1966 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1966 Lynch Bages : I couldn't imagine Lynch Bages had delivered such a beauty in 1966. I thought by mistake that it might be Mouton (we were tasting blind). Very complex and beautiful nose of Havana cigar, cedar, almond, ripe fruit, candied currants. Very fat and long, smooth, rounded, graceful. A real thrill to taste! Close to perfection. 94/100

1987 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1987 Lynch Bages : the colour looks pretty dark and nice. The nose is fruity (plums), menthol but turns into more "earthy" tones after a while. Nice rounded mouth but showing a slight imbalanced acidity. I decanted this wine and it was a mistake. It turned to be much better just after opening than after decanting. A nice charming wine to start with, but quickly showing signs of exhaustion. Before decanting, I rated it 85/100. One hour later 80/100.

1989 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1989 Lynch Bages : at the opening this 1989 Lynch Bages is a true wonder. Sweet, dense ripe fruit and complex tertiary flavours - truffle, sandalwood, leather. The wine fills up the palate. Hugely concentrated, perfectly balanced and a finish that went on and on. So I decided to decanter this 1989 Lynch Bages until lunch time. What a disastrous mistake! 
Four hours later the hue has turned orange. The flavours have completely lost their magic. Admittedly, one finds spicy animal and slightly roasted flavours but unfortunately, wet floor cloth and acetic smells dramatically break the charm. The body is wide structured and fills out the mouth completely. But the finish has become more astringent. All in all this was a hard but good lesson. In the future I'll be much more cautious on decanting 15+ years old wines for so long!

1994 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1994 Lynch Bages : ruby hue. Rather unpleasant nose, animal and metallic. After being warmed up from cellar temperature, much better flavours of cherry and almond paste fortunately pop out of the glass. Rough and rather thin body, characterized by an aqueous and herbaceous finish. Can bode well with a fat steak, but there is probably nothing much to expect from it. The less exciting Lynch Bages of the evening. Drink now. 82/100

1995 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1995 Lynch Bages : I tasted the 95 about two months ago at home. But more interestingly I was at Bordeaux last week and we were warmly welcomed at Lynch-Bages. I was surprised to see that, together with a sample of 2004 Lynch-Bages, they proposed 1999 and.. 1995 (we also had interesting Ormes de Pez 04 and 02). While Lynch-Bages 1999 seemed in a better shape than the one I had a couple of months ago, the 1995 disappointed me for the 3rd time in a row. Now I know what I will do with my 10 remaining bottles.. Sell !!

1996 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1996 Lynch Bages : Decanted 4 hours. Ruby red. Gained depth in decanter nicely. Beautiful ripe fruit, blackcurrant, prune, truffle and cedarwood aromas. Full bodied, incredibly concentrated and well balanced between soft tannins and very pure fruits. Very long and dense finish. An excellent traditionally made 1996 Lynch-Bages. Should magnificiently age for 10 - 15 years and more. A very solid score: 92/100

1997 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1997  Chateau Lynch-Bages (tasted at the Château) - Ruby hue with mint aromas, ripe fruits, spices. Nice tannins and mocha in mouth. More tannic than other wines of the vintage. The 1997 Lynch Bages should drink perfectly well in 2006 - 2010. 86/100

TOP

1998 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1998 Lynch Bages : Decanted 3-4 hours. Beautiful opaque crimson. Nose still overwhelmed by wood, spices and cedar, with pleasant flavours of cherry and violets in the background. Square, solid structure with well marked tannins. The fruit is however ripe and balance well some slightly drying tannins by the end. 1998 Lynch Bages is still rather austere at this point but reveals its great potentialities for the next 10 years and more (2015). Will probably soften a bit within the next couple of years. Long term hold. 89/100 today but potentially even better at maturity.

1999 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1999 Lynch Bages : dark hue. Muted, slightly animalized aromas, green pepper. The tannins are a bit tough but are however well balanced by some ripe fruit (prune). Mineral taste on the tongue (graphite) and light astringency on the finish. Finally, a much more traditional 1999 Lynch Bages  than I expected. It is OK but currently seems in a sort of ungrateful evolution phase. 87/100

2000 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2000 Lynch Bages : very deep purple hue. The nose is amazingly complex: no flavor dominates another - vanilla, cedar wood, torrefied mocha. Excellent ripe and solar fruits (cherries and warm red fruits). The body of this 2000 Lynch Bages  has similar aromatic characteristics. The tannins are noble and marvelously balanced by an impression of very well rounded concentrated pure fruit. Superb and consistent finish. Is this 2000 Lynch Bages going to challenge the great 1989 as the "best Lynch-Bages of the last 20 years"? 94/100

2000 Lynch Bages (2), Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2000 Lynch Bages : the hue of this 2000 Lynch Bages is so opaque I can hardly see the flame of the candle through the bottle as I'm decanting the wine! Four hours later, what a symphony: red fruits, spices, blonde tobacco, cigar box, ripe cherries. Such an amazing persistence! The mouth is particularly silky, with an enormous richness, very concentrated and pure. A mix of Lynch-Bages 1996 and 2001, but with a much higher dimension. It is extremely consistent and chewy. However one wonders how 2000 Lynch-Bages will turn out in 15 years from now. For the moment, it is pure pleasure and seduction! It is worth noting that a long decanting made it turn much better, whereas it appeared quite closed at the opening. 95/100

2001 Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2001 Lynch Bages : decanted 3-4 hours. Crimson hue. Initially reticent nose but after three hours in the decanter it has expanded into a concentration of buttery roasted wood, cedar, vanillin, and blackberry jam. 2001 Lynch Bages has an excellent balance of pure fruit and fine tannins on the mid-palate. Slight bitterness and long finish. An easy wine to enjoy "on the fruit". Just a little too "international" in style and probably lacks of personality to enter the propertie's Hall of Fame. 89/100

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