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| | Vintage | 2012 |  Label 1 of 2261 
 | | 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) | 0400005643774, 078742374604, 3364420065337, 3700188031564, 370027466586, 3760020132361, 3760020132750, 3760020133436, 3760020133979, 3760020134129, 400002298236, 639737586794, 649185961968, 6740198031564, 714153179321, 830293004900 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 70 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by 831900_ on 2/12/2024 & rated 93 points: Less fruit-forward, more slate/graphite, tertiary starting to develop, gentle tannin impression without overloading on silk. A different style than many today to be sure, likely in part due to the vintage. (907 views) | | | Tasted by Jake Barnes on 1/17/2024 & rated 89 points: Small pour at a walk-around tasting hosted by a local specialty retailer. Case and point for why most 2012 Bordeaux is a hard sell in the current market—thin nondescript red and black fruits (call it elegant, if that makes you feel better about the price), a touch of some generic age on the very light nose, and a short finish. This was nothing that couldn’t be thoroughly trounced by an ‘09 or ‘10 Cantemerle, which costs about $55 in today’s market versus the $149 price on this. 13.5% ABV (very good (barely)/*** (just)/15.5/89) (992 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 1/17/2024 & rated 93 points: Flickinger Tasting at The Casino (Chicago, IL): Apparently I didn't like this at UGC almost 10 years ago. I do quite like this now, though maybe it's my palate that has changed versus the wine. In any case, very archetypal leather-and-pencil-shaving Pauillac. Shows some plumminess as well, but this isn't overwhelmingly fruity. Nascent secondary characteristics, with primary characteristics still dominating. (1746 views) | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 12/29/2023 & rated 94 points: Still youthful. Need more time to show its potential. Medium+ nose intensity with notes of black fruits, spices, chocolate, coffee. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. (1030 views) | | | Tasted by JeremyBernton on 11/23/2023 & rated 93 points: Drinking beautifully now. Understated, but truly delicious. (1273 views) | | | Tasted by AlexPS on 11/17/2023 & rated 92 points: Decanted and aired for 1 hr. Some sediment. Started with great nose but astringent palate. Then the nose was gone. But after 3 hrs, everything came together great. Nose: Great 9/10. That nice Cab Sauvignon perfume. Palate: 8/10. Medium to full bodied. Silky tannin. Black cherry, plum, iron, stone, cassis. Finish: 7/10. Price: 8/10 ($130 2023). Enjoyment: 9/10. Would buy again: If a good deal, yes. Otherwise try other vintages. (891 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 9/30/2023: Pleasure boat, lazy susan in the best way. Easy going bu with good tension to it. (1467 views) | | | Tasted by gornals on 2/1/2023 & rated 96 points: The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. It smells like black currant (cassis), blackberry, blueberry, prune, plum, mineral, forest floor, stoniness, medium toast, cedar, oak, vanilla, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, violet and meaty. The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. Gorgeous! (3133 views) | | | Tasted by levicn on 11/25/2022 & rated 92 points: 醒酒一个小时四十分钟，深宝石红偏紫色，闻香是雪松，墨水和黑醋栗的味道，香气非常经典，透着一种古朴而又严谨的高级感，入口酸度很高，酒液咸，单宁紧涩，细砂纸颗粒，口中是石墨和醋栗的味道为主，酒体中等，中后段口感有点空，余味是香料感和香草气息。闻香太高级，入口能感觉得到不错的结构，表现稍微有点紧，可以进一步醒酒。醒酒三个半小时再饮，状态提升，能捕捉到更多元素，香草奶油，森林地表，醋栗和雪松，酒体中后段的口感还是稍微薄了些，这倒是非常的波尔多，列级庄经典的表现。 (2987 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 11/9/2022 & rated 92 points: 2012 Bordeaux After One Decade (Los Olivos, CA): A fascinating wine, which divided the group a bit (I landed somewhere in the middle). On the one hand, the wine didn't seem to reveal much at all, with a shy nose and green, slightly astringent fruit. Downright austere, or so I thought. Nonetheless, one of our more experienced palates ruminated on the freshness and purity of this expression of Cabernet. In any case, when the wine was joined by a lovely dish of braised lamb on polenta, it took on a radically different identity, flashing the black cherry notes I associate with this producer. Go figure. I would hold your bottles until 2025, or give the wine a lengthy decant. (3071 views) | | | Tasted by Radders12345 on 10/26/2022: Bordeaux vs Bolgheri – Outside the 1st growths (67 Pall Mall) (67 Pall Mall): 76% CS, 18% Merlot, 4% CF
Somewhat restrained on the nose but then sweet maraschino cherry, vanilla, a little spearmint
Intensity kicks up significantly on the palate, sapid red fruit and cassis, structured tannins and good acidity. Long finish. You can tell this is going to be a really lovely wine but young and a bit closed at the moment. If i had this I'd wait 5 years (3095 views) | | | Tasted by NickA on 10/26/2022 & rated 91 points: Bordeaux vs Bolgheri – Outside the 1st growths (67 Pall Mall): 76% CS, 18% M, 4% CF, 2% PV; 13.5% ABV.
Rather darker than tonight's first two wines, in appearance, aroma and taste - NB the high proportion of CS. A lot of cedar and herbs on the clean, minty nose; no evidence of plushness here. Cocoa notes on the less-concentrated, liquid-feeling palate, which was very drying and savoury, with grip and chew on the finish. This wine has understated power and was barely ready. (2877 views) | | | Tasted by Peter Z. on 10/16/2022 & rated 89 points: underperforming in this vintage (1616 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 10/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux 2012 (By SS in the Ertepeller.): Beautiful and complex bouquet with dark berries and forest floor, cedar and tobacco. On the palate juicy dark berries, chocolate, earth, autumn forest, beautiful acidity and a great length. Already a great pleasure. (1657 views) | | | Tasted by fcxj on 6/26/2022 & rated 88 points: Inky. (2211 views) | | | Tasted by junglejuice on 6/13/2022 & rated 95 points: This is drinking beautifully. Far from a blockbuster - this nails medium bodied balance and precision with notes of graphite, cedar box, black currant, green tobacco and blackberry. Quintessential and classic Pauillac. A great wine to drink now and over the next 15 years while you wait for the best years of the decade to slumber. It is also a relative bargain given the quality and immediate drinkability. Give a 1-2 hour decant and enjoy - 95 (1926 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 3/22/2022 & rated 94 points: 20 Vintages of Lynch Bages (1986-2017): All wines tasted blind. Not decanted. A few conclusions: 1) The overall quality of the wines surpassed my (and the groups) expectations slightly. There were good wines in all decades. 2) The style is very Cabernet, very Pauillac, quite classic, with a good grip, pleasantly high acidity and a good, not too ripe fruit core. 3) Most vintages don‘t have the depth of its neighbours and, until more recently, there are some quite angular tannins. 4) Lynch these days doesn’t reach the same elegance and complexity as both Pichons but plays in the same league as Pontet Canet, which, is less classically built. 5) Highest rating of 95 pts for 3 crowd favorites: of course for the 1990 and 2016, but rather surprising also for the 2017.
TN: Bright, floral, red fruited, rhubarb nose, super fresh and inviting. And on the palate this shows so much elegance, so much ligthness and without losing its depth and substance. This marks a clear break from the past with much more elegant and round tannins than before. Very precise aromas of dark berries, red berries, rhubarb, coffee, burnt sugar, herbs and minerality. Quite great and round. Balanced and creamy. One of the winners of the tasting and 94 pts.
Decanting: No extensive decanting necessary. (4221 views) | | | Tasted by FiggySmalls on 3/18/2022: nose: very strong perfume from the second the cork is popped. has depth but is more high-toned than not.
better smelling than drinking.
palate: not lacking ripe fruit, but definitely all tart fruit. full'ish mouthfeel with tons of acid. acid is pleasant but seems to impart more of the structure than tannin.
straightforward. tastes like classified bdx. delivers the goods. not impressive beyond that. (2269 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 3/14/2022 & rated 93 points: Lynch Bages vertical (1986-2017): Lynch Bages vertical spanning 20 vintage (1986-2017) hosted by a private collector. My key observations were: 1/ The “twin peaks” of 1989 and 1990 continue to perform well, 3/ among the younger vintages 2017 and 2016 stood out, 3/ mid- to late-90ies were unimpressive as a group, rustic with harsh tannins, 4/ 2000-2008 showed extracted fruit profiles, but with juicier palates, 5/ After 2009 the fruit turned brighter and more red in nature, less extracted and fruit-forward palates. Note the wines were not decanted and served blind in flights of 4.
Tasting note:
A rather bright, more red type of berry fruit. Elements of sweet spice, a few herbs, hints of leather. The palate is juicy and shows electric and fresh acidity, but also stands firmly on a firm structural footing. This drinks really nice, but didn’t feel quite ripe enough. Pretty consistent with the last bottle 1-2 months ago. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 3/8/2022 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux 2012 - 10 Years On - 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind. Not decanted. A few observations: 1) 2012 is a good quality vintage without the depth/length of great vintages. Still, one of the better “off-vintages”. 2) Many but not all wines are drinking well today. They are generally open, round and fleshed out. 3) Further cellaring is advised as there are hardly any tertiary aromas yet and that extra complexity will render the wines more interesting. The wines generally have the structure and fruit to age gracefully. 4) The level of ripeness/alcohol are not a concern (09, 10, 15, 18 have more problems in that area). 5) Left bank (avg. 92.2 pts) beats right bank (91.0) (group has right bank a notch ahead). The overall group avg. score is at a good 92.1, but unsurprisingly below past retrospectives of better vintages (00, 09, 10). 6) There are highlights on both sides: my best wines today were Ausone (96 pts), Mouton (96), Cheval (95) and Margaux (95).
TN: Finley toasted nose with fine dark fruit underneath. But overall not that exciting. On the palate this shows fine dark and blue fruit, some toasty notes, herbs but not overly deep. Quite fine structure, no excess weight. Overall a solid, without fault and a good structure but without anything exceptional. 92 pts seem appropriate and around these 92/93 pts is where I see Lynch in general - with exception of the great 1989/1990 vintages. Maybe some newer vintage will reach similar highs but this 2012 likely is has not necessary complexity.
Decanting: Didn’t seem to need much air. No extensive decanting needed.
Group rank: Shared 16th out of 33 reds
Group average score: 91.8
More information, vintage comparisons, top and worst 10 list, appellation rankings from the group in the story link. (3548 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 2/7/2022 & rated 93 points: Bordeaux 2012 10 years on tasting: A 2012 Bordeaux vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector. Main observations were: 1/ Left bank beats right bank thanks to Paulliac, St Estèphe and Margaux, 2/ (over-)extraction was a frequent issue, making this a vintage where winemaking decisions and skill mattered, 3/ as such, unsurprisingly, first growths and right bank equivalents clearly outperformed the pack, 4/ highlights were Ausone (97) followed by Cheval Blanc, Mouton, Pichon Lalande (all 96), 5/ the lowlight was an over-extracted Pape Clement (88). Complete ranking and additional observations included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
A grassy, pretty green bouquet with red cherry and some blue berry elements. An amazingly juicy palate offering immediate pleasure with a strong attack and decent balance overall. (2502 views) | | | Tasted by vulgar little monkey on 2/5/2021 & rated 90 points: Very good, well balanced Pauillac. Black currants, graphite, and a bit of cedar as one expects. I was worried the wine would feel really forced in this "off vintage" but everything is well proportioned and pleasant. (4620 views) | | | Tasted by Juliansi on 11/1/2020: One is good but three is better... So smooth and delightful! (1055 views) | | | Tasted by Juliansi on 10/31/2020: Simply divine and incredibly smooth after an hour of decanting ... wonderful with some roast duck! (1060 views) | | | Tasted by PT insurgent on 4/15/2019: Nose of ripe black fruits, prune, ripe, berry cobbler. High tannin, high acid, fruity, cedar, graphite. (8649 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 (3/5/2022)
(Ch Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Sebastian Payne MW
Decanter, Bordeaux 2012: ten years on tasting (3/3/2022)
(Château Lynch-Bages, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, March 2022 (3/1/2022)
(Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/10/2022)
(Ch Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, December 2016, Issue #54
(Château Lynch-bages 5ème Cru (13% Abv)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2016 (11/1/2016)
(Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/20/2016)
(Ch Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2012 Bordeaux: Messages in a Bottle (Jan 2016) (1/1/2016)
(Lynch Bages Lynch-bages) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/23/2014)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Steven Spurrier
Decanter, Bordeaux 2012 results: Pauillac (4/19/2013)
(Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/11/2013)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, April 2013, IWC Issue #168
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2013 (4/1/2013)
(Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Mar/Apr 2013, Issue #44, The 2012 Bordeaux Vintage: A Very Inconsistent, But Classically-Proportioned Year
(Château Lynch-Bages) Login and sign up and 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 (1/30/2015)
(Château Lynch-Bages) Saturated very dark red violet color; aromatic, tart black fruit, roasted coffee, ripe black fruit nose; silky textured, tasty, tart black fruit, roast coffee, ripe black fruit palate; needs 4 years; long finish 94 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and Decanter and Winedoctor and The World of Fine Wine and View From the Cellar 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.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). |
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