Lynch-Bages
The wine of Château Lynch-Bages is part of the lineage of the great Pauillac wines. Blended mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon, it combines structure and finesse, elegance and longevity. It is further distinguished by its opulence. Generous right from its youth, it develops more flavours and greater complexity as it matures.
The affirmation of the Lynch-Bages style came with the arrival of Jean-Charles Cazes to head the estate in 1934. An innovative winemaker, emblematic of a new generation of owners willing to break with tradition and taking risks to ensure truly ripe harvests, he was known for often being the last to harvest in Pauillac. From 1945 onwards, the fame of the château emerged thanks to a series of great vintages. Some, despite being considered difficult to grow in Bordeaux, are particularly successful at Lynch-Bages. His wines are characterized by their deep colour, their tannic structure, their controlled concentration and elegant sensuality. The vintages vinified by André Cazes, and after him Jean-Michel Cazes, confirm this trend.
The style of the wines has refined over the years, gaining suppleness and softness, whilst their consistency has been established over time. Then as now, Château Lynch-Bages has been characterised by its extraordinary qualitative homogeneity. Powerful, elegant and open, vintage after vintage, the wine has acquired greater accuracy, adding distinction to the hedonistic character that made its reputation.
VINTAGE YEARS
Blend:
73% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
The third in a trio of superlative Bordeaux vintages, and now widely regarded as one of the finest post-war vintages. July and August were the driest since 1928. Heavy rain at the end of August was just what was required and September was relatively cool but dry, resulting in perfect harvest conditions. What marks the 1990's out are their ripeness, balance, harmony and grip.
Blend:
79% Cabernet Sauvignon
13% Merlot
6% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
1996 is an important vintage in its decade: indeed, a classic left bank vintage, as the ripening conditions and harvest favoured the Cabernet Sauvignon, our dominant grape.
The weather conditions in 1996, which were unusual to say the least, also particularly favoured our appellation. At the beginning of September, the grapes were in perfect sanitary condition, but a little behind in maturity. A superb anticyclone then settled on the area of Bordeaux, alternating hot sunny days with cool nights.
Blend:
79% Cabernet Sauvignon
13% Merlot
6% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
1996 is an important vintage in its decade: indeed, a classic left bank vintage, as the ripening conditions and harvest favoured the Cabernet Sauvignon our dominant grape. The weather conditions in 1996 which were unusual to say the least, also particularly favoured our appellation. At the beginning of September, the grapes were in perfect sanitary condition, but a little behind in maturity. A superb anticyclone then settled on the area of Bordeaux, alternating hot sunny days with cool nights.
Blend:
73% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
The elements conspired in 1999 to give winemakers some challenging weather conditions. In Pauillac, the majority of the Cabernets were being picked during the final week of September when dry weather prevailed.
At Lynch-Bages, we overcame the weather problems and produced very attractive wines with excellent balance, lovely ripe fruit and good structure.
Blend:
73% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
The winter of 1999-2000 will remain a vivid memory for the inhabitants of the Medoc region following the storm of the 27th December. 2000 is also the story of a vintage in two parts: after a warm winter and wet spring, the first half got off to a bad start. The second half was a total turn-around. This wonderful late summer weather seems to have given Lynch-Bages its rich and superb complexity. An utterly profound Lynch-Bages, this wine has definitely its place in the hall of fame of the few vintages of the century.
Blend:
78% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
5% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
After a regular bud-burst at the beginning of the month of April, we had a rather humid spring, but with very little mildew pressure, contrary to the spring of 2000. The flowering took place during a short sunny period, and was then very homogeneous. Quantity of grapes was about average. Summer showed a regular temperature, except for two series of a few very hot days at the end of July and mid-august, which blocked the maturation for some time.
Blend:
75% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
8% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
With only eight vintages during the 20th century experiencing such an extended period of extreme temperatures, France has never seen a vintage culminate with such an outrageously fierce August heat. Yet Bordeaux seems to have survived better than elsewhere in France. Thankfully some good rainfall in July kept the wines evolving, and general consensus places the largest concentration of outstanding wines in the northern Médoc, especially Pauillac and Saint-Estephe. As a result, Lynch-Bages 2003 is opulent, seductive and exhibits superbly ripe fruit.
Blend:
84% Cabernet Sauvignon
9% Merlot
5% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
Analytical parameters are excellent: high alcoholic strength and tannin indices, deep colour and characteristics that compare favourably with recent years, including 2003. A vintage reminiscent of the concentration of the 1996 vintage plus the freshness of the 2001. The nose already offers aromas of black-currant and cherry. Its extremely full-bodied texture suggests that this will be a good wine for laying down.
Blend:
79% Cabernet Sauvignon
10% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
1% Petit Verdot
A classic mature vintage, the nose offers an attractive interplay between deep, buttery black fruits, some cedar and graphic notes, and a cool, minty Cabernet character. The wine has plenty of structure and a backward, muscular personality, but beautiful fruit on the attack and alluring purity and nicely textured mouthfeel. A full-bodied finish with plenty of wrapping sweetness completes this tightly-packed Lynch-Bages.
Blend:
75% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
7% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
Today, the wine rhymes with balance and subtlety. On the nose, the freshness of the fruit stands out, finding subtle harmony with the wood. On the palate, it is rounded, smooth and mellowed. The tannins are silky and very ripe. The dazzling finish oozes with great class and is astonishingly long.
Blend:
76 % Cabernet Sauvignon
4% Cabernet Franc
18 % Merlot
2 % Petit Verdot
"Here comes the sun..."
Things are looking extremely auspicious for the 2009 vintage: good rainfall levels, plenty of sunshine, cool nights alternating with warm days, a superb September, and lovely fine weather during harvest. The maturity and sanitary state of the grapes were perfect, and the wines are rich and concentrated but well balanced. These all point to a vintage at least equal to or even better than that of 2005, perhaps even approaching the great vintages of the 40s...
Very powerful and well-balanced. The colour is deep and the nose reflects the sunny growing season with remarkable ripeness and overtones of blackcurrant and black fruit. The wine starts out unctuous and straightforward on the palate with impressively concentrated, elegant tannin accompanied by plenty of body.
2009 Lynch-Bages has a rich and opulent flavour enhanced by fresh acidity that contributes to perfect balance and an incredibly long aftertaste.
March 2010