External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| | Vintage | 2002 |  Label 1 of 2267 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Château Lynch-Bages (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Médoc | | Appellation | Pauillac | | UPC Code(s) | 000008738028, 014100076629, 0400005643774, 072180692740, 078742374604, 087000330115, 204022504342, 206486002594, 3364420025997, 3554770032428, 3760020131661, 3760020132750, 3760020133979, 649185961968, 649944043652, 843304010647 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 400 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Geoff on 4/7/2024 & rated 94 points: Really singing and young. very enjoyable. (741 views) | | | Tasted by Gregmonroe on 3/20/2024: WWC - CH (Fort Worth Club): Tasted blind - Tertiary nose, a blend of animal, sweat, and red fruit. Slight bricking in the glass, with pretty big tannins. Big red fruit flavors, mixed with some olive juice and earth. Called a left bank BDX. Tasty, but not as good as the Pavie in my opinion. (720 views) | | | Tasted by Texas Corkscrew on 3/20/2024 & rated 93 points: WWC (784 views) | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 2/17/2024 & rated 95 points: 2nd tasting. Decanting 2-3 hours ahead will help.
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, spices, toast, vanilla, charr wood, smoke. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is fine and not harsh. (1614 views) | | | Tasted by talbot61 on 12/14/2023 & rated 92 points: Surprisingly little sediment. Very dark. Nicely structured and ready to drink, though the wine doesn't have the full piney expansiveness of the best of Lynch-Bages. No sweetness, but it still feels like a very big wine, and could almost be mistaken for one of the more restrained Napa cabernets. (I'm thinking of Corison in particular.) (2520 views) | | | Tasted by Tao on 11/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Dark ruby colour, aroma of strong black, peppery fruits, a hint of leather, classy and old fashioned! Rather deep on the palate, coated with rich black fruits, a mild touch of soi bois, and a lengthy finish! This is a very classical Lynch! May benefit from some short-term cellaring. (2002 views) | | | Tasted by lightning on 11/8/2023 & rated 93 points: One sniff and you can immediately tell that this is a classic Pauillac. The typical Pauillac nose of cassis, graphite and some capsicum; similar flavours on the palate, midbodied, elegant, balanced. Just hits the right spots. Good to drink now and in the short term. (2090 views) | | | Tasted by Brolawa on 10/14/2023: P2/3. Bourbon steak Nashville. LCB Bday. Drank with Leoville Barton of same year. Had some distant notes of smoke, red fruit and leather but never truly opened up. (2046 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewWill on 9/15/2023 & rated 93 points: 2002 Lynch Bages
My local merchant was selling these from his personal cellar. What a lucky turn. He implored me to give this an hour of air, advice he is normally loathe to give.
He was right. An hour of air transforms this wine from a somewhat closed, acidic offering to a lush, black fruit-forward experience.
The nose shows classic Pauillac notes of graphite, sweet cedar, stewed plum, cassis, Christmas spice, and a hint of iron.
Palate is balanced, complex, and delicious. Tannins are soft and smooth. A gorgeous mix of softened black fruit, cassis, camphor, earth, red apple skin, and metal. Finish goes on for a lip-smacking minute.
If you’re wondering why my reviews skew towards the 90-point range, it’s because I tend not to write up wines that don’t deserve lengthy notes. Trying to change that though! (2203 views) | | | Tasted by Preed on 8/21/2023 & rated 91 points: Lovely Bordeaux. A little thin but enjoyable. (1931 views) | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 7/18/2023 & rated 95 points: Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, spices, toast, vanilla, charr wood, smoke. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is fine and not harsh. Drinking well now and can still last many years ago. (2066 views) | | | Tasted by RVC_Wine on 6/30/2023 & rated 93 points: Cedar, cigar box, herbaceous, dark currant and cherry, p int
Palate subdued, m+ acid, m+ tannin, coffee, earth, dried bitter herbs, dried cherry.
B y
C .5
I y
L .5 (1924 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 6/28/2023 & rated 93 points: Opening this to commemorate Jean-Michel Cazes who was a giant in the wine world and never waivered on the traditional, medium bodied, time needing Bordeaux style of Lynch Bages. The 2002 showed well despite the lesser vintage. Beautiful nose of earthy elements, pine, leather. Medium- body with now melted tannins after 20 years of cellaring. (2517 views) | | | Tasted by rcb25 on 6/28/2023 flawed bottle: Have not had 02 Lynch Bages before, so I have no reference point for this vintage other than various other Lynch Bages vintages consumed, but this very much seemed like an off bottle. Incredibly muted on the nose. No fruit, oak or other flavours at all. Just a soupçon of green on the nose. Nothing on the palate except some resolved tannins and some rather lively acids. Bottle and cork looked in pristine condition, as did the colour. No TCA detected as well. Decanted it and tracked it over some 5 hours or so with no change. No idea what was going on with this wine. (1705 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 5/18/2023 & rated 94 points: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (12%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%), harvested on the first two weeks of October. 60% of the production was used for this grand vin. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (65% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Moderately evolved yet fully opaque dark maroon color. The nose feels quite powerful and somewhat evolved - yet less so than the appearance would suggest - with nuanced aromas of ripe blackcurrants and juicy dark fruits, some woody notes of pencil shavings, light leafy green nuances, a little bit of sweet black raspberry, a developed hint of meaty character and a touch of earth. The wine feels ripe, dense and quite chewy on the palate with a medium body and intense, dry flavors of juicy blackcurrants and bloody meat, some autumnal notes of damp leaves, a little bit of tobacco, light woody notes of pencil shavings along with sweeter nuances of toasty oak spice and cedar, a savory hint of meaty umami and a touch of wizened dark plums. The overall feel doesn't feel young, nor particularly aged, either. However, the overall feel is pretty firm and muscular, thanks to the high acidity and still rather grippy tannins. The finish is savory, somewhat evolved and quite grippy with a long, complex aftertaste of wizened blackcurrants and ripe dark fruits, some woody notes of pencil shavings, a little bit of old leather, light herbaceous leafy tones, autumnal hints of sous-bois and a touch of pipe tobacco.
An excellent, complex and still relatively youthful Bordeaux that shows great sense of fruit and intensity for a 2002. After the similarly firm and structured but taste-wise a bit hollow 2002 Palmer, this Lynch-Bages showed a bit more substance and mid-palate volume in comparison. Although the wine shows some sense of age and development, there is more than enough fruit and structure here to promise good cellaring potential for at least another decade, maybe even two. Plus the wine is going to keep for even longer. Smashing stuff, among the best 2002 left-bankers I've tasted. Highly recommended. (1650 views) | | | Tasted by CGWIND on 1/21/2023 & rated 91 points: Very nice Showing well. (2940 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 1/9/2023 & rated 90 points: Blind. Dense ruby. Nose initially quite mute, but opens to blackcurrant fruit and stems. Left bank claret, and early 2000’s, but not showing obvious commune character. Maybe 04 but then settle on 02. Apparently Pauillac so we go round the houses until we get to Lynch B. Graphite too. On first taste this feels a bit dense and slightly chewy with furry tannins, but this melds surprisingly quickly and after half an hour it smoothed out. As with a bottle six months ago, it’s relatively straightforward, the slightly dusty dark fruit not lent any complexity by a fresh line or complexity on the mid palate. Satisfying wine though, and ideal with steak and chips. ***1/2 (2954 views) | | | Tasted by liber on 11/21/2022 & rated 90 points: 7th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, essentially as last July's bottle, fruit muted, tannins prominent, i'd add a slightly green sensation to the fruit as if selection was too lax for the grand vin in this vintage (too much underripe fruit in cepage), it may resolve but I wouldn't bet on it, otherwise a well made wine as should be expected from LB with little if any upside and probably best drunk over next 5 years. VGI (17). (3230 views) | | | Tasted by Richard Hanson on 11/7/2022 & rated 91 points: Drank at end of October 2022 - amazing fruit, vanilla, liquorice and black fruit with balance and solid (if that makes sense). It felt at its peak but will last a few years. (3199 views) | | | Tasted by Geoff on 11/4/2022 & rated 95 points: Deep dard color, floral nose of dark fruit with hints of red, cedar and oak, earth, spices. Smooth mouthfeel, sweet tannins, acidity and balance. Medium to full bodied. Long finish. Overall, a very pleasing wine. (3227 views) | | | Tasted by peebal on 10/28/2022 & rated 93 points: I'm not a huge fan of Bordeaux in general as Cabernet tends to usually (to me) always express the itself through a narrow window of predictable qualifiers (pencil shavings, cassis, cigar box, etc...). It also takes FOREVER to age which means that at my current age of 60 I am reluctant to buy a bottle that may not come around until I'm six feet under. That being noted, one of the things that is always amazing about the grand crus is that the good years tend to be overblown fruit monsters that (to me) never really become food friendly and take even longer to age. I have a couple of cases sitting in my cellar that are over twenty years old and I wonder if they will ever come around. Light years, such 2002 on the other hand, tend to sell for pennies on the dollar compared to the bigger years (2000, 2005) and to my palate are consistently more elegant, food friendly, and all-around enjoyable. The 2002 Lynch Bages is such a bottle. I believe I paid around $35 for this. It was obviously a good price but became all the better when you consider that the 2000 sold, at the time, for around $90-100. That wine is still waiting in the cellar and I know exactly what to expect when it finally arrives. It won't excite me. The 2002, on the other hand, was light on its feet, with a nose that is just starting to show some secondary complexity of sous-bois along with dark berries, a precise and pleasing attack of, perfectly balanced mid-palate with just enough fat to carry the flavor along and a refined, if predictably Pauillac finish that hit all the right notes from dark berry (ripe cassis) moving to notes of leather and truffly umami, and nicely integrated but pleasingly present tannins. I would never exchange this for a good burgundy, but if I open a bottle of Bordeaux, this is exactly what I want. I wish I had a case of it. (2385 views) | | | Tasted by Bugiman on 10/22/2022 & rated 95 points: Phantastic wine, in a perfect drinking window. (2319 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 10/3/2022 & rated 88 points: 2002 Bordeaux 20 years on tasting (Fribourg): 2002 Bordeaux 20 years on tasting. Key takeaways: 1/ 31 out of 32 wines were in flawless condition which indicates either luck or less bottle variation in the vintage, 2/ On average still early days with the fruit predominantly primary, 3/ solid hedonistic quality with only few laggards, but also no blow-outs, 4/ structures built on both tannin and acidity, but common mid-palate weakness, 5/ best wines were Valandrau, Palmer and a surprise underdog Lagrange (all 95), 6/ biggest disappointment was a cooked Figeac (87). More comments and full list of wines included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
The fruit is mostly red and blue berries, but came across somewhat unripe unfortunately. Elements of liquorish and a bit of leather were not enough to add anything interesting to the nose. The palate rather bitter, off-balance and with too much heat. A Lynch Bages to avoid, especially as this is the second bottle I tasted this year with pretty consistent results. (3041 views) | | | Tasted by Capybara562 on 9/3/2022 & rated 91 points: Still in it’s prime. This was terrific with a rib roast, well-integrated tannins and everything in balance. Drink or hold. (2222 views) | | | Tasted by CGWIND on 8/28/2022 & rated 89 points: Took some time to open up. Some nice earth nose. Lovely tannin and Acid. Red fruit, but on the backside. (2059 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Passing the Baton: Lynch-Bages 1945-2018 (Jul 2023) (7/1/2023)
(Lynch-Bages Lynch-Bages Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/15/2012)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/13/2009)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/14/2006)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2005, IWC Issue #120
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Campbell Mattinson
The WINEFRONT (1/1/2005)
(Chateau Lynch Bages) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/2/2004)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2004, IWC Issue #114
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2003, IWC Issue #108
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/2/2003)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, A Century of Bordeaux: The Twos (Sep 2022)
(Lynch-Bages Lynch-Bages Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/31/2006)
(Château Lynch-Bages) Spicy plum and olive nose; very tight, plum palate, firm tannins; medium finish 87+ pts. 87 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and The WINEFRONT and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Lynch-Bages Producer website - Read more about Chateau Lynch Bages
Vineyard map
BACKGROUND: 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.2002 Château Lynch-BagesThe estate vineyard composition is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Pauillac Read more detailed information about Pauillac Looking full onto the river from the earliest days, with an important port activity, traces of which go back to ancient times (shipment of bronze as long ago as 2000 B.C.), Pauillac's life has always been intimately linked to the history of wine. Although port activities were at the root of its prosperity, Pauillac had to wait until the eighteenth century when Bordeaux ceased to hold its privileged position to become a wine port. The town then became the natural outlet for the wine production of neighbouring cantons before reaching its zenith in a period when the vineyards were exceptionally prosperous.
The characteristic of the Pauillac terroir is its exceptional relief: the many undulating ridges make it unique morphologically speaking. Highly favourable conditions facilitate the dissection of the layer of gravel. This thin, Garonne gravel from whose very poverty springs great richness, has an extremely effective natural drainage.
With their velvet red colour with a hint of amber, the wines from the Pauillac appellation, full-bodied and rich in tannin, are vigorous. Powerful when young, their aromas of red fruits (black-currant, raspberry) or flowers (violets, roses, irises) melt with the passing of time into a bouquet which is long in the mouth.
Rich and complex, the wines of Pauillac deserve to be laid down for a little longer.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Pauillac appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Pauillac and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cissac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Sauveur, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
|
