Château Lynch-Moussas 2023

Tobacco, herbs, radiant fruit, violets; taut palate, shows bite, precision, fine tannins, good length. Delightful, fresh!

Ripe and stalky fruit on the nose, lots of Cabernet markers. Ripe, fleshy, chewy and filling, this really coats the mouth; it’s ripe but not heavy, with the grippy tannins giving way to the acidity and touches of toast towards the finish. I like the bolder style; it has depth and character and certainly isn’t too lean or too focused. Good plumpness and it feels like they got the Merlot ripe. Appealing and characterful. Very approachable already, with an appealing digestibility. I like the acidity and sense of fresh lift on the finish. Nicely structured. 50% grand vin production. Ageing in 55% new oak, the rest in one‑year‑old barrels.

The 2023 Lynch-Moussas offers quite tertiary-driven black fruit, melted tar and cedar on the nose. It doesn't quite have the delineation or ambition of the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, an appealing roundness and approachability here, although there is plenty of stuffing on the back end. Quite peppery on the aftertaste, this will require three or four years in bottle. Promising.

Cigar wrappers, cedar, espresso, mint and black currants come through on the nose. The medium-bodied palate is fresh, vibrant and lingering, though there is a note of greenery on the finish that distracts from the overall experience. Drinkers who long for a more classic Bordeaux style will enjoy it more than I did. The blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot. Drink from 2028 to 2050.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Ripe plums, notes of cassis and nougat, candied orange zest. Medium body, red cherries, vivid tannins, complex, good persistence, shows some length, good ageing potential.

Score: 90–92. A suave, elegant nose of ripe, luxurious fruit, with floral notes (sweet briar, iris) and undergrowth. Then the spices take over and recall the wood. The palate is cheerful and comforting, with a lovely acidity reminiscent of raspberry and redcurrant, and grainy, firm tannins.

An elegant, intense nose of fresh blackcurrant and purple flowers, very ripe, preceding a fine, crisp attack. The palate is very straight and slender, carried by a fluid texture, unfolding noble notes of Havana and small black fruits. Its 78% of full-bodied Cabernets gives it great ageing potential.

Lynch Moussas is classically one of the lighter-styled Pauillac classifieds, and its intensity in both colour and tannic architecture in this vintage reflects just how well this appellation has fared in 2023. There is balance to the blackberry fruits set against tobacco leaf and liquorice, although the levels of ripeness are not as fully in evidence as with Batailley. But honestly, this small group of wines, under the ownership of Philippe Casteja, can be relied upon for offering typicity and great quality at still-reasonable prices. 49 hl/ha yield. 58% new oak for ageing, 50% first wine.