CHÂTEAU LYNCH MOUSSAS

Arnaud Durand, technical director since 2003, learnt under Denis Dubourdieu and they now work with Axel Marchal as consultant. This is really a success this year, not quite as concentrated as some but hugely enjoyable and drinkable. It has good Pauillac character and should be relatively good value. It's not the most broad-shouldered or intense, but charming and good quality. A well-handled, impactful and Pauillac signature with tarry, grilled notes that have suggestions of oak, but they have taken it down a peg from the last few years. There's a bit more clay in the soil here that gives a roundness in the mouth compared to Batailley. 60% new oak, A healthy 51hl/ha yield, harvested 19-16 September. A fairly high 30% press wine in the blend. Wait six to eight years before drinking. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

Loads of toasted spice, graphite, and chocolaty red and black fruits emerge from the 2017 Château Lynch-Moussas, from a solid Pauillac estate. The 2017 is a rich, chunky, textured effort that has some oak to integrate, yet should last for a decade or more. Rating: 87-89 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

This is precise and linear with a very pretty center palate of tannins and a bright finish. Fresh acidity. Some hazelnuts just at the end, but it’s not from the wood. Elegant and refined. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Lively, with an iron note piercing the core of plum and blackberry fruit. A swath of warm tobacco coats the finish. Good energy. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

This property is one of the furthest west in the appellation, some distance from the Gironde’s protective presence which is all important in this vintage, and it also has very granular soils which resemble black sand. In a very dry vintage such as 2017, with sudden bouts of rain, as well as the frost of course, I think it has been disadvantaged. The nose is really quite smoky and shows a herbaceous fruit profile, with strongly expressed grassy and sandy nuances. The palate is lean and rather sharp from the outset, with a loosely composed texture, a seam of bitter burnt-pip tannins, full acidity and a challenging grip to the finish. This lacks grace, and provides evidence of how difficult 2017 has been for some estates. Rating: 83-85 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)