Château Lynch-Bages 2021

Expressive and deep, cassis, fine spices, smoke, herbs. On the palate, structured and with plenty of drive, massive tannins, finely interwoven with the lush fruit, crisp, fresh, very long, aromatic finish. Needs to age, has reserves.

Displays a nice mix of almost caressing black cherry and black currant paste flavors, with warm cast iron, sweet tobacco and chestnut notes, showing just a nip of the vintage's austerity. Rock solid for the vintage, this offers a lively, savory edge that adds cut and energy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 24,000 cases made.

Sweet blackcurrant fruit on the nose, softly jammy and expressive. You can really feel the ripeness here, grapes got full maturity and this is plush, mouthfilling and plump with chewy tannins – more opulent and perfumed than others, also with more power and body. Tannins are mouthfilling and you get the stone minerality and the Cabernet freshness that really takes over, giving this a sense of tension and grip. A really characterful and expressive Pauillac where the tannins and acidity perfectly complement each other, with the muscular and concentrated fruit also giving a multi-faceted dimension. 3% Cabernet Sauvignon completes the blend. pH 3.72. Ageing: 75% new barrels.

Lovely depth to the nose of this young Bordeaux with black currant, ink and walnut aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with a solid core of polished and integrated tannins. This will drink beautifully in 2026 and onwards.

Smoke, cedar, cigar box, cassis, spearmint, and spice nuances set the perfume where it needs to be. The palate, with its layers of vibrant, sweet, fresh, energetic, chewy fruits, leaves a lasting impression. There is concentration, depth of flavor, chewiness, and length here that would make this a serious wine in a top vintage. But, with 2021, this is a tremendous success that exceeds the vintage. The wine blends 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. The yields were low at 34 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2050.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Restrained, dark heart cherries, some cassis, delicate notes of precious wood, a hint of nougat. Red berries, slender, vivid tannins, chalky minerality, astringent finish, quite inaccessible at this stage. Patience is required here.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.1% alc. vol.) Concentrated, deep, complex, dark bouquet; black cassis, plums, licorice, truffle, fine woods, delicate roasty notes, currants. Concentrated, multi-layered, powerful palate with dense, dark, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, superb aromatics, very long, dense, full finish with robust afterflavors. Has room to improve.

(67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.1% vol. alcohol) Concentrated, profound, complex, dark bouquet: black cassis, plum, licorice, truffle, fine woods, delicate toasted notes, currants. Concentrated, layered, powerful palate with dense, dark, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, superb aromatics, very long, dense, full finish with powerful lingering flavors. Can improve further. 19/20 2030 - 2060

Has the austerity that you want of a great Left Bank wine at the beginning of its life, with cool vintage savoury raspberry leaf, capsicum and peony. Tons of slate-textured tannins, not hugely concentrated which makes it an outlier of recent Lynch Bages vintages, but it's exceptionally well balanced, and has excellent appellation character, with cassis and blackberry fruits. A high tannin index of 90 IPT. Harvest September 27 through to October 9. One of the best in Pauillac, finishing up with chewy tannins. 75% new oak.

A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Lynch-Bages has a deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with bold notions of wild blueberries, kirsch, and blackcurrants, giving way to underlying hints of lilacs, aniseed, and tar. The light to medium-bodied palate is tightly wound, with a lively line and chewy tannins, featuring bright black fruit and minerally layers, finishing with a floral lift.

Deep and ethereal on the nose, it draws you both to the heart of the earth and to the heavens. A very pure, balanced, restrained, sappy bouquet. On the palate, the wine is bright, juicy, full-bodied, pulsing with energy, with beautiful tannic structure on the long finish. A Lynch Bages that hasn’t lost its identity, but in a Gen Z version

Marked by notes of graphite and cassis, Lynch Bages is defined by tight, powerful tannins. It shows breadth and power and strikes me as very extracted. It’s a bit out of step with the vintage, but it has a bright future. At least from a structural standpoint. One to watch as it evolves.

The nose is fresh, elegant, precise and delicate, offering a lovely purity of fruit and fine, controlled concentration. It reveals notes of pulpy boysenberry, juicy blackcurrant and, more lightly, fleshy/pulpy cherry, combined with delicate hints of violet and graphite, small pulpy fruits, as well as discreet touches of nutmeg and sweet spices, with a subtle hint of vanilla. The palate is fruity and offers freshness, attractive minerality, a tangy backbone, good definition, an airy sense of balance, a slight elongated feel, and a certain purity of fruit. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy blackberry, fleshy/crushed blackcurrant and, more subtly, small pulpy red fruits, joined by touches of fleshy strawberry, chocolate, toast, a discreet hint of toasted hazelnut, a subtle hint of mocha, smoke and a subtle touch of salinity. The tannins are elegant, racy.

Dark, deep color. Very aromatic, refined nose with pure, ripe fruit. Soft on the attack, rich mid-palate, powerful and flavorful, the wine glides across the palate—juicy, noble, and deep. Long finish with plenty of flavor. Wrapped tannins. Blend: 67% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% petit verdot, 3% cabernet franc. Alcohol: 13.14% – pH: 3.72 – IPT: 90. Yield: 34 hl/ha. Harvest dates: September 27 to October 9. Production: 65% first wine.

Its inky color with a garnet rim sets the tone: for now, a certain austerity, plenty of tension and focus on a bouquet of morello cherries and smoke, edged with wafts of tuberose and lilac. Dense tannins with great freshness, rounding out with aeration. Certainly built for long aging.

95–97. Barrel Sample. The structure of this wine is the thing—with both power and density, it has weight and the richness associated with this property but in a lighter style proper to the vintage.