CHÂTEAU LYNCH BAGES

A beautifully layered red with blackcurrant, hazelnut and lead-pencil character and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It’s like a tightly knit ball of polished tannins that are cashmere in texture. So very long and impressive. Give this time. A terrific Lynch. Better after 2027. Rating: 99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 2022)

Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.—J.M. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 96 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Dec 2022)

Rich, deep, powerful, pure concentrated blackberry and cassis puree with liqourice, espresso and a firm tannic core. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, a 33hl/h yield and the lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend for several decades, but still delivers plenty of Pauillac punch. Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2022)

This is a monster of a wine in terms of the oak and the power and while it is not a big, ripe or juicy number, it still sports layers and layers of tannin and accompanying oak and this makes it a very difficult wine to taste. I can see that the fruit is huge, too, but it teeters on the precipice of unripeness and I worry that there is not quite enough generosity of flesh to achieve true balance in time. You will have to wait twenty years to find out. Rating: 17.5++ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is deep, polished and so sensual. Dark cherry fruit, lavender, spice, leather and pipe tobacco fill out the layers. In 2020, Lynch-Bages is a bit darker and more virile in feel than is typically the case. There is plenty of weight and substance, though. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. My impression is that the 2020 will be a very long-lived wine. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Lynch-Bages contains proportionately more Merlot in the blend this year (31%) and will be aged for 18 months in 75% new oak. It has an intriguing bouquet, quite complex and classic in style, featuring tightly wound black fruit mixed with cedar, mint and touches of the estuary. One sniff and you know that the vines are in close proximity to the sea. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive weight on the entry, the tannins almost immediately coating the mouth (the IPT is 93, fairly high). But everything remains balanced thanks to the fine acidic thread, and it begins to firm up, becoming quite structured and, dare I say, reminiscent of Latour toward the finish. This is a Lynch-Bages that clearly will deserve long-term aging because there is real substance to this wine, and that will only increase during élevage. This is a great Lynch-Bages. The Cazes family should build a new winery to celebrate. Drinking range: 2027 - 2055 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

Ultra-classic notes of blackcurrants, freshly sharpened lead pencil, damp earth, and crushed stone emerge from the 2020 Château Lynch-Bages, which checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all hitting 13.4% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.73 and a massive IPT of 93, which might be the highest in the vintage. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has brilliant purity of fruit, a layered, building sense of structure, and a great finish. While not austere or closed, this serious Lynch-Bages will need 10-15 years of bottle age to hit maturity and have 40-50 years of overall longevity. Rating: 95-97 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

Blackcurrants, orange peel, flowers and tar with hints of graphite. Full-bodied with a creamy texture of exquisitely polished tannins. It goes on and on. Intense flavors at the end, too, with lead pencil and lots of blackberry. Very classic and precise. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2021)

The lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 22hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you've got to assume that they will need to be careful over ageing. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel. Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

Very deep, dense blackish purple. Suave, flattering nose with good freshness and precision. Marked tannins underneath (more so than its stablemate Haut-Batailley). This is less the old, spicy, comfortable pair of slippers Lynch-Bages and seems to be heading in a deliberately purer, 'cooler' direction. Impressive undertow and persistence, but with interesting top notes such as tobacco leaf. Very ambitiously dry on the finish. 13.4% Drinking range: 2031 - 2049 Rating: 17++ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)