almost opaque bouquet that required some coaxing from the glass, developing floral and crushed limestone scents with time: disarmingly fresh and with stunning vivacity. The palate is concentrated and tannic, although they are not obtrusive and appear neatly embroidered into the multi-layered black fruit. This is a classic Lynch Bages with ambition and recalls vintages like 1990, a Lynch Bages built for long-term ageing. That arching backbone is counterbalanced by the keen line of acidity and a freshness that knows no bounds. There is ethereal delineation and tension on the finish, but I would give this at least ten years in bottle to enjoy this audacious Lynch Bages at its peak. Maybe the biggest surprise of the vintage, this has all the makings of a sensational wine. Drink 2026 - 2060.
This is really back-ended thanks to a powerful and almost endless finish. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with incredible concentration and length. Round and polished tannins. Layered. This unravels bit by bit. Energetic acidity gives it such superb freshness. This is at the 2010/2009 level.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Lynch Bages comes charging out of the gate with pronounced cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and menthol notions, backed up by scents of garrigue, tilled soil and a waft of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fantastically concentrated, the generous fruit is superbly framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins with tons of pepper, cinnamon and cloves layers coming through on the finish. Truly, a legendary Lynch Bages!
As we have increasingly seen in recent years, Lynch-Bages has shifted up a gear to go fuller, bigger and darker. The IPTs are around 95 here, which is unusual even in the northern Médoc, although they are unquestionably yielding, pliable and expertly worked tannins. The result is a hugely impressive wine with a creamy texture through the mid-palate and lashings of dark fruits, graphite and the essential addition of mint leaf freshness on the finish. From a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, with a yield around 42hl/ha, a touch lower than some because the deep gravel produced small berries, all coming in at 3.66pH and accounting for 65% of the overall production. This is a great Lynch without doubt, one for Pauillac purists who are looking for powerful impact.
