CHÂTEAU LYNCH MOUSSAS

2016 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac

EN PRIMEUR

83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot. Relatively dumb nose, Good consistency of fruit and spice on the palate, and although it's not that lively it's solidly well-made and fully ripe. Good broad cakey, juicy finish with vanillin and a touch of sweetness. Drinking range: 2025 - 2037 Rating: 90-91 L&S (Apr 2017)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

Peppery, earthy nose with cedar under mint and blackcurrant. Firm tannins supported by wonderful black fruit concentration, and balancing freshness and precision. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 97 Decanter Magazine (Oct 2021)

The 2016 Château Lynch-Moussas is a fine Pauillac and has a pretty, classic, elegant style that’s very much in the character of the vintage. Ruby-colored, with notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and graphite, it has fine tannins and, again, an undeniable elegance and classic style. Drink it over the coming 15-20 years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2039 Rating: 91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

This smoky wine offers a fresh black-currant flavor and attractive acidity. It is well balanced, with good synergy between fruit and the structure. While it is not a blockbuster, it is ripe, fruity and likely to age well. Rating: 92 The Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Lynch-Moussas has a clean, pure bouquet of slightly meaty black fruit, quite harmonious if not as complex as the Batailley. The palate is well balanced, with mint-infused black fruit, tobacco and sage. I like the density of this Pauillac, which is focused and elegant yet classic on the finish. I suspect it will improve in bottle. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Lynch Moussas is a blend of 17% Merlot an 83% Cabernet Sauvignon cropped at 48 hectoliters per hectare between 3 and 19 October. Matured in 60% new oak and the remainder one year old, this has a concentrated bouquet that offers tobacco-infused black fruit, briary and then with aeration, veins of pencil lead. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin cloaked in plenty of black fruit, quite spicy for Lynch Moussas with a touch of orange rind developing towards the finish. I appreciate the salinity on the aftertaste here. This is excellent and may well surpass the impressive 2015 last year. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Sweet ink on the nose. Tasted just after Lynch-Bages, it's obviously less dense and a little frailer but it is a good Lynch-Moussas and takes advantage of what the vintage has to offer. Long. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 17- Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

This is alluring, with a coating of warm vanilla bean over a core of gently steeped plum and blackberry fruit. Shows a light woodsy streak through the finish. Not as vivacious as the top wines, but solid. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

This is very dense and intense with lovely intensity and energy. Dense, round and savory tannins. Another winner from here. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

Deeply coloured with a slightly smoky edge to the oak, this is a very good Lynch-Moussas full of Pauillac character of dark fruits and graphite. 60% new oak complements the blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, cropped to a yield of 48hl/ha. One of the best I remember at this property. Drinking range: 2023 - 2042 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Lynch-Moussas is a solid, easygoing wine. Sweet tobacco, herb, mint, licorice, dried cherry and incense give the 2016 its lifted, expressive aromatics. There is lovely brightness and energy here, although some slightly angular contours remain. It will be interesting to see if time helps them soften a bit. Rating: 87-89 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Rating: 88 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)

Pauillac Cinquième cru 1855 Thomas Lynch emigrated to Bordeaux from Galway in Ireland in 1691. He had two children and it was his son Thomas who associated the family name with Bordeaux by inheriting Lynch-Bages through his wife, and buying Lynch-Moussas and Dauzac in Margaux. Jean Castéja bought Lynch Moussas in 1919, and his family still own the estate. Lynch Moussas has has not really matched its apparent namesake estate of Lynch Bages which exceeds its 5th growth status with ease. Indeed, by the end of the 1960's, Lynch Moussas was run down with the chais in such bad repair that the wine had to be made at neighbouring Batailley. Things have improved considerably since then and, in good years, Lynch Moussas produce some perfectly decent claret. There are 60ha of vines, in various plots around Pauillac, planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.

Ordering

Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.

Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.

Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.

When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.

Additional charges are as follows:-

  • +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.