Château Lynch-Bages 1999

A charming, lush, round, generous Lynch Bages, the 1999 offers plenty of sweet black currant fruit, damp earth, licorice, cedarwood and spicy herb-like characteristics. Medium-bodied, savory and broad in the mouth with no hard edges, this fully mature effort is a somewhat underrated vintage for this estate. Enjoy it over the next decade.

This has never been a very serious Lynch. Shows some berry and tobacco character, with a medium body, fine tannins and a fruity finish. Simple.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now. 35,000 cases made.

Dark red-ruby. Plum, redcurrant, cedar, cigar box and tobacco on the evolving nose. Pliant and sweet, with moderate depth and dimension. Can't match the later vintages for verve or inner-mouth complexity. Finishes with dusty tannins and good length.

Medium bodied, lighter style of Lynch Bages, with a fruity, soft, vibrant, cassis, cherry and cranberry character. There is a really nice, spicy note, that adds even more freshness to the red berry finish. Drink this now, while waiting for the far better, 2000 vintage to develop. The wine was made from a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.

Medium purple with a ruby sheen. A still restrained Cabernet nose, with fine notes of cinnamon, cherries and noble woods. On the palate, firm, showing plenty of substance, with well-supporting astringency. A slightly underrated wine?

00: Barrel sample (17/20): Still rather restrained Cabernet bouquet, fine notes of cinnamon, cherries and precious woods. Firm on the palate, with quite a lot of substance and well-supporting astringency—not to be underestimated. 02: Powerful bouquet with a spicy Cabernet touch, rum-pot fruits, vanilla pods, a hint of cinnamon and exotic woods. Firm on the palate, full tannins, chocolate, malt and toasty aromas. Developing splendidly (17/20). 05: Deep color. A concentrated burst and a very surprising, powerfully built ’99. Very good value! (17/20). 13: Brightening red, ruby rim, very subtle mature notes, yet a lovely, appealing aromatic profile; comes across a bit reductive, with rubbery notes. On the palate, plums and chocolate tones; you can sense slightly green Cabernet notes; compact finish, nice length. Not a great one, but a very successful ’99—and there are many Grand Crus. Will certainly hold for another 10 years, with moderate finesse. 17: It has developed little and comes across—by Lynch-Bages standards—rather harmless. There are much better 1999s.

Velvety, spicy, powerful bouquet: blackcurrant, delicate plum notes, tobacco, leather. Velvety, full-bodied palate with good aromatic expression, fine tannins, broad structure, and a velvety finish. 17/20 drink by 2025.

Tasted blind and decanted. Deep, mature colour. A clean, precise, pure, very fruity nose. The palate is soft, fruity and flavoursome, medium-bodied, yet particularly well balanced. Very tasty, the wine finishes with an average length, but above all with a real inability to spit it out, so perfectly does it sit on the palate. A great success for the estate.