About the Wine

Have you ever seen such unanimity? Some of the world’s most respected wine critics all agree the 2018 Lynch-Bages is a gem of a wine hitting its stride in 2023-2024. One of 18 Fifth Growth Grand Cru Classe wineries in Bordeaux, this wine always punches above its weight and over-delivers. Château Lynch Bages consistently outperforms its ranking, and it’s the highest-profile estate in its classification.

Owned by the Cazes family, this property always seems to be on the up and up. The family purchased the estate in 1939, ensuring this hundreds-of-years-old winery continues its prestigious work. The modern estate has 100 hectares of vines split into two parts, one near the château on the Bages plateau in the southern half of the Pauillac commune, not far from Château Latour, and the other near Château Mouton Rothschild. The soils are mainly gravel and sand, which allow for good drainage.

These soils, plus mastery in the cellar, never fail to create wines of great quality, and consumers clamor for that quality. When we offer futures of Château Lynch-Bages, we sell more of the powerhouse Poulliac than any other wine offered in futures. Bordeaux lovers and collectors know they can’t go wrong with Lynch-Bages, every single vintage of this wine is spectacular.

This wine is hitting its stride now and has at least another 10+ years on the upside as it develops in bottle. Don't miss it.

2020 was a great year for Bordeaux. Vinous Media blessed this year with a 97-point review and said, "Two thousand-twenty is an exceptional vintage for Bordeaux, certainly the best in the 2018-2020 trilogy. Quality is very, very high."

Aging: 75% new French oak for 18 months.

Tasting Notes:60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Full-bodied and rich with intense aromas of blackberry, mulberries, chocolate, and the tell-tale lead pencil of Cab Sauv. Big fruits, baking spices, and tobacco on the palate with ripe tannins and a minerally finish.

Reviews

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. ~99 James Suckling

Bold black fruits and dense, textured tannins are very much in the style of the estate. What is new in this vintage is the extra precision that lifts the wine, bringing together the beautiful black currant flavors of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a refined texture of sophisticated tannins. This is an impressive wine, sure to age over many years. ~96-98 Wine Enthusiast

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. ~95-97+ Jeb Dunnuck

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 33hl/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 Window 2030 - 2048 ~96 Decanter

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. It has an alcohol of 13.41%, a pH of 3.73 and an IPT (tannin index) of 93. Opaque purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, cassis and boysenberries, plus touches of garrigue, red roses and cedar chest with hints of graphite and black olives. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tight-knit black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing long and mineral laced. ~94-96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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. ~94-96 Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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