This wine continues to fire on all cylinders. Right from the start it showed strong with lots of wonderful tertiary aromas, a strong, fresh fruit core, an impeccable structure and perfect balance. When consumed 2 hours later in a restaurant it showed less complex and much younger. Still, it has all components of a great wine; the complexity, the precision, the elegance, freshness and a superb balance. 95pts for this bottle (rated up to 97pts in the past).
Decanting: Double decanted for 30 minutes, consumed two hours later. Got younger with air. This vintages usually doesn’t need much air.
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Plainly put this is one of my favorite Bordeaux. Have had it multiple times and it’s just an absolute delight every time. On this night it completely outdid a 1990 Latour which we enjoyed over a five hour dinner with my wife side by side at Hotel Bel Air. Hard to believe considering I paid more than double for the bottle of Latour.
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Cork was wine stained and fell apart upon opening but wine was beautiful underneath. Decanted 2 hrs, nose of black currants, plums cherries, violets, caramel, notes of iron and truffles. Palate came together at the end of decant, smooth with no hard edges, still very plentiful and sweet dark fruit with rounded tannins although this wine can go on for at least 5 more years given their potency, secondary and tertiary aromas of forest floor, truffles, caramel, herbs, old cedar and peppery on the finish which is incredibly long. Outstanding!
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This, along with the 1989, is a duo of the greatest wines ever produced from the estate, leaving the 1961,1982, and 2000 in the starting blocks. I can only assume that some of the lukewarm reviews is due to a lack of aeration. This needs a good 5 or 6 hours in the decanter to be appreciated at this stage of its life. Once it comes alive, it is an astounding wine. The nose is a classical mature Paulliac, with old leather, beef blood, blackcurrant and plum, with hints of violet. Some bottles are more developed at this stage in its development, and to be honest this was less evolved end palate and on the finish, with residual tannin; hence, the lower rating. This is a classic Bordeaux, and I do feel we have to give it that special attention with preparation and research, rather than just treat as another decent Bordeaux. A post script; I left a small glass overnight and it was transformative. In future, I will decant this for 24 hours.
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Gorgeous nose, still a beautiful purple with little bricking. Fully integrated tannins and classic LB tasting notes. Powerful yet fully integrated and silky tannins. Feels like this can go another 20 years.
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This is a decent Lynch Bages but far off the brilliant 1989 version. Beautiful deep ruby, no orange. Lightly spicy aroma. Decent concentration but really lacking focus and precision; perhaps slightly low in acidity. A little muddy. Perhaps an off bottle or heat damaged.
Decanted 2+ hours and consumed over next 90 or so minutes. At opening and after an hour of decant it exhibited an over ripe nose, bricking and tightness. But after 2 hours the wine felt fully integrated with a softness on the nose and the tongue, great mouthfeel, forest floor and cedar with a touch of manure and a really long finish. Paired with beef tenderloin a the pork chop at Boulevard in SF. This feels like it’s at its peak.
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Two hour decant. Drank alongside the 1989 and this was clearly a step behind at least tonight. The key difference is this was a little more foursquare and felt like it had already started to decline a bit with fruit a little faded and less vigour in the structure. Nevertheless still a very good aged bordeaux. There is a possibility this bottle had a bit of negative variation.
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At an annual Holiday tasting, in 3 drink flight. Blind. On the reveal there was a 2000 Lynch and a ‘90 Vega in flight. The 90 was the most sublime. Lead pencil, graphite on nose. Still beautiful fruit. No rush, long life ahead. 2+hr decant.
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Pall Mall 67 Singapore - penetrating nose of cassis, dark fruits, lead pencil and graphite. Regal the way a typical Pauillac is. Then so much freshness on the palate, great acidity. I lack reference points to declare it truly great and living up to the higher standards set separately by the vintage and the maker. It is obvious this still has a long life ahead of it. May be layered complexity is required to put it in the realm of truly greats. Using sensory memory this more than holds its own with a Mouton 89 I had a few weeks ago
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From half bottle. Disappointing. After two hours some classic tobacco, cedar and graphite emerged but sort of two-dimensional until then with currant and earth. Balanced with medium finish.
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Vinklubben 1983's 40th anniversary X-mas dinner (Hos Sten): D2h Dark red, yellow tinged, 5.5 Complex bouquet of pencil, jasmin, exotic spices and more Dense palate, m-T, m+A, mB, dry, loads of dark fruits, long finish, super balance Drink now-2040 Incredible. Seems to be in the early drinking window.
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I love the purity of this vintage of Lynch Bages which is more structured than most '90's but really impresses after a long decant. There is deep blackberry fruit along with classic Pauillac notes of graphite minerals and grilled nuts. Really refined and chiseled while giving a gorgeous texture and subtle power. The finish still shows some tannins but they are quite supple and there are lovely complex notes of spices, lead pencil and smoky gravel. As good as the '89 is, the '90 really bumps up against it with the right bottle.
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This was a far cry from the outstanding 90 Lynch Bages that we had some time back. While that was a beast (silky red fruits and so much aplomb), this was rather anonymous. The quality of the vintage is hidden and you had to really dig to see. There is some green, some dark fruits, and graphite/tobacco. The ingredients are there but just wasn’t singing today.
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Same bottle as Melvin. Again clearly a left bank Bdx and a step up versus the 86 in terms of fruit. Still this 90 Lynch Bages, kindly shared by Dibbs, was not the best I have had. While I had the underwhelming 86 Lynch Bages as a left bank 99, here I agreed with Jason on left bank 96, given the quality here but already slightly thinning fruit of this bottle.
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Wines from regions starting with B: Very similar to the 1986, but with more vibrant fruit that made it an obvious guess as 1989/90. Felt like this didn’t get out of second gear, not as exciting as the bottle a few months ago.
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So gorgeous. Amazing nose that started out so youthful but showed great leather, less tobacco, tart slate with deep peppery bite, long and intense. So good now.
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Dinner with the wine group (Heirloom Cafe, SF): Intense aromatics, leather, cedar, forest floor; medium body, medium integrated alcohol and tannin, residual black fruit; finish is medium-plus length. Lovely mature Bordeaux. 93-94
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3rd time I have opened a bottle of this Château in this vintage.
Nose on the cigar, a little humus, cedar and sweet spices.
Fruity palate on blackcurrant, with the richness brought by the cigar, the whole sprinkled with spices. What more can be said? How harmonious, deep, with a touch of cedar that adds to the abyssal depth of this wine, and an unfailing balance. But what is most impressive is the touch of the mouth, real liquid silk, pure voluptuousness. Majestic finish on the leather which stretches with nobility.
This wine is great, it is so obvious! In addition to that, there seems to be a nice regularity on this wine which rarely disappoints.
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The Lynch Bages 1990 is one of the truly great wines of this great vintage. Its wondefully rich, complex and extremely well integrated. It has been a ongoing match between 1989 and 1990 for which one to claim the best as they truly are close. The 1990 still has staying power although there is no reason to wait as it is at its very grand peak right now. Absolute top class and an incredible joy to drink.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of licorice anise. It's in total harmony and has flavours of raspberry, black currant and chocolate with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a short finish - This is truly one of the best bottles of Cabernet that I have ever had.
The wine is perfectly balanced, and still has plenty of fruit. The tannins are fading quickly and I think this wine is approachable right now. It is delicious wine which should be enjoyed at this time.
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Decanted for almost 4 hours. Orange rim, dark ruby center with brick tint. Blackcurrant, plum, cigar, truffle, liquorice, and pencil shaving. This 33 years old bottle was still youthful. Wine was open and fraugrant. Decent amount of sediment. One of the best bottles of Lynch Bages I have tasted.
This 1990 was better than the 1985 I tasted 3 weeks ago: More silky and powerful. I believe this 1990 would take another 20 years to hit prime.
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The cork was wet all the way but the Durand prongs went in easily and it came out in one piece. I did not decant but passed the first 3 ounces through an aerotor and wow wow wow! Classic nose of damp forest floor and cedar but no funk unlike the last bottle I opened in 2022. First impression of dark fruit and smooth tannin was confirmed later after full decant and three hours open. At this point the nose revealed red fruit notes and the palate was red rich fruit, sturdy but slightly drying well integrated tannin and a finish that lasted a full minute. After four hours open the wine continues to evolve with distinct plum notes to the red and dark berry fruit. This is superb Pauillac wine which will continue to be delicious for another five years minimum. 90 Bordeaux continues to be my overall favorite vintage. Even after 24 hours open there is still good fruit. This wine is so delicious. It was a pleasure to sit outside in this comfortable Michigan night and just sip and enjoy this wine and thank the winemaker for his/her talent.
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Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of tar, herbs, spice, black tea, leather and hints of cedar, turning to silky tannins on a long, long finish.
A war-torn bottle. In a moment of weakness, I purchased as a pre-arrival from a store in Southern California. Do yourself a favor and don't purchase old bottles on pre-arrival without a photo or an accurate description of the bottle condition. Stupid move I made. When the bottle was shipped to my house, I opened the package and thought, "what a waste of $400 dollars". The label, the capsule, the FILL LEVEL... it was all bad. I called the store and they offered me some crumbs. When I removed the capsule last evening, I saw the cork was depressed nearly a half inch and soaked all the way through. I tried to get the Durand in position but as soon as a prong barely touched the cork, it fell into the bottle. I smelled the bottle and it actually had a nice fragrance. I poured a small taste thinking it would be awful and my sense of smell must be off... It was actually quite good! The color was nice with normal bricking at the edge and beautiful deep, dark, ruby red core. A wonderful nose of sweet red currant, baking spice, and cedar wood accents. It was delicious too with sweet, fresh fruit, a silky texture, light cedar wood notes, and a medium long finish. How can a bottle in such terrible condition perform so well? It's great Bordeaux thank goodness!
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Tasted regularly, this is one of my favourite wines, and this bottle was exceptional. With a great bottle it can legitimately challenge the Haut Brion and Margaux as left bank wine of the year. Decanting is still essential with 2 or 3 hours bringing out the optimum from the wine. It possesses a beautifully rich nose of blackcurrant, plum and old leather with notes of cedar and violet. The depth on the palate is outstanding with a good tannic spine, and the finish pushes past 60 seconds. I can't quite bring myself to give it a perfect score, but it's tempting. 99+
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Beat the '90 Latour: Popped and poured. Started off a little green but this opened up very nicely. Developed some very vibrant dark red fruit as it fleshed out. The rest of the line-up was obvious so my only doubts were between the 88 Mouton and this, but the class of the 1990 vintage made it obvious in the end. Excellent showing after a couple of hours.
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Beat the 1990 Latour: Third time having this wine. A lot greener than my first bottle but better than the last bottle. Seems like there might be bottle variation. My feeling is that with age the bigger names Paulliac’s are delivering now whereas this one has plateau-ed. The score is probably a more of reflection of the company it was served against than its own merits.
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Single blind. Initially rather lean with good nose. Managed to put on a bit more weight later on, another middle of the pack wine against stiff competition.
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Beat the 1990 Latour: Six years since my last bottle and this has barely moved. The most youthful wine together with the 06 Dujac that evening. Only gave it a slow ox of about 45 min but this needs a proper decant. Started a bit thin with lots of freshness, and only filled out after about 90 min in the bottle. A very classically styled Pauillac. Love it.
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An outstanding bottle of wine. This will last a lot longer. Incredibly fresh with a velvety backbone that opens the door to a potpourri of red fruit pencil shavings and tobacco. The wine is concentrated with plenty of follow through that just makes you want to keep sippin. Just beautiful and worth the price.
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The outside of the cork was screaming of TCA, but thankfully the wine was fine. Stalky with green tobacco, mmm, graphite and red fruit on the front of the palate, still actually a bit tannic, moving to dark, roasted tobacco on the finish. Love it. So mineral. So pure.
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Private dinner (Lynch-Bages 85, 90 and 03): Aged 15 months in French oak barrels (70% new wood). Blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 12.5% vol.
12 hours before the dinner double decanted. On the nose it starts a bit shy, gets more intense with additional air and shows leather next to under-wood and a suggestion of blackcurrant. On the palate elegant, dense and very long.
Classic Pauillac at the beginning of its maturity, did again a step up compared to five years ago but still not at its peak in my opinion and will easily survive another decade or two if the cork survives, 94+.
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This was an absolutely spectacular example of LB and of Pauillac in general. Drop dead nose that took its sweet time to show itself fully (decanting is still recommended) but full of intense crème de cassis, graphite pencil, exotic spices, old leather, sous-bois, sweet tobacco, mint, charred wood and gravel. Medium to full bodied, this was all class on the palate. Everything in perfect harmony, and with a mid-palate to die for. The finish was extremely long, and the wine kept evolving in the glass over the evening. I haven't tried the '89 yet as a comparison, but it's near the top of my list.
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WOTN at a vertical of Lynch-Bages with vintages from 1989 to 2018, edging out the 1989 though these two vintages were head and shoulders above the other wines which generally needed more time. Cassis, leather with a long finish. Classic Pauillac.
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Not sure of the air time for this one. My #8 WOTN tonight. Some graphite, old leaves, lots of tart cherry on the palate, it seems just a tad out of balance but that might be a factor of the air time? Wish we had more time to check this one out but it's getting late! Still, very enjoyable for any Bdx lover.
Two bottles at dinner tonight. The first would be rated lower as it had some bret impacting the wine negatively. The second is lovely although not quite as good as I remember it last year. Black currant, olives, cigar box. Full mature showing great length and complexity. Drink up in next five years.
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First time to try the 90, having had the 89 twice. To me this was richer, more baked fruit, and in my recent memory, bearing some similarity to the 86 Mouton. It had some dark to blue fruit tones, lots of intensity on the palate, somewhat limited chromatic spectrum, and more “new world” suggestion than the 91 Dominus served at its side.
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Everyone says this is ridiculously good. plenty of fruit, Pauillac, hasn't been reduced to the old wine generic character. Wow, and it is stunning. Beautiful depth of fruit character. Wow, just stunning.
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Aeration is essential for the wine, this was a BYO to a restaurant and was underwhelming for the first couple of hours, but then exploded into life. A short note with tasting notes as previous, but I have to use the opportunity for anyone UK based to celebrate the Fernery in the Grove at Narberth and their somelier team. 97+
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9 months since my last bottle. This was poured at a restaurant and started to open after an hour in the glass. I’d still recommend a decant. Well polished and great balance. Worthy of the praise from the professional reviews and a relative bargain. In prime with a decade plus of optimal drinking. Revisit 2024.
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No notes taken. Another magical bottle of this vintage for Lynch. Fantastic intensity and concentration on the nose and palate, highly layered with all telltale Pauillac aromas, full tertiary complexity with beautiful black truffle galore, leather and tobacco as well as tiny hints of brett (never had that before im a 1990 Lynch). Round structure, superb texture and balance, good freshness, a long and expanding finish. This has it all. While waiting for the 1989 to mature, this is now drinking on its peak and should stay there for many years to come. Beside Latour (higher complexity and unbelievable sharpness), this is the best Pauillac in this vintage beating Lafite and Mouton.
Decanting: Decanted for roughly 1 hour. Back an in the bottle and consumed 3 hours later. Worked very well.
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The 1990 is one of the better vintages of Lynch Bages. It is still at peak and seems to be able to hold on to that for a few more years, although it does start to show some raisiny drying fruit. Overal fully mature, quite smooth, masculine, with largely dark fruit. It has consistently performed below the LB 1989: The 1990 is dryer, less fruit and at this age a bit pruny/raisiny on the aftertaste compared to the rich, harmonious 1989 which probably is one of the best LB vintages, next to the 1959 which was outstanding for a very long time.
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Initial approach. Ruby in color with a balanced nose of damp earth, very subtle vanilla,mild notes of oak, black pepper with very little fruit. Proceeded to evolve into notes of more pronounced green pepper, caramel, some dried spice, subtle black fruit, earth/mineraity, light vanilla, graphite and wood. What stood out the most to us, was the complete balance between the nose and taste from opening to finish (about 2 hours). A beautiful wine.
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This has improved massively since my last CT note. Now has more nuance. Lovely spiced red berry nose, but palate is the star of the show with a broad mid-palate with gorgeously ripe tannins and a very subtle but long lingering finish. Best to pop and pour, no reason to decant. Drink to 2030 (no reason to hold on longer, this is at peak). 96-97pts (range depends on bottle, I've had better than this)
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1989 v 1990 Bordeaux at Wine Watch. One of my two favourite wines on the night eclipsing the 1989 which did not show well. Cassis with a long finish. This was singing on the night.
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Cork wet all the way to the top and barely a pop when it came out but at least it was in one piece. Dominant nose of esrth, dust and some forest floor funk. The nose of funky Bordeaux is still there after 28 hours open but the fruit is just now beginning to emerge though there is still a rough tannic or acidic note to the flavor. However as the dark fruit finally emerges the finish is starting to lengthen and is more harmonius. Did I not decant this enough before tasting? Regardless compared to some other 90 Bordeaux it is not as accessible. The bottle and cork were not totally flawed I wonder if the long run up the cork may have affected the wine? In conclusion it is much better tonight than yesterday upon 2 hours open do maybe it still has some time in bottle to evolve.
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Quite some time since I drank this. Its definitely got the same richness of fruit and depth that I remember, with more elegance and a bit of masculinity. The thickness of this wine is now conveyed in equal parts of movement of the body and the color. The wine is now whole and the sum of all things beautiful in an aged bottle of Bordeaux. That would be earth laden plums, swimming in a pool of graphite with fresh brewed coffee nuances in the background, bringing that masculine feel to the elegance from the well preserved, aged wine. The length is quite long, leaving dark fruit in a cedar wrapper on your tongue for a good 30 seconds. This is clearly at peak and the time is now and over the next 5 to 7 years for sure. Drink
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: Medium expressive, fine nose, floral and bright. Super nice, tobacco. Superbly defined on the palate, fine red and dark fruit, floral notes, earthy notes and lots of minerality. The structural frame is impeccable with melted tannins, high acidity which is perfectly round and light, so creamy and nice. Wonderful balance, long and expanding finish. I‘ve had this 1990 many times over the past two years and it always showed amazing. This bottle (stored in the same cellar since release) was by far the youngest of all 1990s Lynch. So bright and light, full of tension and without any tertiary development. The clear highlight was this almost Burgundian Pauillac expression (not something I would associate with Pauillac or Lynch in particular), the lightness and brightness were truly amazing, as was the precision. 95+ pts, easily.
Decanting: This needed a bit of swirling to shine. This bottle would have needed an 2h in the decanter. Other bottles I had of this needed from no decant to 6 hours, so there is no way around at opening it early and check for yourself.
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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: Sweet spices, a bit of earth and mushrooms, a pretty bright fruit profile boasting fresh red berries. The flavor profile on the palate was dominated by nice aging notes, but vibrant and lively acidity is pretty vibrant awarded this with a pretty youthful appearance. Unfortunately, this was lacking the finesse and elegance I loved in the last bottle a few months ago.
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This wine never disappoints. Lots of classic Pauillac fruit from an excellent vintage, cedar wood, meat, tobacco and spices. Beautiful sweetness in a long finish.
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blind, side by side with 1990 Again 89 is a stunner but this time 90 is just a touch behind. Maybe one of the best PQR in older great Bordeaux. I love this wine since over 10 years. Still primary notes. The 90 is a bit opener and "easier" accessible. Great duo. At least 10-20 years ahead. 98 and 97
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Tasted double blind. This is the fifth time in the past 12 months I‘ve had this wine. From various sources, it‘s amazing how different the wines showed. One bottle back June was drinking fully mature, at its apogee and was to die for (97+ pts), others were very promising but not yet fully back from a sleepy phase (94/95 pts) and then came this bottle, which in comparison was drinking like a much younger, sexy, slutty right bank wine (I guessed a 1998). Quite complete, complex and precise, although I clearly prefer it more mature and less slutty.
TN: Very expressive on the nose displaying layers and layers of ripe, seductive cherries, coffee, caramel, some chocolate scents. Same intensity and aroma profile on the palate with the additional blue and darker berries and some minerality adding to the complexity but the focal point remains the cherry, toast, burnt sugar, coffee part. Sexy, slutty but still quite elegant although acidity could have been a touch higher.
Decanting: Decanted for a good two hours. Good from the go but improved further in the glass. This bottle could have easily used 3-4 hours.
Wow this baby is young!! By far the best and most seductive Lynch Bages I have ever tasted. It was so young with notes of caramel and purple fruit, that I guessed 10-15 years younger. Deliciously seductive and slightly slutty this was just a treat!
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Greg's 50th Birthday Bash: Tasted alongside the 1992 Dominus paired with the pork belly course. The '90 Lynch is the best vintage for Lynch Bages in my opinion. So good! The Dominus held its own up against the Lynch, but I believe this is because the Lynch had not been properly decanted. If it had more time to open up, I think it would have been a few strides ahead of the Dominus.
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- tasted blind - Nose: cherry and lots of blue fruit, mocha, chocolate. - Palate: More body than the previous wines (Paulillac Power) and more Merlot. Blind I guessed 2000 vintage. Has very soft and ripe tannins, medium + body. It lacks a bit of acidity (medium) in this bottle (already had another 1990 that came across even fresher), which would lead me to a higher score. Can be stored for a good 5-10 more years to develop even more complexity. A powerful left bank, this Lynch Bages 1990 should be served towards the end of a classic Bordeaux tasting. - 93 points at the beginning, gets better and better, which is why it is towards 95 points.
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Part of a small old Bordeaux line-up pebbles. Good amount of mineral notes such as graphite. Fruit mostly blueberry with some dark cherry in the mix. Adding a lot of cigar box aromas over time, also espresso and black coffee. Caramel and a pinch of sweet spice add sexiness. Then jumping back to fresh herbs. Versatility and complexity are off the charts. Rich with a muscular build, firm tannic structure but seamlessly integrated. Dense, concentrated and opulent, but with so much finesse and elegance that in the blind tasting setting the group guessed right bank.
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Acquired at auction this was far more advanced than my bottles merchant purchased. However, aeration is still the catalyst for this wine. The cabernet level in the wine dictates extended decanting and it really pays dividends even at 30+ years. This really challenges the Margaux and Haut-Brion for the vintage top spot. With an hour in the glass after 5 hours of decanting the nose bursts into life with aromas of blackcurrant, plum, and leather with some lighter floral notes. The balance of fruit and tannin is seamless with a complexity and depth out of this world. Likewise the finish once fully aerated is pushing past 60+ seconds. I don't know what they did with Lynch-Bages in 1990 and 1989 but thank god they did! Also it still has upside!
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2022 New Year's Day Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Deeper garnet but good clarity, thing garnet rim; iron, sanguine, herbs, iron, intense, some Brett, green pepper, smoky, sandy, saddle leather, juicy, red currant, great length, powerful and driven, not a ton of weight in the middle but in a great place; my '86 Talbot?
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New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Tasted double blind. Yum, Yum, Yum. Nose, midpalate, and finish. This is my jam. I called it as my wine (which it was) but I must admit, I tasted it via Coravin earlier to ensure it wasn't corked. This reaffirms that 1990 continues to be my favorite vintage and left bank wines from '90 are the best of the best. This Lynch Bages could take down even the first growths in a blind tasting. It is a powerful wine that is singing right now and hitting on all cylinders. One caveat, I was blown away by the '86 Talbot that showed up 5 wines later. It was not that far off from the Lynch in this blind tasting. The Lynch edged it out for WOTN because it was more seamless and less messy than the Talbot. Only decanted for 1 hour before consumption.
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From two well preserved bottles of this. Decanted ninety minutes. In an excellent drinking window. The wine is still in a state of early-mid maturity and not showing any sign of decline. The nose has a floral, red fruit flourish mixed with some lead pencil. The wine is full bodied, impeccably balanced, layered and complex combining black currant, raspberry with earth, tobacco and some cedar. Lovely long finish.
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Nose was funky at first, opened to black berry, herbs, and ash, same on the palate, big body, muted flavors, nothing wrong and nothing right, below expectations today, medium/long finish.
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Good shit dinner: Slightly green on the nose, but the unmistakable pencil lead and graphite that allowed a Bordeaux novice like me to guess Pauillac immediately. Ripe fruit that led me to a good vintage but given the colour I thought it was a 1982. Lacked a little charm and a little dull for me.
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Sadly not one of the better bottles. A persistent green note on the nose detracted throughout the night. On the palate classic Pauillac; regal but doesn't have the sexiness that I usually associate with the vintage.
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Small Bordeaux gathering (Clarity - Vienna, Virginia): Incredibly youthful expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry concentrate, ink, licorice, ash, lead pencil, cedar, leather and earth. Once again, it display the 90 ripeness but also a hint of green. Excellent concentration, very finely layered concentrated black fruit, intense yet silky and fluid, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, fine silky tannins and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with ash and mint at the end. IMO, Leoville Las Cases and Lynch Bages age the slowest even more so than Latour. The 90 Lynch Bages is at least a decade young than the 90 Leoville Poyferre but that is not necessarily a good thing. IMO, Lynch Bages has a unique expression, pronounce ash, cassis and ink and always displays impressive concentrated. I however find them a bit straightforward. This can easily transform for a couple more decades.
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3 hour decant- way more accessible then a few years ago. Everything is in place now and this is in its prime. No point in holding these but they will be enjoyable for another 2 decades. The finish is persistent and it’s light on its feet. This should pair well with fish or chicken but tonight it went well with filet mignon.
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Black ruby. Moderately intense aromas of concentrated black fruit, slightly cooked. Dry, moderate acidity, tannins wrapped in dense fruit, full-bodied. Not very expressive on opening, and I did not get a chance to taste it later. Impression of power.
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I am lucky to taste this as often as I do because I love it! Combining the naturally stoic character of Pauillac with layer after of ripe red currants, cigar box, tobacco leaf, smoke, spice, and wet forest floor, the wine remains full, rich, and dense, yet there is a regal edge to its character that makes this such a turn on. At close to 32 years of age, this is drinking at its peak, where it should remain for at least another 15-20 more years, if well stored, and maybe longer!
PnP. Very attractive nose with violet, Asian spice and wood, the palate begins to open up after 20 min in the glass, dominated with fruit, and high acidity. Unfortunately, the liquid was not fully open as we drink (I would prefer to decant it for 2 hours+). Still a young wine, and there will be long before it matures
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Fabulous Lynch Bages at his sweet spot of age, enormous nose of ripe red and black fruit, loads of meaty BBQ Angus, sandalwood… Perfectly mature tannins, one of the best Bordeaux I have had!!
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Voici un vin qui a suscité le débat, goûté en parallèle avec Hermitage La Chapelle 1990. Parmi les huit convives, une série d’opinions contestaient la maturité de ce LB, le mot « poivron » ayant été prononcé à plusieurs reprises. Pour ma part, je considère qu’il s’agit d’un magnifique témoin d’une époque révolue: quelle complexité, quelle noblesse, quel équilibre. Bien sûr, ce n’est ni très puissant, ni très extraverti. Disons plutôt classique (mais le terme est ambigu) ou tradionnel au sens de certains Rioja ou de certains Barolo. Le terme « à l’ancienne » me semble pertinent, même si chacun risque de comprendre quelque chose de différent. Face à La Chapelle, ce LB paraît sans doute discret, timide. Mais il me semble que si l’on accepte de faire un effort, le vin récompense le dégustateur.
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A superb bottle of this which is drinking beautifully now. Black-fruited and full-bodied in the style of the vintage and the finish is quite layered and complex with notes of graphite minerals and Asian spices. Yum!
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This got a little lost in the shuffle of a lot of great wines, but I very much admired the clean density of its black fruit, mineral character, and pencil notes. There’s obviously great depth here. I need to sit down with a bottle of this and follow it closely for a few hours to try and get a better bead on what this is and where it’s going.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Many of the others were picking this in their top wines and perhaps it will get there but for me today it was still a bit closed down a primary although with the potential to do a lot more. It’s clearly fresh and lively but as I said very primary which is more pronounced on the heels of the old wines. Some pepper. Darker fruits. Give it time.
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Decanted for 45 minutes, then enjoyed over the course of three hours. Definitely plenty of life left in this wine. The nose was incredible for the few couple of hours. It started to fade by the third hour, but the wine was quite delicious throughout the evening. Balanced with plenty of fruit left and lots of secondary and tertiary notes. Really quite nice.
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This bottle, admittedly followed for only about an hour, doesn’t really hit high gear. Dense, plush, black-fruited, accented by pencil and squid ink, one wonders if this will ever have the articulate charm possessed by the 89. But then again, this still remains reasonably young and almost surely wasn’t given enough air.
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No notes taken. A very beautiful wine, this bottle of the 1990 Lynch was not yet at its apogee like other bottles already are. The structure is there, the wine showed very harmonious and round, quite layered, almost weightless and with good precision but without much of that extra complexity full tertiary development adds. Nevertheless, a joy to drink and 95+ points.
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This is a bit easier to get your head around and like the Pichon Baron 1990 is a sensationally good, full-on and full-bodied Pauillac. If it had an engine it would be a five litre V8. It has been even longer since I have had one of these and my previous concerns about this wine being too ripe and too low in acid were assuaged by this superb bottle. Rich, ripe but not overly so, this wine is smoother and less of a hooligan than the 89, with tobacco, cedar and earthy notes and a superb texture.
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89/90 Bordeaux @ Hawksmoor (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): A step up on a previous bottle, but still a little four square cf the 89. Similar colour.similar blackcurrant nose with a slightly dusty top note. Velvety with slightly furry tannins. Classic, archetypal Pauillac. Very good but just lacks some flair if one’s being critical. ****
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Beautiful tart and bright red and dark fruits on the nose with some distinct Bordeaux notes and subtle Asian flavors. Light orange blossom followed by chalky tannins, oiled leather, flint, sweet cigar and irony red meat. Powerful flavors run across your tongue. In a lovely drinking window.
p.s. decomposed cabbage rolls and roasted cauliflower
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Smooth and rich. Fruit is still very much alive with gentle tannins, tobacco and earth. Medium bodied, ruby cherrybres color with restrained nose. On a very steady palteau.
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JR Group of Six Dinner (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind next to the 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, 1990 Château Angélus, and 1990 Château Beausejour. Outstanding nose displaying bright red cherries, classic left bank pencil/cigar box/leather with an underlying sweetness lurking in the background. This is starting to flaunt its maturity meanwhile still hanging onto its youthful power. Cassis, a touch of mint, and plenty of spice become evident on the palate as this continues to open up. Lynch-Bages seems to always deliver exactly what I’m looking for (especially in this era) and this bottle was no different. Absolutely killer tonight and my favorite of the flight.
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out of magnum, this was pristine and hitting on all cylinders. the level of precision, purity, and complexity was stunning, and on a level i've not often experienced from Lynch Bages. probably the best Bordeaux I've had in the past 1-2 years (98-99)
Informal gathering, no notes taken. I‘ve had an almost perfect (97+ points) some weeks ago (see detailed notes below). Lucky me, another bottle awaited at a friend’s place. Unfortunately, however, this had a little bit less of everything but still showed the same traits with a strong, ripe fruit core, lots of tertiary aromas and a mellowed structure as well as good tension. Just much less focused and precise and hence less interesting and hedonistic. Still, a beautiful wine.
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Informal dinner, no notes taken. This is clearly the best bottle of the 90 Lynch I‘ve had so far and a perfectly mature Pauillac. Masculine with a dense tannin structure with velvety tannins, a superb freshness, waves of frsh tobacco, leather, earth, minerality and loads of black fruit. So clean and superbly precise with a long and expanding finish. Nearly perfect wine. 97-98 pts. Not decanted and no decanting was necessary.
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Ouvert à l’horizontale, on choisit de ne pas le décanter car il semble y avoir une pointe oxydative. On remet le bouchon pour lui faire honneur une heure plus tard quand le repas est prêt. La touche laissant craindre l’oxydation n’y est plus. Le vin est légèrement tannique mais s’assouplit rapidement en cours de soirée. On est à l’entrée de la phase où se déploient les arômes tertiaire de cuir, de feuille de tabac, etc. Un excellent vin de 31 ans.
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One of my favourite wines along with the 1989 which is in a perfect spot and this is nearly there. With 5 or 6 hours in the decanter, and particularly with an hour in the glass, the wine is just about firing on all cylinders. Apart from a little residual youthfulness I can't pick any faults. The integration and balance are faultless, and I am quite convinced that the finish will still be going when I wake up tomorrow. I emphasise that patience in the glass really pays dividends and elevates it to an almost perfect rating. 99+
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Color could have passed for a much younger wine, but the developed bouquet and flavors told a story only a mature Bordeaux can. Lovely balance between oak, fruit and tannins. A good bit of the leathery notes that I love so much in these wines. Some life ahead for properly stored bottles.
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Beautiful wine. Very ripe fruit, silky with fully resolved tannins. Very tasty.
Unfortunately it was too cold and never got to fully open up because I was drinking it outside on the sidewalk at Raoul’s in NYC while it was 45 degrees outside, I think it may have deserved a higher score if it had been a few degrees warmer.
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I didn’t had that much luck with 1990s Bordeaux in the past year with most bottles being rather muted, in a difficult stage or inconsistent but this Lynch Bages showed great. This is so far my best bottle of this with the softest structure and a great balance. It very well showcases the Pauillac masculinity but with softened lines and an inviting sweetness. This wine is easily drinking on a 95/96 point level with just that extra kick of complexity and precision missing for the 97+ points category. The 1989 definitely has all that but still needs more time (last time I checked it was young, vibrant, superbly fresh but needed 6 hours in the decanter to start to sing).
TN: Right out of the gate this wine is great and a textbook Pauillac full of dark fruit, loads of graphite minerality and wonderful tertiary tobacco, leather and truffle scents. The same aromas, the same very good intensity and good precision on the nose and palate. With time more earthy scents, some red fruit hints and a bit of toffee completed the picture but overall not much development over the course of 3 hours. There is an expansive tannin structure with lots of tension but it consists of perfectly fine and round tannins. A well-embedded acidity keeps the wine light and fresh. There is some creaminess but the overall texture is still slightly masculine and finly graind. The finish is slightly expansive, dominated by the fruit and earthy aromas and with medium length. The overall balance of this wine is quite stunning, you could definitely drink this bottle all day and night long.
Decanting: Not decanted and followed over three hours. Good from the go, improved with air a bit. My guess is that 1h of decanting is sufficient.
Glasses: Sensory and Zalto Burgundy neck on neck for the win. Both showed more depth, a much better balance and a softer structure and texture than the Zalto Bordeaux, the Grassl 1855 and the Gabriel Gold. The Sensory had the higher precision than the Zalto Burg and won. The Grassl and Gabriel showed much more coarse tannins, less balance, less fruit, and less depth. Far behind the Zalto Bordeaux and not on the same planet as the two winners.
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Oerhört vacker färg, med en brillians i sig så det nästan gnistrar om det. Järn, levrat blod, grafit, grus, undervegetation, rök från aska, läder, tobak, blyertspenna, tryffel, mörka bär mm. Lena tanniner med bra fäste. Otroligt “fresh”. Ståtligt. Aristokratiskt. Ganska tillbakadraget, propsar inte på uppmärksamhet utan finns bara där att sniffa in. Och när man lugnar ner sig och bara låter det komma till sig … wow.
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Deep purple. Pronounced aromas of roasted bell pepper and cloves, as well as ripe blackberry, paprika, and peat smoke. Savoury and spicy on the palate, with tannins still providing some bite, and fairly heavy, with blackberry and cassis flavours, pepper, paprika, somewhat meaty, and lots of smoke. Quite a good length, with the peaty blackness extending somewhat. A classic Pauillac style, and having a good amount of ripe fruits to counter the savoury flavours. Excellent wine!
PnP w Durand. Cork wet 2/3rds way up and in good shape. Fill was at the bottom of the neck. Medium deep red. Lovely nose of mushroom, cigar box, graphite, and spice. Medium weight on the palate with lovely fruit and completely resolved tannins. This has lovely density but is not a spectacular wine, merely extremely good. I would not expect this to improve further at age 31 but it should drink very well over the next 5 years.
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Nose on cloves, which will evolve on menthol, tobacco, leather.
A sensation that dominates: nobility.
The touch is velvety, with perfectly integrated aging. We have at the same time a concentrated juice, intense, but which remains fluid, which lines the palate like velvet. Smooth and spicy, it glides like whey with a masterful balance and totally melted tannins. Magnificent length with a finish that leaves a taste of spicy leather. A delight. Rarely have I seen so much energy in a bottle. This wine will defy time.
Simply great.
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Developed the way you want all clarets to develop. This was from a 375. Beautiful dark purple with slight auburn on rim. Tertiary notes dominate the nose with leather, cigar box, forest mushrooms, still some hints of fruit. Palate is consistent with the nose but shows dark berry and strawberry jams. Still some unresolved very soft tannins. Very well balanced with long finish showing more fruit and tannin. I will give this another 8-10 years to enjoy.
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Exceptional wine exemplifying why we seek out exceptional wines and wait decades to find out if they are truly noble. This 30 year old features an outstanding complex bouquet, with fruit still subtlety present providing aromas and sweetness of dried cranberries, and blackcherry/blackberry jam underpinning a bouquet of leather, soy, graphite, forest floor and antique polished wood. Pronounced aroma and flavor intensity are perfectly balanced by full body and high tannins which are fully resolved and harmonized and provide and elegant grippy counterpoint to the sweet and silky palate. This outstanding Paulliac shows linear movement from attack through mid palate to back palate to a finish that builds after swallowing and persists in flavor and caresses the palate. This fabulous cru exemplifies remarkable elegance, finesse, silkiness and length. It is the kind of elixir that can hook anyone on fine wine for life!
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Very pleased that this was still in its drinking window, although it likely would not have gotten any better - so drink up! Classic mature Bordeaux. Not a whole lot of fruit but very balanced and refined; resolved tannins, gravel, smoke maybe? Quite a bit of sediment but not unexpected at 30 years. Very good year for a great wine.
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Popped & decanted. This nosed just about right - tabacco leaves, smoke, earth, indian-ink - beautiful & not lacking complexity. Very refined on the palate with tannins that were well resolved (fine), this was just as much a beauty - red-fruit driven with tea-leaves, spice, more tobacco leaves, this was firing possibly on all cylinders! This was definitely in the drinking window, and I believe it'll hold for a few more years, but may not improve further. If you have one, drink & enjoy!
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Cork was soft at the bottom but good for top 3/4. Wine was in good shape a little light coming through to soften the red. Aromas were very pleasing of earth, tobacco, cherries, vanilla. Fully mature, still some time to go but would not push it too much longer. Meals were duck and heritage pork, everyone was well satisfied.
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A perfect bottle filled with smooth dark fruits and classic lead pencil flavors. Still fairly structured although totally giving it's all with a fabulously long finish showing complex gravel and graphite notes. A chiseled and silky wine with plenty of gas left in the tank. 95+
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Characteristic of the vintage, the 90 LB is full-bodied, rich and round with perfect levels of ripe fruit, glycerin and sweetness. I could bury my nose in the bosom of the glass all night due to its cedar, graphite, crushed flower and dark soil fragrance. Offering up a sexy mouthfeel with voluptuous textures and a long, dense finish I feel the need for a safe word to experience this hedonistic beast of a wine. Take a back seat Mr. Grey...Mr. Lynch-Bages will see you now!
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Just a superb example of Lynch Bages at its best, drinking in its prime time window. The wine is concentrated, character-driven and filled with ripe red currants, tobacco leaf, cigar box and cedar aromatics. The tannins are ripe, soft and refined, leaving you the perfect amount of freshness, wet earth, herbs, leafy tobacco, cassis, spice and blackberry in the finish. If you have a bottle, do not hesitate to pop a cork.
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This was not as integrated as the previous bottle a year ago, and seemed to have retreated slightly. I will probably wait another couple of years before returning to the wine. That said, this is a wine which is very exceptional, and deserving of complete respect. Everything is exceptional and the only thing missing is a couple of more years to give this a perfect rating.
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Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note Almost sweet, sugar-coated type of red berry fruit with only hints of aging notes. This lack of perceptible aging also carries on to the palate where this showed juicy and fresh with a long-lasting finish. I have had great experiences with aged Lynch Bages (1982 and 1989), but this was not one of them.
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Most incredible, eye-popping aromas engulfed the entire room upon pulling the cork. 2 hour decant, light bricking, medium dark color. Rich dark fruits with cassis continued to evolve and deepen over 3 1/2 hours. Wave upon wave of mouth-coating layers with amazing length. Perfect concentration, resolved tannins and acidic balance. Years and years remaining. Would buy this and today’s '90 Montrose over any 1990 first growth, save Margaux. Best showing to date.
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Had the pleasure of having a second bottle of this stunner last night to celebrate the wife's birthday. Everything was there; Pauillac nose, fully resolved tannins, still vibrant fruit balanced well with the minerality that comes from appropriately aged Bordeaux. This bottle didn't hit the heights that the last bottle took us to, which was perhaps stored better, but that's a minor quibble. This wine is fantastic and still a very good value for lovers of top shelf Bordeaux.
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Tasted 10 Cabernet blends semi blind with Coravin. The cork was too soft for the coravin needle which jammed so I had to pull the cork on this one. The bottle was good shape though. Very smokey start almost scorched earth which quickly moves over to cigar box. Some fruit left. Bell peppers and sweer’n’sour cherries. Same mouth impression. Small almost resolved tannin. Left in the glass for 4 hours and it improved gradually showing more fruit. Kept in the fridge for 2-3 days and it held up very well. Overall full of character and in a good place but maybe I’m a bit less enthusiastic about this wine compared to last time. Still love it though.
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This bottle of the 1990 Lynch was not yet fully ready to drink. It needed a lot of decanting and swirling in the glass to open up and become softer and more harmonious. It doesn’t yet have the softness and hence the charm to play in the top league. It is too masculine at this point. My hunch is that with 10 more years of cellaring, this will become a wonderful wine: more tertiary, much softer and rounder and more inviting. It certainly has the tension, structure and fruit to age gracefully. 93 to 94 points today with quite some upside.
TN: At first a bit closed and harsh, with time more open with a core of ripe dark fruit, mainly cassis, lots of minerality, some earthy flavors and the first tertiary aromas of tobacco and leather shining through on the nose and palate. The precision is quite good, the complexity will only improve from here. The structural frame is not yet at its peak with still slightly noticeable and angular tannins as well as a sweetness-acidity balance, which is not yet perfect.
Decanting: If you open the wine today, I would at list decant it for 6 hours.
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As good a bottle of red wine as I've had this year and the best Bordeaux I've had in a good long while. I've been drinking this wine consistently since the mid-90s and it has always been a great Lynch-Bages. It retains the Pauillac black currant and dark fruit aligned with graphite and cedar but it has grown whispier and longer, there is more room for other less aggressive notes to have their voices heard. Maybe a bit of dried violet there, some sous-bois forest floor, a hint of leather. The wine is resolved and beautiful but there is still the slightest frame of structure. Well stored bottles of this might drink well forever. My bottles are long gone so this one was from my dad's cellar (he doesn't drink as much wine anymore and wanted some bottles to have a good home). We bought a few cases together for $30 a bottle back in the day. Takes me back to simpler times.
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Nice nose of roasted meat, loads of exotic wood, cèpes de Bordeaux, hint of forest floor... Still very young, crispy tannin, red cherries, loads of ripe tannin, lenght of 60 sec.
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Rich, delicious black cherry fruit with leather, cigar box flavors, excellent structure, long finish, took 2 hours to open and have leathery flavors integrate
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Smoke and graphite on the nose. Nice lively acidity. Nuanced mature blackberry fruit with layers of mushrooms and damp earth and some licorice. Medium body with strong cigarbox notes on the long finish. Lovely.
A wonderful aged Pauillac nose of dark berries, tobacco and sweet graphite. Deep and delicious on the palate with great aged flavors of roasted nuts, sweet black currants and graphite minerals. The texture is of the finest silk and there is superb intensity with layers of liquid graphite that just float over the tongue. The finish has a wonderful mineral crunch along with complex notes of tobacco, warm gravel and that incredible graphite thing again. This is a perfect bottle and it’s showing very youthful and just magnificent with charred Filet Mignon. I’ve always thought the ’89 was the better of these two wines but I have to admit that I’m not sure anymore. 95+
Dark crimson in color. 12.5% ABV. Stunning aromas of red fruits, cigar box, forest floor and saddle leather that literally filled the cellar while the wine decanted. Warm and supple with concentrated fruits and silky yet firm tannins. The wine shows remarkably young and fresh. Black cherry, creme de cassis, currants and plums on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and seamless. Despite decanting for almost four hours the wine continued to show better throughout the evening. You can drink this now or give it more time. It will show well for decades to come.
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A Bordeaux Deep Dive, With Proper Social Distancing; 4/11/2020-4/12/2020 (The Virtual World of Zoom): Neck and neck with a 1990 Lynch-Bages served alongside it. Both were in fantastic shape. That typical mature Bordeaux nose of cigar box, pencil lead and old leather, with muted fruit notes lurking too. Well structured, balanced and vibrant. A glycerined texture, showing black currant, some fennel and mild herbal notes. Strong acidity and structure reflecting its tannins too. I loved the wines intensity. As with the 1989, fully mature but not yet in a tertiary phase. Will hold at this level for decades.
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Smokey nose. Brambly cassis, licorice and cedar flavors and beautiful freshness and acidity. Intensity without any heaviness. Nice long complex finish. Perfectly balanced.
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Extraordinary. Drank with a friend after a splash decant.
Dark crimson with moderate sediment, this wine is mature age 29+
Dazzling nose of blackberry, cassis, and cherry with endless finish. If a date, this was your high school prom queen age 30; Mature, worldly, with her act together + oozing beauty charm and sex appeal. Easily another decade of terrific drinking ahead.
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1990 Bordeaux Dinner (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Single blind at 1990 Bordeaux dinner. Meaty and powerful, this showed lots of ripe, rich black fruit with spice hints, but is not particularly elegant. I do not expect any further upside.
Blind, slight brick rim, more green than fruit, peppers, vanilla, graphite, cotton candy, powerful and tannic. Fruit is disappearing. Bad bottle? Drink now.
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Love this fully mature LB now which shows fine flavors of faded dark fruits with notes of tobacco and a strong streak of graphite minerals. The fruit here is perfectly sweet and the finish is so smooth and satisfying. Wow!
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Opened for an employee wine dinner I cooked. Decanted for 2 hours - wine continued to evolve in the glass as we enjoyed over the span of ~ 2 hours. Wine was showing marvelously - black fruits, tobacco and spices. Silky and rich with a long finish. Great to share such a wonderful example of this wine and vintage with my employees.
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Casual Dinner with Friends (Ada St.): Side by side with the 1982, and this was showing better tonight. Wow - what a bottle. Aromas that are so full, deep, intense and layered -- plum and cherry, with flowers, bell pepper, tobacco and cedar. Rich and dense with chewy, refined tannin. Long and delicious.
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At a tasting we put on for our Couples Cru of 13 present, of seven 1990 Bordeaux (Angelus, Figeac, Beausejour Duffau, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages, Montrose). All wines purchased on release and aged in my cellar. Last tasted 2013. Typical Cazes style, still dark garnet, mostly opaque, slight browning at the edges. Pronounced cassis, anise, and toasty French oak. Plenty of fruit, some sweetness, perfect balance. Not as perfect as Cazes' Pichon Baron, the clear favorite. Very long aftertaste. Remarkably young for a 30 year old wine. Drinkable now, should easily hold another 3-5 years. Ric
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This is the third time tasting. I am blown away by how big and youthful this wine is. This wine is drinking beautifully now but has the structure to last for another decade.
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Last tasted December 2017. 4 hour decant and this perfectly balanced beauty was singing. At hour 6 this was holding up great. Very nice finish certainly in its prime for me. Elegance is all that comes to mind. This will certainly hold for decades and possibly slightly improve. Revisit in 2022.
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From a magnum, this was just great! Full-bodied, deep, long, intense and complex, the wine is concentrated with ripe, dark red fruits, wet earth tobacco and forest floor. The firm, refined tannins add the right backbone to all that gorgeous, ripe, red fruits. You can drink this now, give it more time. But there is no real reason to wait as this is just singing today.
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The best bottle of Lynch ever made. Everytime I have the pleasure to taste the ‘90 Lynch, I don’t take it for granted. This is about as good as Bordeaux gets. It also confirms that the 1990 vintage is still my favorite vintage. If you want to win WOTN in a blind tasting, this is a good choice. Decanted for 1 hour and consumed over the course of 3 hours.
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This is starting to hit its prime drinking window, and showing mature secondary characteristics and some tertiary. I have suffered from bottle variance over the last few years, but this was singing. It really is a special wine and probably the best I have tasted this year. I feel the nose perhaps has some development ahead, but the palate is mature with blackberry, plum, and old leather. It is multi layered in its complexity and exquisitely balanced. The only barrier to perfection is the finish which is absolutely harmonious but short of 60 seconds. I would hope a year or two could resolve this.
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Cork in pristine shape. Graphite and pencil shavings on the nicely expressive nose. Leather and complex dark berry flavors. Still lots of prominent tannins left, giving the wine a solid structure, if not a slightly drying finish. Solid acidic backbone lends plenty of freshness to the wine.
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This wine blew me away! Nose so intoxicating almost didn't want to ruin it by drinking the wine, but once I did it was also a magical experience. Aromas of fresh flowers/lilacs and violets, baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon), crisp sweet cedar-wood and a lot more beyond my ability to discern. Fruit, earth and tannins in beautiful balance and a spectacular finish. While I remain a huge Napa fan, I admit it's difficult to find it's equal in the Valley but of course to me it's apples and oranges - same grapes but different soil and wine-making style. Believe this wine is at full maturity and has evolved in an extraordinary way - the 1990 Pichon-Baron also at a similar/magical state of evolution. Simply awesome.
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Decanted for 3 hours before serving. Bold and powerful with graphite, tobacco, leather, and black fruit. It came across a bit chunky when it was served against a 90 Latour. Good on its own nevertheless.
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Had the 1990, 1974 and 1961 together with Jean Charles Cazes. The 1974 was off but the two otjers were singing. The 90 was from Jean Charles private cellar and was as good as an example they come. Bright and ripe fruit. Jumps from the glass. Deep and complex nose. Tannins are soft and sweet. The 1961 was also perfect with balsamic notes, roses and underbrush. Very long and elegant. However, I prefer the 1961 as it was 10-15 years ago. The 1990 is prefect now though.
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A pristine bottle, showing tremendous aromas of rich black fruits, scorched earth, and forest floor. Deep pure and silky smooth texture featuring a near perfect balance of dried ripe blackberry and nice acid lift with a full mouth feel. The tannins are smooth and well integrated and loads of spice on a long sexy finish with just a touch of bite. Tremendous showing and seems to be entering a new phase offering up a lot of enjoyment. The reason we cellar wines. Nearly 30 years old and still a very long life ahead.
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Wow, wow, wow! This is a special Lynch, but you already know that. Such a different animal than the classic and linear 89.
Nose: Exotic nose of cassis, plum, damson, clove, espresso, cedar, tobacco and just a hint of coconut. Evolves for hours on the nose revealing more and more. Palate: So much push and pull happening between black fruit, blueberry, mineral, earth and smokey tobacco notes. Supported by layers of cedar, herb and espresso. Finish: Complex, complete and beguiling at times. This impresses for its power, authority and exotic charm.
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1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Joseph's Place, Wong Chung Hang, Hong Kong): Strong legs. Translucent black-red. Nose is lovely black berry fruit....hints of sun warmed cedar shingles. Very bright. Palate is bright, very well-defined, huge depth of bright black/red fruit. Good length but will only get better with 5-7 years' more bottle age. 92+ but would have benefited from a long decant, I think compared to when I drank it previously.
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Bottle in perfect condition. Bright vibrant dark fruit. Very elegant. Feels very light on its feet but with plenty of depth. Blackberries and cassis. Delicious
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Dark ruby with bricking the nose was tight at first reminiscent of the powerful 1982 with cassis, crushed rocks, leather and black fruits. Very powerful, dynamic and tight on the palate, masculine, great longevity awaits this complex wine. Long chassis and leather finish with tannins still quite persistent despite 3 hours in decanter.
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Ouvert par Charles L. pour souligner une naissance :)
Nez envoûtant de cèdre, boite à cigare, truffes. La bouche est ronde en attaque, avant de retrouver la proverbiale droiture qui m'a fait reconnaitre l'appellation. Le fruit est mûr, presque sucré, d’une puissance remarquable, avec tous les attributs d'un grand millésime. J'ai d'abord pensé à un 1996, puis 1990 et j'ai trouvé le domaine au 2e essai, avec cette exubérance typique. Un très beau Lynch, long et savoureux , spectaculaire. 94-95 pts
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Textbook Pauillac, lovely aged Bordeaux and in a good place. It's a very good Lynch, however, it doesn't reach and will never reach the heights of the 1989 from the same winery. The structure, depth and precision are not on an equally high level. It lacks the cool style, the cut, the freshness of its older sibling. The '89 could very well become a perfect wine someday whereas I can't imagine the '90 to improve significantly from here.
TN: A bit musty with dusty tannins after opening the bottle. Needed time to come around and open up. Attractive minerality with pencil shavings, earth, rocks, leather, forest floor with mushrooms, some meaty notes, lots of black currant, dark berries, some (welcomed) brett aromas, with a lot of time more smoke and black truffle aromatics pop up. Tannins are stark velvety or even a bit dusty. After hours of air all components mellow into one attractive whole. Intensity, precision, depth and balance on good to very good levels.
Decanting: It needs at least 4 hours in the decanter. Best after five hours (hence the 94+ points, first few hours would have deserved a 92+ max).
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Dark, opaque burgundy no perception of rim variation. The perfume is dusty at first with lead pencil, library, dusty books, leather, mushroom fresh earth, tobacco and cigar. FIrst flavor in the mouth is licorice, fennel, dark dried black cherries, cloves and baking spices but soft spice. Gorgeously balanced with acidity and tannin both medium plus. Finish is medium-long with soft quiet smokey deliciousness. After an hour the sweetish licorice emerges after two hours the sweetness predominates. Bacchus rates this as a 94 Ceres 93.
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A superlative wine in every way with everything, fruit and tannins in perfect balance and once again showing why the 89 and 90 Bordeaux vintages have given me more pleasure than any other vintages. Rich but with freshness and vigor.The best Lynch Bages I have ever had the pleasure of drinking
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Best Lynch-Bages ever? I know people go on and on about the 1989, but having had both I definitely preferred this bottle. This wine is absolutely ready to drink now, even though I agree with the folks that think this has some really good years left. The nose right out of the gate had that familiar Pauillac scent of barnyard, leather, tobacco, and lead pencil. The palate was full of rich dark berries, cassis, black tea, and a pleasant smoky finish. We had this early in the afternoon and tasted it all night, the wine never really leaving you as we reminisced about how good it was until bed time. They're pretty expensive now so this is definitely not going to be a regular thing but it would be hard to pass up buying another bottle of this if you could get it for ~$300.
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Bit modest as opposed to Pichon Baron, lesser concentration. More flowers and jammy fruits, juicy plum, cassis.
5eme GC Classé which in fact made its way to SuperSeconds!
Large estate: 222 acres, planted w/ 73% CS, 15% M, 10% CF, 2% PV. Fermented in steel vats. 15mo aging in 60% new oak. Racking every 3mo. Fining w/ egg whites. Filtration only if necessary.
"Poor man’s Mouton Rothschild" is among best buys in Bordeaux.
Last bottle. Perfect fill and cork. Decanted for 30 minutes, and this had a nose singing right out of the bottle. Dark, concentrated, ripe red fruits, nice secondaries. Just a pleasure to drink. Only a bit of drying tannin on the finish makes this short of great for me. Possible more air could have made a difference - but this one didn't last long enough to find out...what a steal it was at the time. A-
Stunning in every sense of the word, this bottle was pristine. Elegant, concentrated, regal and potent, the full bodied wine had ripe, soft tannins and an elegance to the finish. The nose, loaded with tobacco, cedar chest, forest floor, smoke, cassis and cherry could keep you busy for hours. Splash decanted, this was a beauty!
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This has everything, but there is a variation issue. While this bottle was fabulous, there was a possible undertone of the cork, or possibly unresolved tannin. On a positive note the palate, depth, and finish are exceptional and worthy of a 100 point wine. It is full of barnyard, dark berry fruits, and old leather with a 100 point palate if untainted, and a 2+ minute finish. With a bottle fully singing I would give this 99/100.
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This bottle was a pristine example firing on all cylinders. Classic Pauillac drinking on a first growth level. Flavored peaked at 1.5-2 hours in decanter. Tons of dark cherries and a long finish. More fruit forward and less graphite. Seems to be fully mature and at its peak. This is one to drink now while the 1989 continue to mature. Completely different style versus the 1989 but equally delicious. Bottle variation may keep me from buying more 1990 versus other vintages.
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Like most of the wines I have drank from 1990 this tastes a little bit to get going in the decanter but after 2 hours it’s pleasure in the glass. It does not have the intoxicating nose of the 1990 LLC or acidity but it is still an excellent mature Bordeaux. It is not an “in your face” bdx but a refined and graceful wine. As the wine sits out it gains in complexity and mouthfeel. Excellent to drink right now. The wine seems to have the structure to stay at this level for a long time but I am not sure it will get better. Lots of other good wines in going rate for these now which is 350-399. Will hold my last two.
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A good, but probably not pristine example. On the nose the wine offers its cedar, tobacco, cassis, herbal and leafy character with ease. Full bodied and concentrated, there is depth, but this bottle shows a bit more rusticity that it should, and there is an herbal, leaf and green component that takes away from the spicy, red fruits.
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Brother Jeff's visit to DC - Mostly Bordeaux (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Youthful expressive nose displaying ripe blue and black fruit, crème de cassis, ink, licorice, lead pencil, spearmint, cedar and earth. The nose is fascinating that the 90 ripe fruit and noticeable green via spearmint coexist. Excellent concentration, finely layered ripe black fruit, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and a long cassis and ink driven finish with a hint of spearmint at the end. Jeff mentions significant bottle variation in the 90 LB and finds this very green. For my palate, the green is expressed as spearmint. As usual for the property, intense and ink but a bit monolithic.
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Fabulous wine. Based on LBs drunk in the last three years, I thought the ‘89 to be superior; but not this time. Classic and unmistakeable Bordeaux, dare I say Pauillac, nose. Great mouth feel-perfect balance of soft tannic grip, fruit; great verve from nice acidity, all of which carries through to a ++ finish. Almost perfect. At its peak I think, but will drink beautifully for many years.
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Consistent with the previous bottle and notes. Excellent and powerful, full bodied, precise fruit, complex and a long finish with black fruits, cassis and lots of crushed rocks and pencil lead. My kind of Pauillac.
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Intense and charming nose, almost showing overripeness, but without any cooked fruit. Stringent and clean. Very long. Clearly more sexy than the 1989 at this showing. Blew away the Latour 1990 served alongside, but with hydric stress on the vine for Latour 1990, it explains the difference. The Latour is much lighter in colour and almost falls apart in the glass.
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Way more evolved than the Chateau Margaux 1990 I had a few weeks back. Don’t know why my fellow CTs under rate this wine. Deep crimson color, cork well soaked, pristine bottle, nose of cassis, pencil shavings, crushed rocks, gravel, and black pepper. Decanted and let breathe for an hour and a half then drank over the same. Full bodied wine with explosive cassis fruit, tobacco, leather, great acidity and backbone, very well structure, slightly more linear and less complex versus the 89 - also a favorite of mine - tannins well integrated and a long gratifying finish. Open for business but will continue to evolve for the next 10 years or so.
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Ex-négociant bottle, solid neck fill, looking very clean. Very deep and fresh color, black cherry to light ruby at the rim. This was well balanced, with just enough structure to pair with great food. The fruit was weak, with some cherry emerging late, otherwise loads of leather and earth, bordering on generic barnyard. A decent food wine, showing flashes of its pedigree, but a shade below expectations this time.
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The wine is pretty rich with deep cassis core, well pitched acid, slight notes of classic gravel and pencil shavings. The wine is very smooth with mostly resolved tannins. If you enjoy the richer, bolder flavors with smoothness now is the time to drink. Unfortunately the wine still needs more time you want more tertiary flavors. I would come back in about 5 years to see its progression
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Still very good. Smooth and long rich taste. Glad that I still have 6 bottles left. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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This wine has started to develop some secondary notes, but wow what a lot of power this one has. Poured alongside a 2014 Napa Cab, they were exactly the same color on the pour and only the nose distinguished the two. This wine has a lot of cigar box, plum, and ash on the nose. The line for this wine is: "I'm not as old as I look, and I'm still young enough to date your daughter." Enters with some ash, plum, fig, grilled meat, giving way to tobacco, earth, finishing almost slightly tannic and with some acidity. This wine will continue to develop over the next 10-15 years, and I'd say that this wine isn't going anywhere for another 30 to 40 years. This is actually my first Lynch-Bages enjoyed tonight, and hopefully not the last.
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Please read my last three tasting notes on the 1990 Lynch Bages. I have nothing more to say about this incredible wine nearing the close of its third decade. I wish I had a dozen more.
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Decanted an hour before drinking and was still improving with further air. Had this wine several times some years ago, but it was the first time that I found it very interesting. Hard to describe, on the first sip there is something that reminds me to a old drug store, something medical, with more air it gets more approachable, on the nose black cherry, leather and smoke, on the palate elegant, fresh, medium bodied, tannins are still very present, long finish. Not sure how to rate it, quite unique and a bit intellectual, just at the beginning of its maturity, would be interesting to try it 10 years later. 92-95
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Bottle from a cold cellar, in neck fill, only bottom third of cork tainted. Slow ox’ed for 2h, followed by a 45 min decant. Still a fairly dark but clear garnet, no signs of browning whatsoever. Great, regal Pauillac from the first glass. Dark fruit, a touch sous bios and wood spices on the nose, plenty of iron on the palate, initially just a bit tight but really blossoms around the 60 min mark in the decanter, structure and tannins are still there but perfectly integrated with the still good fruit. Medium + finish of 45 seconds. Unlike other notes here, and despite this being from a cold cellar, I thought it showed best somewhere at the 60-90 min mark in the decanter (+ 2h slow ox in this case), after that the fruit started retreating just a bit with the tannins becoming more evident. Still excellent but just a notch below the peak tonight. Bottom line is this is a superb Pauillac, at First Growth level, and in my eyes in the middle of its peak drinking window. Likely to stay in this window for another 10-15 years and will be certainly still very nice to drink in 30 years.
With 2.5 hours of aeration, 90 Lynch Bages is drinking beautifully. This is a classic paulliac with tobacco, dark fruit, red currant, truffle, earth, soil, cedarwood and smoke. Lots of power and complexity on the palate. Classic Paulliac firing in all cylinders. It is still very young but it has just entered its drinking window. One of my favourite bordeaux in the 90s.
Still pretty dark. Appealing scent of fruits and smoke. Quite modern in style, mid to fullbodied, soft, Lots of spicy and smoky flavours from strong toasted Barrels are still dominating the fruit, rather low acid. On its last Peak, starting to fade a bit but still impressive, this is a very good wine but not sensational. Just to much make up from tosted Barrels for my taste. Drink up during the 5-6 years. (Drunk on a private diner with friends accompanied by a perfect medium done Piece of roasted Beef)
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During Thanksgiving, a fascinating Lynch Bages. Firing on all cylinders, this was an absolute treat. The nose drifted in and out of Bordeaux and Northern Rhone. Deep cherry and cassis, wet leaves, burnt rubber, earth, mulch, tobacco, and pencil. Many dimensions with the palate and a beautiful display of complexity and fruit. PnP, but consumed over eight hours with my dog by my side. The wine improved with every passing hour and was simply stunning at the end. From perfect provenance, a gorgeous Stanford Cardinal hue, surely majestic. 97+ Pts
Château Lynch-Bages Vertical Dinner (San Diego, California): This opaque red/garnet wine offers an intense aromatic profile of red and black fruit, accented with baking spices, pipe tobacco, truffles and lavender. Full-bodied, low in acidity and with nicely integrated alcohol, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose and is impressively dense on the mid-palate. The wine's oak is seamless and the plentiful tannins are quite fine-grained, making for an overall silky texture. Finishing long and smooth, this is classic Pauillac that will have substantial longevity. Drink now-2040.
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The nose and pallet match - dark fruit, graphite, cedar. The wine shows plenty of secondary development, but the structure is firm and the tannins are largely unevolved. This tastes like a 20 year old wine, but feels like it was bottled five years ago. Let this one sit a good long while. It's great now, but it will evolve to be so much more.
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Beau vin, mais un peu inférieur à la bouteille précédente. Un petit creux en milieu de bouche. Légère déception par rapport à la bouteille précédente qui elle, était grande ! Cela reste une belle bouteille néansmoins ...
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Another powerhouse bottle of 1990 Lynch-Bages. I just can't get enough of that sweet dark fruit, barnyard, cedar, and graphite. It's hard to find flaws on the palate, especially with such an incredible, lengthy finish. Simply beautiful.
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Chicago Wine Flock...Don Serving So Many Great Blind Wines/Flights (Park Ridge, IL): Tasted double blind in what turned out to be a Lynch-Bages/ Togni flight. Ripe black fruit throughout, very rich and very dense. Clearly complete and well balanced. Lots of everything. I enjoyed this wine tonight more than ever before. My favorite of the flight, group's #1 as well.
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Awesome wine! The nose is quintessential mature Bordeaux with all its nuances and complexities. The wine has a light body but a long finish. The tannins are still there but ultrafine and give the wine a gorgeous structure and mouthfeel. The flavors include sweet plums and figs. This just keeps lingering in your mouth, revealing more and more with each sip.
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Dinner at Friends (Hong Kong): Opened several hours by our host but not decanted. Deep black-red totally opaque in colour. Nose is deep black-berried fruit and new cedar shingles - still quite primary but very welcoming and voluptuous. Palate is rich unctuous black and red berry fruit, some cedar, very harmonised but still quite primary/secondary and clearly with the best still to come over the next 10+ years. Good growling and mounting resonance and reverberance on the finish. Quite captivating and very easy to enjoy but it has to lot of evolution ahead of it to match the more mature 1989. 94+.
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Unbelievable fresh, no decantation, typical left bank Bordeaux as pencil, cassis, cigar box and red berries, still in his fruity stage, at least 20 more years, 96
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This has suddenly started firing on all cylinders and is a marked improvement from six months ago. Tasted in a vertical with the 1989, this is now matching the majestic 1989 punch for punch, albeit with a style of its own. Blackberry and leather dominate the nose and palate and are subtle and smooth with the sweetened tannin. As with the 1989, it is the balance which is extraordinary which never once wavers even for a second from the nose to the palate through to the 2+ minute finish. This did need to spend a few hours in the decanter but is now nudging perfection 99+.
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A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; very fresh and leafy Cabernet nose, bright and sweet fruit, good depth; crisp and fresh and lively palate, light body, slightly floral, light tannins; good length. A good bottle, but not nearly as rich and impressive as it should have been.
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Drank at Restaurant 301 in Eureka, Ca. Decanted. Cork in great shape. Seems to have been stored very well. Tight upon opening. Opened very nicely over three hours. The one hour mark was awesome. Lush fruit, beautiful acidity and fine grain tannins. Started to thin out a little in the last hour.
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Opaque core with slightly brown edges. Vibrant and engaging nose, showing complex and varied aromas. On the palate: meaty, dark fruits, and graphite. Drinking not as sumptuous as the nose, but still excellent.
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Beautiful cassis and graphite with a touch of mint, watermelon, and watermelon rind, great concentration and nuance, its only flaw is that it lacks a little structure, but it is still terrific. Pretty much at peak, but it should hold for a nice long time.
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the youngest one in this flight, very hedonistic in the beginning, alot of black and berry fruit, very refreshning acidity, firm and ripe Tannins, very clean and Long finish, but Needs some time and air, for me again tightly behind the 89, very elegant in spite of his fruity power, I would wait at least 5 more for another bottle, 96+
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Decanted for 2.5 hours and then another 1.5 hour in bottle with cork removed. Absolutely decadent nose of licorice, cassis, pencil lead and tobacco. Amazing the tannin left in this wine. Gorgeous deep blackberry color in the glass. This fooled everyone blind as a 2000+ or younger right banker. As a 27 year old left bank Bordeaux I'd back the truck up for more. Incredibly long, delicious, robust dark plum fruit finish. 99 points.
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This could have passed for a 2009. Forward, lush red and black cab fruits. A bit of an earth-driven, pencil lead edge to the palate, along with coarse tannins give it away as Bordeaux. Ageless wine.
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Super 1990s Bordeaux Tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): This is one of my favorite vintages of Lynch-Bages, and it performed admirably this evening. One of the best noses of the night, with very pure dark fruit, barnyard, tobacco, spice, and mint. Luscious texture on the palate. Serious structured with prominent tannins. Mouth-watering freshness on the finish.
Side by side with 89 LB. The 90 is more restrained and fresh. It started to open up after 3 hours in the decanter. Truffe, perfume, black fruit, blood, iron and pencil shaving on the nose. Palate is complex with good structure, freshness and high acidity. This wine has a better future than the 89, but it is still a few years before it hit its drinking window. Keep.
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Decanted shortly before serving. Quite a ripe but gloriously balanced profile of blackcurrant and some redder fruit alongside rich leather and cedar and touches of smokey tobacco. Was maybe at its absolute best on first pour, but this was no doubt a very good bottle - great now and with time left; I think maybe for me the 89 just edges it comparatively. Still ***** though.
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Ouverte et servie. Pas de carafage. Ça envoie du lourd ! Magnifique festival au nez, relativement peu évolué pour son âge, beaucoup de fruits noirs, plutôt fumée que cèdre et cigare, l'appellation est difficile à trouver. La bouche est tout aussi superbe, dense, du velours, mais avec une poigne solide, bien que pas agressive. Très beau vin maintenant et des promesses d'avenir !
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Scents of blackberry and cassis with a hint of strawberry dominate the nose tempered with tobacco. On the palate the fruit is luscious with big muscular tannins making their presence felt. The finish is deep and lengthy. This is an amazing wine but still will improve and develop over the next year or two with the potential to surpass the 1989.
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It's always interesting to try a 1989 or 1990 Lynch-Bages, noting how different these incredible vintages are. I still slightly prefer the 1990, as I find it a bit more exotic and unique. There is cassis, blackberry, Asian spice, cedar, leather, bell pepper, and pipe tobacco on the nose. The nose is matched by an equally impressive palate that remained interesting over several hours. Seemed to improve and loosen up with aeration. Tannins are super silky and ripe. A long finish. Not the best bottle of 1990 Lynch-Bages I've had, which goes to show you just how impressive this vintage is.
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Magnifique bouteille, dans ma cave dès l'achat en primeur, bouchon parfait, mid neck. Carafé durant 90 minutes. Couleur grenat foncé avec des reflets brique assez prononcés. Nez assez retenu sur le cassis, la cendre, une touche de fumée. En bouche, le vin est superbe de finesse, complexe, aristocratique, les tanins sont bien intégrés, la longueur est très belle. Une main de velours dans un gant de fer. Pour mon palais il est à maturité et il faut le boire dans les 7-8 ans qui viennent.
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Utterly sublime. From perfect OWC provenance, this wine still has room for further development. Magic on the nose - graphite, ripe cherry, cassis, tobacco, mineral, earth, and pencil. More of the same on the palate with a wonderful expression of fruit. Velvet in the mouth with fantastic complexity and a finish that goes on forever. This wine gets better by the hour and loves air. This is now my favorite vintage of Lynch. 98+ Pts
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Five Bordeaux By Five Decades (Rancho de Los Olivos): Tasted upon opening, then wisely decided to decant. Revisited over 8 hours, and it was not done blossoming even then. Such impressive depth, with powerful dark fruits, violets, graphite and leather. I love the glycerined texture. Truly a benchmark Pauillac for me, and this vintage may be on par with the '82 and '89. Could be ageless. Certainly is timeless.
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One of two remaining bottles left in the cellar. Reminiscent of a prior tasting. Ethereal. Near perfection in Bordeaux style. A bit narrow but more than made up for in almost infinite length.
Its almost unimaginable that I bought this (among others in a case) for $66 a bottle from Gary Vaynerchuk in his father's store before he became an internet/social media sensation (by his own account). Its always marvelous to drink a bottle stored in your cellar for more than 2.5 decades -- no matter what the bottle condition -- just to know that you've held it for that long. Even better when it is a wine that shows you what can become of something organic over time. Like the rare birdie on the golf course, one every now and then will keep you coming back for more.
To those of you in your thirties, buy now, buy quality and let it be in your cellar. When you are an old man, open and you will be richly rewarded.
Stunning nose of Black fruits, graphite minerals and green tobacco. So plush on the palate now with delicious liquid graphite flavors that just roll over the tongue. So well balanced by a fresh underlying acidity. The finish is crisp and still slightly tannic and cuts across the palate like a knife's edge with very fine complex notes of graphite minerals and something slightly green but in a good way. Great tonight but it's best days are still ahead. The biggest mistake in the 1855 classification is Lynch Bages as a 5th growth. 94
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Delicious, fully mature bordeaux, with red fruit, tobacco, earth and mineral flavors. Smooth and elegant with a half hour decant. Absolutely beautiful.
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Double Blind 1990 Bordeaux with a Big Infusion of Show Stealing Old Napa (Jason and Tracy's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass blind (initally) over 90 minutes. This felt more closed initially, needing some significant air to open up, very youthful, vanilla, dark fruits, gradually shows nice crme de cassis. This was more brooding on the palate, big and full bodied, earth and graphite, oak, medium finish. This changed markedly over the hour. Steve felt this bottle might be off, thinking there was a lot of nail polish, but I just never got that myself. I thought this was good and tracking on the upside. 93+pts.
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Really good after a 3 hour decant. I'm finding large amount of bottle variation with old vintages of Lynch. The previous few from this case hadn't been great but this bottle was singing. Everything you'd want from fully mature Bordeaux. I've also had similar variation from my case of '89 Lynch Bages. Goes to show the old adage is true that there is no such thing as a great wine, only great bottles.
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An amazing wine that is still in its prime. Rich, lush fruit with a nice hint of oak and spice. Extremely long finish. Part of 1990-2005 Vertical tasting and claimed 1st place among the panel.
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Decanted before serving, this is a memorable vintage of Lynch Bages and always perform better than any wine that is drunk next to it. Beautiful nose of red fruits, sweet spices, lavender and violets. Elegant and superb palate, balanced with a huge structure that lingers in the mouth. Always, always, amazing and should be cellared at least 10+ years.
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This is just an amazing wine, nearly matching the 1989. Aromas of blackcurrant and cherry vanilla subtly tinge the nose but then burst into life in the glass with a sumptuous rich roundness. Beautiful soft but steely tannins give the wine a perfect balance and leaves a velvety finish in the mouth for 30+ seconds. Unlike the 1989 which is at its absolute peak, I think this could still improve, but highly recommended now.
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Ripe red and black fruit with some dark savories. Smooth palate progression and good finish with fine tannins at this point. Good condition, yet to develop its full complexity. 93-94+
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1990 Lynch Bages - decanted before serving, this is a memorable vintage of Lynch Bages and always perform better than any wine that is drunk next to it. Beautifull nose of red fruits, sweet spices, lavender and violets. Elegant and superb palate, balanced with a huge structure that lingers in the mouth. Always, always, amazing and should be cellared at least 10+ years.
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more obtuse bottle with somewhat flabby red and dark fruit flavors; hints of tar and dark earth in the background but not as well defined as this wine can be. 91-92+
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Beautiful nose of smoky black fruits, tobacco and graphite. Best after 2 hours in a decanter and then showing classic 1990 silky black fruit with good intensity and richness. Still quite young and fruit forward but also showing some lovely tertiary flavors of lead pencil and woodsmoke. While the '89 has a bit more breed and depth, the '90 is probably drinking better today and it even needs a few more years to reach peak and it's very terroir-driven. God, I just love Lynch Bages and it is so representative of Pauillac! 94+
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Rather stunning tonight. Perhaps my WOTN among '82 Conseillante, '03 LB, '05 Cos and a host of barolos including Giascosas. In a real sweet spot. Doesn't have the smoky, leathery gamey flavors of some other years, simply so rich
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Return to San Antonio III - barolo/bordeaux (Mike O): Just awesome bdx right at the perfect place for my palate. Less toast and charcoal than many Lynch Bages, with a lovely nuanced mint noted mixed I with the dark fruit. Tremendous finish. At peak for me. Big thanks to Dave for bringing this.
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Glad I opened now. Drinking in its prime but will last for years still. Tannins were super fine and integrated. Upon opening nose was stinky but not flawed. Beautifully textured and developed. Could drink this all night.
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A private dinner (Restaurant Adam, Amsterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Honeyed nose, a wonderful marriage of freshness, richness and evolution, spices and blackcurrants, so elegant and flowing, lifted, finely grained tannins, great length and finesse. Supreme Lynch-Bages, just beautiful.
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Fragrant, open nose, very leafy with ripe redcurrant. Soft structure with well-disguised tannins in the mouth, nice and long. But too much celery flavor on the finish for me, and not as much fruit on the palate as you'd want or expect from this vintage. A nice, elegant claret for current drinking if you don't mind a touch of green meanies.
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1989 vs. 1990 Bordeaux (Vaucluse): 89 vs 90 tasting. Gorgeous nose. A fruitbowl with fully saturated round flavors that go on and on. Beautifully integrated tannins. Liked this better than the 89.
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1989/1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston, IL): Medium ruby. Powerful and lifted aromatics with primary red fruit, smoke and cigar box. Palate is similarly driven and powerful with rich, primary red fruit and still-gritty tannin. Flavors are also more primary with fruit in the foreground and smoke, mineral and bell pepper lurking in the background. Enjoyable, but very young and seemingly in need of time.
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1989/1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston IL): Also really enjoyable, just nothing like the even more wonderful 1989 in the next glass. Rich and more powerful with fun and riper fruit, just less complex and nuanced.
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Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Tasted double blind. Big and burly black fruit start with some green pepper. Moderate weight. Simpler than I recall from other time tasted in recent years, but still drinking nicely now.
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Old bordeaux notes of musty, dusty, leather, wet wood. Very silky, velvety, and smooth. Its past its prime days but still special. Always a real treat to drink these old bordeaux's.
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Dark red color, pale edge. Expressive nose: huge pencil box, cedar shavings, wood smoke, pipe tobacco, celeriac, kirschwasser, plum wine. Wow, I could sniff this happily all night. On arrival, very smooth fine tannin and low-medium acidity. Flavors match the nose in type, but not quite in equal intensity. Medium finish. Delightful wine and a real treat with oak-grilled skewers of wine marinated sirloin tips, mushrooms, red bell pepper and onion. Bottle #2 of three.
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Sweet nose with brambly fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, bell pepper, white pepper, dark earth, and clear elements of tar. A sweetness to the nose of this bottle that comes off quite young. Palate has dark fruit, soil notes underneath, but lacks real depth at this point and had a sweetness to my palate on this evening beyond what I have noticed before. Still somewhat grippy tannins on the backpalate. Enough overall balance that it should still improve with time. I will find this a much more enjoyable wine when the secondary notes are more developed. Decanted two hours.
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Grace, power and elegance, with the structure to continue aging, a nose of tobacco, cigar box, lead pencil, and herbs and a mouth full of fresh, crisp, sweet, blackberries and cassis and soft textures. Drink it or age it further, either way, this is a winner!
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An excellent bottle. Purchased on release and stored in a passive cellar. Cork intact but saturated. Vibrant on the palate, and a beautiful mature red. Lead pencil, smoke, herbs with dark fruit. Clean finish. Does not have the length or the panache to be truly outstanding, but might develop further. Nice balance and should drink well for several more years.
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Decanted one hour and probably needed another but this was showing well and was great with food. Again just short of great for me but excellent full bodied but balanced Bordeaux wine showing dark fruits and earth and is in a great spot right now. A-
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The wine is popped and decanted for a full day before drinking, courtesy to J. It pours a maroon color with a mahogany edge and thin legs. At 12.5% ABV, I was curious as this is a blockbuster vintage. On the nose, the wine yields a bouquet of potpourri, leather, smoke and copious amounts of truffle. Perhaps it's the age, but the fruit (mostly strawberries and blackberries) is somewhat muted. On the palate, the wine is glazed with glycerin and finely integrated tannins. It is unctuous and silky. Nevertheless, there is a green streak in the wine, and that leads to flavors of peppercorns, cured meats (especially lardo), earth and truffles. Fruit is slightly more apparent here than in the nose. Acidity is quite low. Finish is of medium length, lasting around half a minute. This is a definitely enjoyable bottle; but at this price point, I believe there are better options out there. (eg: Maybach or even Araujo and Bond).
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Side by side with Lynch Bages 82, 90, 95, 01. Always thought that 82 vintage is my favorite Lynch Bages, but this 90 vintage opened up after 2 hours that is an amazing wine that is a rich, complex full body wine with good layers of fruit and texture.
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This bottle was at the height of the arch. Screaming earth, leather, dried flowers and antique shop with perfect sweetness to balance the very serious act. Mature, soft, glycerin bodied, and still very long..
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This is the lowest I've rated this wine in the last 5 years, something I attribute more to this individual bottle than where the wine is right now. Bold nose of dark fruits and berries, light tar, cedar, white pepper, graphite, and rosemary. Tannins have settled down considerably and are now well integrated. However, the palate, while very good, was not up to the standards that this wine has set for me in the past, and thus will need to give it another try soon. This bottle had a noticeably softer cork than others from my cellar which may have been a factor in its performance. Decanted for 30 minutes and then consumed over 1.5 hours.
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New Year's Day, 2015 with Bud and Liz, Chris and John, Marc and Justine, Lottie and Moss (Eketahuna, New Zealand): Stunning Pauillac nose - classic cigar box and textbook pencil shavings. Lovely oak integration and supple texture. This has a lovely cool spice element to the palate that adds wonderful definition and lifted this wine above the Cos 1990 drunk at the same time. Great ripeness levels and a long and satisfying finish make for an outstanding wine. Ready now but still young.
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Jean-Charles Cazes had been through the Cave the day before and recommended the 1989 and 1990 from the years we had available. This did not disappoint, silky, smoky, dark fruit, fresh and very nicely balanced.
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1990 lynch bages Color: still dark, wow Nose: very pure, crystaline, complex, monumental tour de force of terroir & wine making Palate: perfect bottle, this is a stupendous wine! Powerful with ballerina moves, a great Lynch & a pleasure to enjoy it in the company of great friends, in my opinion the WOTN
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Dunn Comparative Cabernet Tasting (Chez John Morris): Served double-blind, I guessed a 1991 Napa valley floor cab. Intense, powerfully pure casis/raspbery fruit that turns darker and more graphitey and smokier/cigarish with air. The fruit in the mouth is superripe, bordering on overripe, and it's dense and thick and lush and a bit glossy and slick, a giant smooth round ball of smokey black fruit. Low-acid, the concentration and suave tannin character is impressive but it's not that complex and it's oddly a bit short on the finish. This is rather modern and 1990ish in style. I preferred the Dunn.
Drinking very well tonight, earth, tobacco, dark fruit, leather, black tea, really opened up after an hour in the glass and showed some freshness plum with a hint of red fruit and pencil lead. Soft and round in a good way, silky nicely balanced acid and tannin.
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Still drinking perfectly. Classic aged Bordeaux, with incredible smoothness and balance, essence of lead pencil and leather, with soft tannins and dark fruit. Wish I had cases. While not quite up to some of the first growths, incredibly close.
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Tasted yesterday in Paris with JM Cazes. Big, elegant, hedonistic wine. I would not really agree that one should wait for many years to come. Excellent drinking window now. Perfume of stable, pure terroir, truffles, Porto, tobacco, leather and dark red fruits explodes on the nose. Our table was 50 – 50 divided whether this would surpass the 2000 in the long haul. Not worth the discussion. Both are legends and MUST haves for any serious Bordeaux fan. Incredible quality!
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Shane's Birthday Dinner (Otto e Mezzo, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong): Still a touch of purple, translucent just about. Nose is sweaty, damp saddle, sweaty horse, wet ferns and lots of sous bois. Palate is beautiful poised and harmonic integration of white mushroom , bramble fruit, autumn mists in an oak forest....stunning. Quite belly-filling. Still a puppy. Lacked the finesse of the preceding 1985 Burgundy. But a real treat and it showed brilliantly tonight, although I still prefer the 1989. Interestingly, this got totally and unanimously blown out of the water by the Ch. Montrose 1990 we drank the following evening in the same company.
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BYOB dinner with Jamie Pollack (Bourbon Steak): Ripe black fruits, cassis, lead pencil, a hint of cedar and earth. Excellent concentration, ripe black fruit driven palate impression, nicely integrated tannins and good length. Served next to the 90 VCC and the 86 PLL, the nose seems a bit one dimensional for me.
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Drank the 89 and 90 Lynch Bages side by side. They both were very good, and for a while it was hard to pick a preference. But in the end, the 89 was the unanimous pick.
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1990 ANYTHING Dinner (Our house): Very similar to the bottle I had last year. Great bright red fruit on the nose. Excellent freshness, but this is still coiled. Love the ripeness and sleek texture. Will improve.
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Loads of bacon and roasted meat, cigar box, leather… incredibly silky tannins, bacon fat, ripe strawberries, delicate acidity, fabulous and incredibly young for 25 years!!
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From magnum (direct from the chateau in 2013). Wonderful in every way. My WOTN but only just compared to the Cos '90. Generally full all round but clearly could improve with a few more years at least in this format.
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1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Noisette, Portland, OR): The nose is rich, with scents of tart cherries, dark toast, marrow, dark earth, and a hint of cow. Earthy flavors carry across the palate, giving gentle but firm structure. The fruit is light through the whole experience, with earth in the foreground even on the finish. It's noticeably smoother with food.
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Quite simply, a fantastic bottle. This is not a deep, powerful wine and I suppose someone who prefers that style will be disappointed. However, this has so many layers of flavor it is quite brilliant in its complexity. It opens with a fragrant rose-tinged cedar nose with hints of cedar campfire wood. If you have smelled fresh burned cedar, you will appreciate this subtlety. The fruit is perfectly balanced at this point with elegant hints of cherries mellow black fruit with pencil lead and black licorice. I have had the good fortune to have drank some great wines and this is one of the best.
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From double magnum. Mild signs of age on the edges, but mostly still dark berry red. Great floral nose with classic cedar, plus plum and black cherries, with a almost viscous, soft mouthfeel full of dark fruit with a nice bite of acidity. Really long finish. Very nice. Lots of life left. And got better as the night went on!
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Interestingly, in a tasting note of this wine from two years ago, I remarked that the 90 Lynch-Bages showed two more decades of life. It showed very well in this tasting but I would dramatically shorten the aging window. This may simply demonstrate the bottle to bottle variation not only in tasting characteristics but in aging potential as well.
This wine showed plenty of surreal nuance and complexity. Floral, rose petal bouquet. Very soft, supple and elegant in the mouth.
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Fourth time I have this wine. Vertical LB 1988-2007. This one was clearly the best of the bunch. Amazing that this could beat the hell out of the other vintages with the 1996 showing such a lovely nose and palate. The 1990 however, just bursted from the glass with more intensity than the 1996 and then 2-3 more layers and better definition. High fidelity stereo vs mono! Colour vs monochrome. Defies words.
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Saturday night wines: Blind. Youthful, graphite, tobacco, dark fruit; deep fruit in the mouth as well, a hint of sweetness, mighty - still structured. Never doubted that it was a West Bank.
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This wine was close to perfect for an aged Bordeaux. Color was still solid, no hint of brick. Nose was absolutely classic lead pencil and tobacco. On the mount, exquisitely well balanced with fruit, smooth tannins, and classic Bordeaux flavors of leather, graphite, dark fruit and hints of mineral. A really fabulous wine. Thank goodnes we have a few more bottles--this wine is not beginning to be tired.
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A fine wine that has been in my cellar for decades. I pulled this bottle for New Years Eve. With the rest of the family gone, I had a great chance to try this in peace. The cork was pristine but the wine took long hours to open. The complexity is impressive. There is still some Tart fresh fruit as well as dried. Minerals, leather, & Cedar enhance the profile. Overall the wine was dark, and brooding; something you might well serve to "Ming the Merciless". This is obviously a great wine just not to my taste.
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Chicago Wine Flock..."Wines that Jim Wanted to Compare" ("Chateau La Grange" - La Grange IL): Tasted double blind. Open 3 hours before serving, then tasted multiple times over approx 2 1/2 hours. Very black fruit with some cigar box notes. Meaty spice on nose and palate. Tannins forward ahead of fruit, this is a powerful wine that needs more time to show its charm and potential. I still felt that way at the end of the tasting, after this wine had been open 6 hours, in glass almost 3 hours.
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accessed via coravin...decanted 1 hour in glass...deep garnet in color with good clarity and ever so little fade at rim...heavenly nose immediately puts saliva glands in overdrive, so much so that you are literally licking your lips, swallowing and tasting this wine through your nose...classic yet explosive paulliac nose of ripe black currant, cigar box, mellow tar, spices and floral herbs...someone should make a room/car deodorizer with this in mind - how much would you pay for a 2000 LB Room Deodorizer? - I might go as high as $20 if someone thinks that is commercially viable...absolutely delicious on entry with black currant, kirsch and subtle notes of tobacco, chocolate and herbs through the mid-palate...impeccably structured with succulent tannins, well-balanced acidity and a refined yet long finish...the mouth-feel on this one is spectacular, oftentimes described as higher glycerin levels but experts say glycerin is not detectable by human palate, whatever the reason, this is one of my favorite wines of the year and a clear step above the 2000 PLB I had last night
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A pristine bottle (cork was completely dry) kept in cellar from release. Expected more. Needs years to open up and show its true colors. Fresh and red garnet, smokey, oaky and still fruity. Tannins not resolved yet and bright acidity. Amazing potential.
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Open for a day or 2 in the owners refrigerator so this was not a fresh bottle, however it was still very nice. Needed to warm up but was smooth and still showing good fruit once it did. Enjoyed it.
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At a tasting we put on for our Couples Cru of 17 present, of eight 1990 Bordeaux (Angelus, Figeac, Beausejour Duffau, La Mission Haut-Brion, Leoville Barton, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages, Montrose). All wines purchased on release and aged in my cellar. Typical Cazes style, still dark garnet, mostly opaque, no browning at the edges. Pronounced cassis, anise, and toasty French oak. Plenty of fruit, some sweetness, perfect balance. More open than Cazes' Pichon Baron. Very long aftertaste. This tied for second place with Angelus, behind the favorite Montrose. Drinkable now, should easily hold another 3-5 years. Ric
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I've probably tasted 1990 Lynch Bages 2-3 times this year and each bottle has been remarkably consistent. What more could you ask for in Pauillac? Full body, intense concentration of flavor, aromatic complexity, sensuous, elegant textures, ripe fruit and tannins and a long finish that's packed with layers of ripe, fresh berries make this a treat. The original $30 price is looking good these days.
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An excellent wine but not as spectacular as I expected. Full aroma of cassis, toasty oak, mocha, but maybe just a hint of off-nose. Medium-full bodied, nice fruit but tasted slightly past its peak. Still mostly opaque. Lingering aftertaste. Other bottles of this same wine might be better...we'll see when I open the next one! Ric
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HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Tough competition at this table, and while Lynch holds its own, it's a slight notch down. Profile shifts to more of a smoky nose, darker feel, and district lovely mint note that is really charming. Powerful palate, darker fruit profile than the Mouton and Lafitte, but luscious and coats the palate. Tannins are present and noticeably more course. I've loved this in the past and it's just a stop down in complexity compared to the Rothschilds. A-
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Opened and slow-oxed for 1 1/2 hours prior to drinking.
Nose of prunes, dust, over-ripe black cherries, mushrooms, forest floor, cigar box and cedar, blood and roast beef.
Perfectly muted dark cherry, green pepper, dusty remnants of tannin, fig, mushroom, prune, smoky blackberries, coffee, cedar, forest floor, graphite, blood, old books, and roasted meat. Still a very powerful, complex wine. Almost overpowering flavors at times.
The middle and end of the palate reminds me of sitting in a dark wood-paneled room with tapestries on the wall, fire crackling, contemplating a wonderful book, smoking a cigar, nursing a scotch. In three words: the good life.
Amazing wine, almost completely mature, but still has a little ways it can go before the astringency burns completely off. Drink now or hold for 2-3 years for it to hit its absolute peak. Imagine this will plateau for quite a while before it begins to decline. The finish was so long, and the wine so powerful and concentrated, I can't imagine it is going to decline or decay anytime soon. If you have some of this, you're pretty lucky! Everything old-school BDX should be.
This wine continues to evolve and improve, and has never failed to impress. Purple ruby core, turning to blood red at the rim. Notes of roasted herbs, cassis, black truffle, tree bark, with hints of olive, and leather. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great balance, layers of flavor, amazing purity, and a long, complex and beautifully delineated finish.
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Lovely nose of sweet tobacco, cigar and plums. Soft ripe tannins and again the cigar comes back in. Outstanding wine! For me a reference point to future LB or Pauillacs.
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Lunch with Rob. Compared to the 1990 La Mission we had along side, this was quite youthful by comparison. Bright red fruit, currant on the nose with a background of plenty of earth and leather. More red fruit, spice, leather and old wood on the palate. Fresh, vibrant and a bit tight, even after 4 hours. Long finish. This is still on the way up. Superb.
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Lynch Bages Dinner (Grand Hyatt Hong Kong): Drunk from a magnum. Nose is quite floral. gentle tannins but so delicate. Great balance - the acid is still a good medium with the tannins present but clearly matured to a different level. (see previous note)
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Drank with great friends and family following the '97 DC Gravelly Meadow. Wow what a special wine which changed its colors and nose as frequently as the waiters came to the table! This wine continued to get better and better!
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Good dark color. A bit reticent at first even after a 4-hour double-decant but developed in the glass to show a wonderfully pure and classic Pauillac with flavors of black currants, tobacco and graphite minerals. This is a medium-bodied but fairly dense and focused wine that really needs a long decant at this point. It is very finely concetrated on the finish with wonderful notes of black spices and graphite. Just a lovely Bordeaux that still needs a few years.
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Garnet, red. Nose initially filled the room when decanted. As it opened in the decanter, nose of currents, tobacco, seasoned salt showed itself. Taste was smooth, mouthfilling, cedar, spices. Finish lasted a long time. Friends at the dinner had recently had 1990 Haut Brion, 1990 Latour. They bother felt that this was showing better than those 2. Wonderful.
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In 2009, for the first time Chateau Lynch Bages has introduced a third wine: Pauillac de Lynch-Bages. Produced from the Chateau’s younger vines and treated with the same care as the estate’s first and second wines, this wine expresses the best of the historic 2009 vintage. A fresh and elegant wine with notes of red fruit, spice, wood and a silky well-rounded mouthfeel to finish it off. The lighter structure makes this wine an excellent pairing with many dishes and a pleasure to enjoy right away.
“Pauillac will be appreciated by wine lovers and Lynch-Bages connoisseurs alike.” – Jean-Charles Cazes, Proprietor
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Deep purple color. Tobacco and cedar on the nose. So smooth and elegant. Finish is like having smoked a cigar. Better after 3 hours in the decanter. Still has time.
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2012 - Last Simple one in 2012 (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): Alcohol :: Sweet cigar box, tobacco leave, leathery, wildness and savory meatiness. With time pu-EE (Chinese tea) notes emerged with dried lavender scents. This medium bodied LB is silky smooth, such richness and concentration without vein heavy. Full of finesse and elegance. The grip is insanely huge. Incredible, minute long finished. This still has long way to go. I like.
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This has plenty of life to go. Dark color with no bricking. Decanted for two hours. Nose of cassis, dark, stewed fruit, Tobacco and certainly that pencil lead from Paullac. The mouth feel was smooth from the front of the pallet to the back. It was a rich wine - but wasn't overpowered with fruit - great minerality. A truly wonderful experience.
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End of year dinner; Break out the good stuff- Alto Adige, Rhone, Bordeaux, Barolo, Loire and Port. (Amali.): Showing more open and plush than the last bottle I've had. It has wonderful aromatics of sweet black cherry, cigar box, tobacco ad graphite. Rich and maybe a touch plump on the palate with like flavors as aromas. There's a voluptuous mouthfeel to the wine and he tannins are sweet and integrated. Just a joy to drink. A.
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This bottle had been opened and double decanted several hours before dinner. An incredibly open, complex, and intense bouquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, black truffle, ripe black fruit and tapenade. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great depth of flavor, beautiful balance and purity, with great grip and focus on the long finish. The best showing yet of the 1990 Lynch Bages! Interestingly, we tasted this along side another bottle that had come directly from the Chateau which had been recorked in 2007; the orignal bottle (from which this tasting note comes) was superior. Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner at Lacroix.
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Five Decades of Lynch Bages with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Colour is surprisingly on the dark side. Richard Brazier commented that this was probably kept in a cold cellar as other bottles he had tried in the past were more open and felt readier. For us this is the first LB 1990 we have tried so no old notes to fall back to. The nose is full of dark fruits to start and it evolved quite a few herby, minty and light floral notes as it evolved. Some notes of mocha too that we never expected to find. On this palate it feels very young almost backward, with good ripe fruit as expected of a 1990, but with solid tannin. Still a very good wine with a lot of life ahead but nowhere near to what we expected. 92-93 from us at the moment.
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We drank after 2002 opus one. Opened, decanted and poured. Smelled skunked, moldy. We're deeply disappointed. But with time it metamorphosed into a smoother balanced wine. Strong tobacco, cedar, pencil, and berry. We were experimenting with decanting and learned a good lesson. I would give this at least 1.5-2 hrs
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My birthday dinner at the HK Krug Room (with Krug NV, 98 Krug, 89 Palmer). Drank over 3 hours following a 60 min decant. Pristine bottle from cellar with top fill and perfect cork. This is a wonderful Pauillac example, with the 'masculine' style of Lynch married to a very opulent style for the vintage. Still has lead, cedar and tobacco, but combined with licorice, spices, sweet cherry and blackberry (becoming cassis after time in decanter and rather spoiling the balance). Would be great, if not for a lack of depth in the middle – perhaps needs longer in cellar? … flashy but somehow never opens up to become the wine I hope for after initial impressions. Clear preference for the 89 Lynch… but I'm not a fan of the 90 Bdx style anyway.
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With a rack of lamb, this wine showed beautifully. Good color with not even a hint of a brown edge, medium body with sweet fruit blended with bright acidity. All the tannins have melted away. Drink now or later.
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Decanted 2 hrs. Quite dark in colour. Classic Pauillac nose of pencil shavings, leather, coffee and cassis. Dense and juicy mouth feel, layered and long. Classy!
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What a sexy little beast this has morphed into. The tannins are refined and elegant. There is a lot of concentration of fruit and flavor, yet, every part of this wine is polished, plush and soft, There are no hard edges to be found. And it tastes incredibly young and fresh and improved in the glass during the night . You can age this for decades, or enjoy it today. Tasted blind, I thought it was 2000 Pichon Baron, another wine I love. If anyone felt this was the best Lynch Bages of all time, they'd get no argument from me. Why not? If they picked 1989 or 2009, I also see their point. 1990 Lynch Bages is at that same high level. this is truly a stunning Pauillac that is worth seeking out.
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Another wonderful bottle of the 1990 Lynch Bages, although in this blind tasting it was bested by the 1990 Montrose. Drinking wonderfully at present, but with a long life ahead!
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Richer than the 89, but sweeter and less integrated with a slightly alcoholic finish. I found the wine slightly thin, but others thought it picked up depth and richness
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A fabulous Pauillac wine. This will sound like a broken record....... pencil lead, tobacco/cigar box, old leather, some mint tinged berry fruit...... how I wish I had a few of these in the cellar.
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 7/15/2012 (Casa Red Guy): Clear inky dark blood-garnet color. Stunning bouquet of bright fresh red currants, cherries, earth, oak, river stones. More vibrant than the 1991 Montelena tasted just prior. Full-bodied, invigorating, brilliant balance and focus. Just loved it. ShaneT found this "a little short on the midpalate." If he drinks better wine than this, then from now on I'm having what he's having. My #1 and group's FIRST PLACE (tie) tonight.
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Lovely bold cedar and green pepper nose, this is the most complete and balanced wine in this flight (compared to 1988 and 1989 L-B). Has the potential to age and develop further. Shows more structure than the 1989 but has excellent fruit to match. Nice stemminess present. Longest finish of this flight. Nice bit of Chinese 5-spice too.
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Tasted with friends and a grilled steak. The previous review pretty much says what we experienced and this was the wine of the evening. While seemingly at its peak, I think it will continue to evolve gracefully for a decade.
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La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - 1988, 1989, 1990 Red Bordeaux (CinCin Restaurant): Slightly more youthful looking than the ’89. This had the most expressive nose of the flight with loads of cedar, Bordeaux funk, dark fruits, bell pepper and tobacco. This also takes the cake for the sweetest fruit and most supple and round mouthfeel. There’s a good deal of structure here, but the ripe and sweet nature of the tannins almost fools you into thinking there’s none. Flavours are intense, sweet and refined compared to the ‘89s more tannic and structured profile. Ample acidity keeps the round mouthfeel from being sluggish and there’s a hint of alcohol on the finish that reminds you of the hot year that 1990 was. This had the best nose of the flight; the ’89 had the best palate of the flight. Like the ’89, this should continue to develop for at least 5+ years, but this won’t be as long lived as the ’89. Excellent. 92+
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Racy kirsch, ripe cherry fruit, and cedar on the palate. Great depth of flavor and balance of fruit and secondary characteristics. Medium bodied and light on the palate with tannins fully resolved, yet still sturdily framed and retaining freshness. A regal wine with finesse, persistence, and subtle power. At or near peak but should hold for 5-10 years.
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Tobacco leaf, cigar box, gravel, black cherry, cassis, herbs, cedar wood, lead pencil, forest floor and earthy scents capture your attention. On the palate, with its sweet tannins, layers of ripe, fresh, black and red fruits and spice, you want to delve deeper into the wine. This is a serious Pauillac with a lot to offer. Lately, over the past 12 months, I've preferred 1989 Lynch Bages over the 1990. Prior to 2010, the 1990 had been my favorite. At this tasting, both vintages deserved high scores for different reasons. 1989 Lynch Bages is more powerful and tannic, but 1990 Lynch Bages offers a more refined, supple, elegant quality. Either way, these two back to back vintages are sublime.
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Stunning. Immediately apparent the wine of the night. Earthy, tea, leather, aged orange peel. Completely crashed with the over-spiced pork it was served with but no matter. A complete wine with great mouth feel and persistence. Power without weight. Clearly outclassing everything served before it. Outstanding.
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Un joli nez de truffes, de sous-bois, c'est suave. La bouche est ronde et élégante, une texture superbe, de la fraicheur, un vin sèveux mais avec beaucoup de finesse, qui se prolonge dans une finale de dentelle. Beaucoup de classe, wow! Quel vin magnifique! Mon vin de la soirée. Avec ce nez et cette rondeur, j'étais persuadé comme la presque totalité des convives qu'il s'agissait du Tertre Rôteboeuf!
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May have encountered my first fast of "bottle shocked" wine. After traveling to Europe to enjoy with friends, the wine smelled off immediately. It did not seem corked, but smelled something akin to dirty diapers. After several hours of 'settling' the wine simply turned to prunes then began to have a sharp vinegar bite after more hours of decanting. So much for $200+ on this bottle...
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The fill was into the neck a d the cork was pristine; another perfectly stored bottle of the 1990 Lynch Bages. Popped, poured and consumed over the course of 2 hours. A healthy purple-ruby core with no signs of amber at the rim. Notes of cassis, cedar, roasted herbs, and hints of tapenade and black truffle. Medium-bodied, with a velvety mid-palate, impressive concentration, great depth and balance, and a long, complex, and incredibly well-delineated finish.
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Very tight when first opened, started to show in about an hour and just got better as we went. Intensity and favors really came through once it opened. Will let stand an extra hour next time I drink it
Black fruit, veggie, tobacco and cedar typical of the style. Still very fresh, this wine feels like it has a lot of years ahead of it.
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Roasted meats and spice with licorice and hot bricks on the nose. Obviously a very ripe year. savoury, meaty character to the fruit. The cassis coming through here is very pure and rich yet paradoxically youthful and fresh - great intensity; mouthfilling flavours - really expansive across the palate, tannins quite firm but beautifully covered by the fruit. Long. A peacocks tail of complex notes rounds out the finish. Powerful and youthful even at this age - plenty still in the tank. Brimming with energy and zip.
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Drunk from a half bottle and in youthful condition. Deep ruby still with hardly any rim. Great nose and palate of blackcurrants, cedar and sweet spice. Quite full-bodied and long. Except for the complexity this might be thought of as less than 10 years old.
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I have had this wine at least 3 times before and I think this was the best so far. The lovely Pauillac nose with cooked green veggies and horse shit is there and in the mouth I got fab black currant, chocolate and coffee. Very easy drinking with a freshness that was lovely. I enjoy this style of Bordeaux. Classy and fresh and not over ripe fruit with too much alcohol. Nice one!
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Dusty closet on the nose with a huge amount of burnt tire which then opens up into a rich earthy Bordeaux. Drank with Christian and C with filet mignon.
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From a perfectly-conditioned bottle: Needed quite some time in a decanter to open up. Then a classic LB that is quite close to the '89 in quality with wonderful slate and mineral notes along with black fruits and smoky cassis. Medium-bodied and perhaps a touch less full than the '89 but surprisingly similar in character (I expected more lush fruit) and the terroir of the vineyard is really quite apparent. The finish is complex and I love the smoky/slate flavor that lingers on the palate but I would say well-stored bottles of this need a bit more time in the cellar.
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89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: Tasted after the 89, the two are certainly more similar than dissimilar. Again a rich, fat, sumptuous wine. Gorgeous nose that's similarly dark and chocolatey, but even more complex for the floral and earth components. But the palate here stands in contrast - where the 89 traded its fruit for an ashen/mineral sort of tone the 90 retains the thick, juicy fruit. It's sumptuous! I prefer the 90 stylistically, but the quality doesn't seem to differ between the two. Drinking beautifully and although I can't imagine it will improve, I don't think it's going anywhere soon either.
5-
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As always, very good. Lots of cherries, raspberries, cedar, tobacco and spice. Medium-bodied, both powerful and elegant, with great finesse and a silky texture. This wine will continue to improve over the next 5-8 years but who wants to wait. Excellent, however, I definitely prefer the Lynch-Bages 1989 with its incredible richness and youthful blueberry flavors which was the winner (97 points) in our recent 1989 Bordeaux tasting, outshining even the 1989 Cheval Blanc.
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Tasted alongside Lagrange 1990, and the difference was smaller then I had expected. The Lagrange nose was darker, less cedary and less bright than the LB. The LB was more classic left bank with freshly squeezed black berries, pencil shawings, cigar, and a more complex profile all together. No thertiary aromas on any wine yet. On the palate, the weight was similar, medium weight I would say. Again the LB came across lighter bodied than I remember from previous occasions with this wine. Both were very fresh with mature fruit and low tannins. The LB was slightly longer, but they changed all the time in the glasses. Sometimes the Lagrange was more pleasant, sometimes the LB. Both were the same temperature, from my cellar, and decanted for 4 hours.
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Started with a pleasant old Bordeaux smell. As time went by the quality of the wine declined. Pretty much is was a dissapointment for all who tasted it, given the price and reviews. It was not corked or spoiled. This bottle was just lacking complexity. I was even started to suspect foul play since the wine was purchased at an auction.
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One whiff of the gorgeous, smoke, coffee, tobacco, plum, tapenade, cassis, spice, lead pencil and earthy perfume and you know you're tasting a great Pauillac. Blind, the wine feels like a Pomerol as it gracefully fills your palate with ripe, pure, intense, juicy plums, cassis and spice. 1990 Lynch Bages juxtaposes power with elegance. This is probably my favorite vintage of Lynch Bages to drink today. As this wine continues to develop, I would not be surprised to see it gain another point. It's a very special Pauillac with all the great qualities of the 1990 Bordeaux vintage.
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Decanted and consumed over an hour or so. White pepper, leather, coffee and mocha on the nose with just a real hint of the Lynch Bages bell pepper. The palate still seemed young - not tannic, but still a little tight and restrained. Flavors similar to the nose, but not quite as pronounced. Great structure, grip and length, this is really just starting to get into its drinking window and has a long life ahead of it.
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Deep purple color, bouquet of spice, fruit, smoke, tar, cedar and alcohol. The wine was extremely smooth w/ layers of flavor w/ spice and soft tannins. Medium finish. Decanted and drank immediately. Excellent balance and a lovely bottle that is drinking great now.
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Decanted and drank over an hour and half. Perfectly aged. Plenty of fruit, complex flavors of ripe berries, cigar box, long finish. Last bottle of 6 and the best. Worth the wait, but should have waited on the other 5.
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This is the silkiest vintage of Lynch Bages I've ever tasted. The velvet tannins and opulent textures remind me of a Pomerol. Concentrated with ripe, sweet, opulent layers fruit, this Pauillac is filled with cassis, tobacco, black cherry, earth, spice, cigar box, stone and forest floor sensations. This sublime Bordeaux wine should continue to improve and offer pleasure for decades.
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fantastic wine. drank this next to a 1990 Ducru. The Ducru was sweeter on the nose, a shade paler, and tasted thin compared to the lynch. The Lynch had the stuffing to go for another 10 years - more earth and tobacco in the nose, much fuller body and a great finish with well integrated tannins.
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Delicious, mature but not nearly over the hill. Funky, barnyardy and tarry as is typical for this wine. Surprisingly different from another bottle I had about a year ago.
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This is the second driner of 3 bottles that I have. Like the first one it was a disappointment...flat, musty, tasteless. It's been well stored for the last 4 years or so but can't speak for it's prior life. The cork and fill were fine, decanted for about an hour but never opened up. Followed with an Aussie Merlot which was delicious
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; a very well stored bottle. Decanted about 20 minutes prior to dinner. A touch of bricking / amber at the rim. A very extroverted bouquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, leather, green pepper, ripe black fruits, white truffle and a hint of tapenade. Medium bodied, with a velvety and lush mouthfeel, excellent delineation, impressive concentration and depth of flavor, and a flavorful finish. A great wine that is drinking wonderfully at present.
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I really enjoyed this. A 2 hour decant had this fully open and it showed really well. Dark fruit, rich and powerful, but fully integrated wine that went really well with the food throughout the meal. A touch short of great, but this was really really good, peaking, and a pleasure to drink. A-
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Cork on this bottle was in bad shape, but surprisingly after 2 hours in a decanter the wine came out much, much better than expected. Dark cherry color with some amber; "dusty" neither unpleasant nor especially noteworthy on the nose. and tannins still in evidence. Collectively we gave it a 91. We tasted it alongside a 1995 Beycheville that outscored it by a few points. Both wines went well with grilled rack-of-lamb.
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Came across a bit lighter than 1 year ago, but probably bottle variation. On the nose this beauty has pure cedar wood, pencil shavings, lead, perfectly mature and fresh blackcurrants. Less flowery and excuberant than I remember. Sweet but balanced attack. Lots of weight and presence. Chewy and very easy to drink. Long clean finish (we got it blind and guessed Pauillac from 2000, it was that fresh!)
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Been holding off from drinking one of two bottles, well worth the wait. On the nose you know that a treat is coming - ripe, sweet blackcherries, graphite, leather and woodsmoke. Combining exceptional power and great finesse on the palate, the length is terrific. I doubt this wine will improve further but will remain where it is for well over a decade.
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Brought in to The French Laundry as our red wine for the evening. Decanted for an hour before first taste. Exquisite wine drinking extraordinarily well. Don't have a ton of experience with well-aged bordeaux as we don't have many bdx in our cellar, but this was a real treat. Purchased from a respectable store 10+ years ago when they got a shipment of older vintages directly from the winery - fill to mid-lower neck, cork was perfect. Can't mistake the bordeaux nose, with a delicate balance of fruit and structure. Saddle leather, old tobacco, cassis, cherry were most evident flavors in a profile that was rich and gained weight as the evening wore on. As we were wrapping up our dinner 5 hours after we sat down and 90 mins after our first taste the wine was solidly in its stride. Offered a glass to the Sommelier and the kitchen staff and they were soundly impressed with this bottle. While $75 corkage is stout, have to appreciate that they brought our Reidel Sommelier stems for this.
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Popped and poured based on planning to drink this over a couple of nights and the ambiguous comments on CT on whether this needs a decant. Excellent fill (mid-neck) and good cork. Very dark red with little or no lightening at the rim. Poured a small amount; nose is initially quite musty. After an hour or so, the nose has cleaned up with classic Paulliac cigar box, graphite, and savory scents. On the palate this was initially a bit lacking in intensity, but clearly was ripe and close to its drinking window; after some time it began to flesh out and put on more depth. However, still not a lot of aromatic complexity; quite remarkably undeveloped for 21 years of age. One wonders whether the ripeness will retard/prevent development of secondary and tertiary nuances.
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Even though this rated the highest for me, the older wines were more memorable at this stage in the wines evolution. Started with a weird musty nose that blew off. Lots of lead and cedar mixed with plum, black cherry. I think this wine will be even better in 5 years. There was a decent amount of residual sugar and some alcohol that masked the palate but the ingredients are their for greatness. I am also biased with this wine as it was the wine that made me collect and enjoy Bordeaux.
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; a pristine bottle that has been well stored -- popped, poured and consumed over the course of 2 hours. At first the bouquet was a bit restrained, but with about 30 minutes of air, aromas of cedary black fruits, truffle, roasted herbs and hints of leather and forrest floor. Medium-bodied, with a lush and opulent mouthfeel, perfect balance, incredible depth of flavor, with great grip and focus on the long and complex finish. On this night, I (ever so slightly) preferred the 1989 Lynch Bages, but I am not sure it was a fair competition; the '89 had a couple hours of breathing time, whereas the '90 was popped and poured. They are both great wines and are perfect examples of the heights that Lynch Bages is able to achieve.
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Had with peppercorn-crusted prime tenderloin with horseradish-cream sauce and it paired oh, so nicely. We bought this from someone selling their cellar collection, and it was a great find. Such great balance and so perfectly integrated for drinking now. Tried a little with a vinturi and it actually shut it down, so we did not decant it. Silky, very smooth, well--balanced and richer than we thought it would be - enjoyed it over 3 hours.
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I brought this with us to dinner at Bouchon; our server decanted it about 30 minutes prior to service -- the fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. A healthy purple-ruby core, turning towards garnet at the rim. This was a bit more reserved on the nose than previous bottles, offering up notes of ripe dark fruits, earth, a hint of barnyard, and roasted herbs. Medium-bodied, with pure fruit flavors, a lush texture, and impressive depth. The structure was a bit more noticeable on the finish, and I think this wine will actually continue to improve over the next few years.
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rode kleur, klassieke neus, cederhout, getoast, donkere tonen, rijpheid, zwoel fruit, smaak is mooi geouderd, licht romig, zachtheid, mooie tannines, goed in balans en nog mooi op dronk
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Beautiful balance with nice acidity, good tertiary flavors, integrated tannins. Went perfectly with a grilled steak dinner. Bottle tasted great after a a decant and 1 hour wait, but became much silkier over the following 2 hours.
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I don't drink a ton of Bordeaux, but wines like this suggest that I should look toward the Medoc more often. This was stored since release by a generous friend, and decanted for an hour and consumed over the next two.
This is really a pointe right now. The tannins are fully integrated, it retains a subtle acidity, and the fruit is now framed by alluring non-fruit flavors. In addition to sour cherries, the nose shows deep, dark fruits, leather, and coffee. It's much the same on the palate, which a silk-textured melange of mellow dark fruits and leather. Despite the deep fruit, this is not a heavy wine and remains pretty nimble. It has a medium finish. There is no rush to drink these, but it's in a really great place right now.
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Definitely hitting its peaks... great fruit (nose of blueberries, coffee) and only a few tannins left. Needed 30-45 minutes in the decanter but opened beautifully
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Very much in line with the bottle we had in '08 but a little bolder. Nowhere near the bottle we had in '09. Great stuff, but not the mind-blowing experience of last year, sadly.
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Bordeaux and a sweet Chenin with the Last Tuesday of the Month Supper Club. (Bill's): The La Conseillante was a tough act to follow and in comparison, this wine seemed quite a bit more reticent and clumsy. It was nowhere near as vibrant on the nose, only offering hints of black fruit and herb aromas. The palate, too, stood in sharp contrast. This wine was darker, with more of a cassis, graphite, herbal and tobacco leaf character to it. A little plump and unfocused, I’m thinking this wine could use more bottle age. A-.
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The fill was well into the neck, and the cork was sound. A ruby-red color with no signs of amber. An extroverted and compelling boquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, tree bark, ripe black fruits, truffles and hot stones. Medium-bodied, with good grip, velvety texture, incredble depth and impressive focus and delineation on the long finish. A wonderful wine that seems to be nearing peak maturity; it is drinking perfectly at present.
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Decanted for 1 hour prior to drinking. This was the unanimous WOTN at a recent 1990 tasting. The wine had a deep purple color with a nose of that wafted up pencil shavings, roses and cedar. The wine had excellent fruit as well as smoky, tobacco flavors and a delicious mouth coating finish that went on and on. The tannins have evolved beautifully and while still there, they are soft and the wine is really well balanced. Drinking perfectly right now.
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Peddling for Pebbles 2 (The Ledbury): Slightly muted nose, but dusty blackcurrant starting to come through. Nice tobacco element too. A little flabby on the attack and then a broad, full, expansive mid palate with reasonably soft, velvety tannins. A little light on the finish but quite persistent and long. A slightly damp-leaf element to the nose and palate. ***(*) maybe ***1/2
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Deep purple color with a bright ruby edge. The nose was very subtle dark fruit. The fruit was muted black cherry and plum with hints of cassis, leather and chocolate and a fair dose of earth. The distinctive LB pencil lead was noticeable. Tannins were subdued and the balance was excellent. I expected more of a "pop" from this wine. Its elements were there, but they were subdued. Perhaps this is a closed period.
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This powerful wine opens with truffle, cassis, tobacco, earth and barn yard notes. Concentrated and filled with juicy, ripe black berry and cassis flavors, this intense wine is showing well today and with more time, it's going to get better!
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; opened about an hour before service. I brought this from Philly down to the beach house in Pensacola a few days prior, and stored it in the fridge until opening. Clearly this bottle was a bit "shocked" and did not show as well as previous bottles. That being said, the bouquet was still rather exotic and outgoing, with notes of cassis, fennel, roasted herbs and earth. Medium-bodied, with good balance, impressive depth, and fine delineation on the finish. A touch of dilution though on the mid-palate, which I attribute to the travel shock.
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Still youthful in appearance. The nose however, is completely open, and it's so lovery. There is no doubt that you are on left bank Bordeaux, but this wine has so many qualities in the bouquet, apart from the "normal" lead pencil, black currant and cedar, typical for Pauillac. There are also saddle leather, dried roses (incredible flowered nose, that is what I remember the most) and lavender. Very smooth and well balanced. No obtrusive tannins and no hard edges, very easy to drink. A great performance (the best Lynch Bages I have had apart from the 1961) and obviously in a peak drinking window! Impeccably stored, and the cork looked like a 3 year old, perfect!
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Misc Bordeaux 1990 tasting - Martin: Plenty of chocolate on the nose mixed with freshly ground coffee. Some iron and pine also coming through. The palate has a solid black currant/fruit core with a solid depth. Plenty of mature fruit with just a hint of tobacco and tar. Still a very young wine and very primary. After a little while in the glass it does show some green bell pepper.
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Bordeaux 1990 - 20 years later (Martins office): Dark center with an orange hue. Very pure and distinct nose with beautiful blackcurrant, leaves, licorice, tobacco and iron. The taste has similar pure blackcurrant fruit, backed by green, vegetable notes of green peppers and tobacco leaves. On the finish it’s more mineral notes of iron and pencil shavings as well as some greasy licorice and truffles. Great length and character.
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The Kitchen Cabinet does Per Se (Per Se, East Dining Room): The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; the sommelier at Per Se decanted this about 1 hour prior to service. A lovely deep red color with a hint of garnet at the rim. I am completely berzerk about the bouquet of this wine! Intoxicating notes of black fruits, star anise, roasted herbs and tapenade (Bruce said green pepper!) jumped from the glass; heavenly stuff! Medium-bodied, with a lush and velvety mouthfeel, incredible depth and impeccable balance. A wonderfully round and expansive finish; what a wine!
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i seemed to be the one dissenter on this, i felt the wine was still hiding, beautiful tight friut soars out of the glass with classic LB lead and mint into a cool dark friut with tar mid palet, others felt the alcohol was showing with the friut dropping.
knowing lynch, and seeing the other recent tn's, i'd say we are in a bit of a closed stage. but what do i know.
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Unfortunately without the benefit of a good decant. This was very nice, dark color, and a very nice nose. But it didn't have the finish of a great one, and seemed like it may be starting to fade a bit. It did improve after an hour and show off a bit more complexity - but even then I wondered how much longer it will go. Very nice, but I would start drinking. A-
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Still a dark color, but this wine is mature and drinking really well. Not the finish of the very best of them, but this is a very nice wine and one I wish I had more of as it should hold for a while. A-/A
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dried herbs, a hint of smoke, black cherries and black berries. Flavors of black berries and black cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink with some air or continue to hold.
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Moderate funk on nose likely some brett, thick leathery mid-palate with well integrated tannins and long slightly acidic finish. very complex and well preserved. Believe this will go on for many more years
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The fill was into the neck, and the cork was pristine; this had obviously been perfectly stored. The sommelier at the Fountain Restaurant decanted this about 1 hour prior to consumption. A pleasing purple-ruby core, turning towards ruby at the rim; no signs of amber or rust. A heavenly bouquet, with scents of ripe dark fruits, fennel, and lilly. On the palate, this was off the charts, with layers and layers of flavor, an incredibly velvety texture and great balance. Impressive focus on the long and complex finish. There was not a hard edge to be found, but this will no doubt last for many years to come.
This was the first bottle from a case purchase, which had arrived less than 48 hours prior. I was worried about travel shock, but as the note suggests, this wine was singing!
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Consumed at Whiskn"Ladle restaurant in La Jolla with succulent spring lamb, fresh peas and mushrooms. The bottle was pristine and was provided by Ken Johnson. Similar impression as 1/25/08...this wine is the real deal. Drink now-12/20.
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meegenomen naar proeverij, rode kleur, mooie wat belegen neus, donker rood fruit, potlood, cederhout, klassiek, smaak is zacht en mooi rond, harmonie met diepgang
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Lynch Bages vertical (Morton's NYC): Sweet, lush, beautiful. Soft, silky, fleshy fruit, good herbal and tobacco notes. Nice long glycerine finish. A wonderful wine, but edged out by the 1989 with its firmer structure. My #3 of the night. A--
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The 1990 Lynch Bages showed a little lightening at the rim, and like Jon I though it had the best nose of the younger wines. Agree with Jon also that it had plenty of fruit and great balance. Lots of cassis and meaty notes. It was full-bodied and had some beginning complexity, a real lush ripe fruit presence on the palate, and a nice finish with really smooth tannins.
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Tasted at an offline. Dark garnet color in the glass, really pretty hue. Nose of tobacco, white pepper, herbs du provence, thistle and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries, black berries and a hint of bitters on the medium to long finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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Popped and poured. Ruby appearance, no bricking visible to us (though not great lighting). Dark chocolate/cocoa on the nose at first, with a hint of barnyard at first, this opened up to add some blackcurrant and dark fruits. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with more chocolate and spice flavors. The finish is the most impressive part of this wine. It lasted and lasted, we basically stopped counting.
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After reading other tasting notes on this wine my own thoughts may come as a bit of a surprise but i found this rather disappointing. Lacking in power. The fruit seems to have given up the fight and taken the day off. Good chance that at 2 hours i gave it TOO much time to open up. A little short and a little lacking in acidity. On the plus side the nose promises well , the tannins are smooth and round and medium weight. My overall impression ? Drink up ! its on the way out...
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Much, much better than the bottle we had last year. Very rich and complex nose with huge blackcurrant, cedar and sweet spice (particulalry allspice), impeccable rich, pure fresh tobacco leaves, a slug of dark chocolate and v. slightly dirty. On the palate there's more of the same, especially the chocolate, spice and blackcurrant. Medium tannin, medium acid, finish lengthens with time in the glass and could be slightly longer but all in all this is one of the best Bordeaux I've yet had.
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Fully balanced favors of cherry, cedar, and alder smoke. Still youthful with a long way to run until peak maturity. One of the best wines I have drunk.
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NSMFOW November 2009--Mini Verticals (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Dark ruby color with some bricking. Nose of blackberries, cassis, tobacco, pencil lead. Similar on the palate with some earth and mineral. Still some tannins to provide structure. Good balance and density. Classic.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Deep dark royal purple color. Completely opaque black at the center. Enormously aromatic. Funky and terroir driven displaying neatly wound leather and menthol aromas. Black truffles, balsamic glaze and some dark tomato soup mixed with blackberry liqueur. Barnyard flavors mixed with hay and dark blackberry pancake syrup. Yummy and delicious. Drinking very well at this age. One of my favorite Lynch-Bages of all time. An excellent showing in a world class vintage. Cheers!
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Beautiful looking, musty tasting. The cork on this could be pushed in with a finger. A badly stored bottle that I didn't have much hope for to start with. After two flawed bottles of different Bordeaux tonight, we decided to dedicate the evening to purging the cellar of a number of questionable-looking bottles.
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A delight. Classic nose and great length. Deep forest floor elements, soft black fruits, well composed and drinking well now. Second time I've had this in recent months, and both bottles were great.
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Nice classic notes and showing young and a little tight -first I thought this was a victim of too little decanting but as the evening progressed this bottle just didn't have the love to share. Overall nice but lacking the complexity in both flavor profile and structure. Good but not as good as this can be.
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Kruger's 75th (Corsair): Wow. Writing these TN's a month later and I can still taste this one! Super concentrated throughout. Dark chocolate, creme de cassis, tobacco, and tapenade. The nose has a distinct charred meat characteristic, slightly toasty. The palate is coated with rich black fruits and chocolate, spices, and moderate tannins. Sweet fruits and spices with touches of earth. Not quite as complex as it will become in the future, but this singing to me that day.
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Always a spectacular wine. Textbook Lynch-Bages with tobacco leaf, graphite and cassis. Very mineral and savory for quite a while, but 4 hours after sitting in a decanter there is getting a sweeter core of black cherry fruit that is finally coming out. Faintly dry on the finish but overall much more supple and silky than a few years ago. This is rounding into form, still quite young with plenty of time ahead.
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The wine opens with ripe, cassis, tobacco, spice and tobacco. Full bodied, with soft round tannins, the soft, elegantly styled, fruit filled finish expresses ample, ripe fruit character. My favorite vintage of LB for current drinking.
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A lesson on the ageability of fine Bordeaux - still fairly young, with firm tannins which are just starting to soften. Very drinkable at this age with lots of dark fruits (cassis, blackberry) and that classic lead pencil/graphite aroma along with some grilled meat. Excellent overall balance and a nice long finish. Definitely ranks among the best Bordeaux I've ever had. Still at least another decade ahead for this wine.
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Like my prior experience with this bottling, not much but Brett on the nose and palate. I believe they were from the same source and likely cooked, so I won't score it. Previous experiences with this wine have been very good, but this lot is not.
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Decanted for 30 minutes before drinking and still somewhat closed. This wine is delicious but still a baby - just entering its drinking phase. Dark ruby with cherry, cassis and cedar flavors. No signs of age at all - I would think it was a 5-year old first growth if I didn't see the label. There is deep, rich underlying fruit and balanced, but noticeable tannins. Really great now but will be sensational in 5-10 more years.
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This really disappointed me, considering its prestige and the praise this wine regularly receives. The nose was far too alcoholic, though rich and pretty complex, and the palate just didn't wow me, though had a good amount of dark fruit and spice with a nice long finish. The wine was very leathery, which I kinda liked, but just didn't do anything particularly outstanding for me. I'd be interested to try a different bottle, or different vintages, but from this showing, I wasn't too impressed (don't get me wrong, it was an excellent wine, just not deserving of the price).
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Nose: A wonderful but slightly different nose than that 1989. My initial impression was that it was slightly more muted than the 1989. Also - the 1989 had a larger raspberry component as well. But with those minor things out of the way - the 1990 Lynch Bages also gushes out of the glass with layers and layers of complex and alluring scents. Oodles of dark red bush and tree fruits, and some smoke components combined with an alluring soft wood smell. Leather and cassis intermingle in folding layers too.
Palate: A very fine taste. Rich, hedonistic, seductive, demure. A very crammed wine with tons of fruit extract that coat that palate all over and has an impressive run from attack through finish on the palate. I perceived a lower level of acid than the 1989 Lynch Bages - but that's OK. Pure velvet - keeps changing, one can spend a lot of time with this bottle.
Overall: Many people have had heated discussions around the 1989 vs. the 1990 as to which one is superior. They are different, but yet similar. For me, I fall on the 1989 side of the discussion. However, this 1990 is so amazing as well that have to say that I would be most pleased if I had the choice to drink either. 94-95 points.
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Lynch Bages Vertical (Sweet and Savories): I can not find my notes on this but I recall it didn’t wow me. In fact, the only thing I have written down was “ehhh”. Others liked this a lot.
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Lynch Bages Vertical 1961-2005 (Sweets and Savories, Chicago IL): nose: different from the 89, but still provides a lot of intrigue. Deep and showing off the vintage with sweet red and black cherry tones, fruitcakes, red and black currants, cedar, pencil lead, smoke, and bits of saddle leather. Very deep and complex, but with a sweetness to it that is very enjoyable and pleasing
taste: very deep and layered with sweet tones of red and black cherries, cedar, pencil lead, smoke, leather, along with red and black currants forming the base. Well layered with a plushness to it while still being very much bordeaux and very much lynch. It just unwinds slowly on the palate and has great medium body to it with still good tannins
overall: a great companion to the 89. There will probably be forever a debate between bordeaux lovers that have had these wines which one is their preference. On this night for me, it was the 89, but it was a 1 and 1a type situtation. This was a supreme wine that just did everything at a much heightened level and was a real delight.
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Mooie volle rode kleur, neus is licht wat stal en erf maar ook nog mooi rood fruit, klassieke neus en komt fris over, smaak is zijde zacht met veel balans en diepgang, mooi rijpe tonen en veel karakter, tannines zijn al mooi opgenomen in de wijn, genieten
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A wine that requires no patience is the 1990 Lynch Bages, a wine that fights well above its Fifth Growth weight class. It is one of the friendliest wines I've ever met. It is the labrador retriever, it is the friend that lets you crash at his place, it is the girlfriend that tells you to go to Vegas with your buddies and means it. From a wine perspective, the thing I love about it is how it pops. I could go through the deep cassis, the dollop of vanilla, the extravagent weight in the mouth, the lush rich waves of dark fruit mingling with tobacco, earth and spice. This wine wasn't the most profound wine of the night, but impossible not to enjoy.
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Very similar to the bottle Eric had. Decanted for over an hour which helped this open up. Lots of tobacco and fruit with some hints of leather. Very good but not amazing.
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Sunday night with Bordeaux and some lamb (Seattle, WA): A slow burn. Typical Lynch-Bages nose, lots of tobacco, hints of good green. A wall of fruit and structure on the palate, a huge monolith of a wine. Still, with the lamb this unwinds quite nicely and really opens up. Very primary, direct, dare I say linear, but just glorious raw material here. I really should let these sleep, but this is a fun wine to check in on now and then, and this bottle was certainly quite enjoyable.
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Tasted March 12, 2008. Opened and served immediately. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Elegant nose of plums, briar patch, florals and a hint of smoke. Flavors of rich berries, plums, cherries and minerals. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink now with a decant or continue to hold WOTN for me.
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over 2 dagen gedronken, in eerste instantie vrij gesloten neus, licht wat chemisch iets fruitig nog en wat aards, later meer herkenbare tonen als cassis en cederhout, smaak is zacht en soepel, vrij laag in de zuren en wat plakkende tannines, wijn komt geconcentreerd over. heeft aandacht nodig
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Tasted in single-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Medoc tasting. Deep garnet robe with bricking at the rim. Beautiful, intense bouquet of cardamom, assorted black fruits, mushrooms and leather. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, melted tannins and complex flavors which mirror the nose. Long, smooth finish. Absolutely stunning stuff! Drink now-12/20.
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Very reticent at first it needs oxigen to open,then improve continuously in the glass it boasts powerful and complexity layer of layer of mature fruits,silky tannins,perfect acidity will last for many many years.
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Not decanted. Single bottle lot purchased locally at a charity auction. Dark, purple-red with just the faintest hint of lightening on the edges. For us, a typical Pauillac nose-- tobacco, earthy, some graphite or pencil lead. Lovely nose. Some black fruits on the palate along with the ever-present tobacco--with a nice long finish. Very elegant and lovely--drinking very nice with about 15-20 min of air.
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Kitchen Tasting Group does Lynch Bages: Dark red color. Looks extremely youthful. Soaring nose gives an impressive expression of black fruit, tobacco, mushroom, funk and floral notes. Ever so slightly roasted fruit. Awesome. In the mouth this gives complex flavors of dark fruit and tobacco with some mineral notes. The texture is divine. Perfect balance. Smooth tannins. Great length on the finish. Really good with great potential to develop further with additional bottle age.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Lynch Bages (JP's American Bistro, Minneapolis): Now we're talking! Enchanting nose featuring dark fruit, spice, pencil lead, and tobacco. Gorgeously ripe black fruit, herbs/leaves, with a smoldering, smoky finish. Youthful. Silky minerality on the palate. Wonderful balance. Co-WOTN for me.
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Dark, red, ruby color with lightening around the edges. Cassis & smoke on the nose. Full bodied. Silky, lush black fruit on the palate. Surprisingly accessible. This has more in common with the 85 than the 89. Good, but not great. Will improve with a few additional years of bottle age
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Open for four hours, decanted in the last hour. Color is still suprisingly dark around the edges for its age. The nose is very pretty. Lots of flowers, blackberry, tobacco and earth, all of which follow through on the palette, stretching out on the long finish. The mouthfeel is very silky, but also carries a weight that is suprising for it's 12.5% alcohol content. This is all about Old World elegance and class. Paired deliciously with game hens with a red currant sauce.
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Dinner at Wilfred's (New York City): Lynch-Bages can be a bit linear and monolithic, but the 1989 and 1990 sure are fun to drink. This 1990 was no exception. Big, burly, black, and medicinal with an explosion of Pauillac tobacco. What's not to love here? Just textbook Pauillac.
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Yummy, silky and balanced. Thsi puppy was popped and poured at Mortons LA with the Russak boys and sure was a pleaser...Great depth, layers, structure and balance
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The genuine article. Most everything you want in a mature Bordeaux. Balanced, complex, forever finish. Followed a '01 Plumpjack Cab. and the L-B was clearly superior.
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7/07 tasted off Sparks restaurant list - Earthen nose - dark ruby red - cherry fruit with a structured and layered tobacco oak chocolate finish - needed time to open and breath - good balance and interesting wine. 92 pts.
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What a treat. Thanks Bob. Previously decanted and aired, this wine is the real deal...the reason why we all collect, cellar, and drink wines. The ridiculously smooth texture and mouth feel of this wine have to be tasted to be believed. The dark black currant and plum fruit is still gorgeous, supple, and fresh, and the LB is so polished and viscerally fun to drink that it defies description. There's also an earth side to this wine that shows black truffle, as well as some cigar box. One of the top wines of the night.
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Per Se - from magnum - I don't understand what the fuss is. I am not a huge bordeaux person, so that must be it. I found it one note, soy sauce, almost sour.
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Tasted April 13, 2007 at an offline. Opened and decanted about 3 or so hours before serving. Dark garnet color in the glass, slightly dusty looking towards center. Nose of cedar, graphite, black currants and anise. Flavors of anise, black berries and black cherries. Medium to full acidity, medium tannins and medium to full bodied. Needs more time in bottle. Hold. No rush here. Downgrading my previous rating of WIML94 to WIML93.
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A very ripe wine: more fruit than earth-driven character. Feels overdone after several less-overt wines. Will clearly benefit from time. Undoubtedly not the better for being served after several more refined wines.
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Drank 3/24/07 in a blind tasting and lost out to a 2000 Bond(Melbury?).The wine took 3-4 hours to open up and at it's peak was very good,i was a little disappointed as the82 Lynch Bages was one of the most enjoyable wine experiences of my life.I think it still needs a few more years.
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Captured this wine at its absolute peak. Just gorgeous - the Angelina Jolie reference in Cheryl's note was right on. If a wine can be voluptuous, then this was it. Don't wait any more on thiese.
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Seattle Tasting Group does Pauillac (Seattle, WA): Quite reticent at first with 90 minutes of decanting. Surprisingly hollow on the mid-palate, but this does explode on the finish. Does it just need more air? Yup, this starts to open up with amazing charcoal and mineral notes. Toothsome, tannic and quite young. A reticent showing. I retasted two hours later, and AHAH, this has opened up. Very nice tobacco notes now. Much thicker and more spicy on the midpalate. This bottle needed a LOT more air to shine.
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HDH Comparative Bordeaux Tasting 1989 & 1990 (Casino Club): Full red/purple color. Lovely complex spicy red fruit nose with graphite notes. Mmmmn, wow. Nice rich complex red fruit with depth - pencil lead, cedar, and black fruit. Classic Pauillac.
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(at Corks – Baltimore) Pretty good, but overall a little disappointing. Classic black current flavor profile. I was hoping for more depth and explosiveness. This is drinking very well now – a delicious, but not profound bottle. (17)
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Dinner with He Who Must Not Be Named (Jim Clary's): Full coffee black/red color. Full black fruit aroma. big bold black tannic fruit with some earthy blood hints. I think this wine still needs some more time, personally.
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An amazing dark ruby color with earthy cigar box and currant nose. A thick/plush wine with persistent dark fruit and smooth but obvious tannins. Great finish, still a baby!
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Sweet 16 Party for our Bordeaux (Triomphe): Wow. A dark, expressive, opulent wine. A classic Pauillac that is absolutely singing right now. I had had it back in May and thought it was firing on all cylinders then, but this blew that away. The wine was decidedly Bordeaux with notes of leather, lead and earth, but the fruit was so sweet and emphatic that one could easily mistake it for a California Cabernet. In the mouth it was lush with rich waves of dark fruit mingling with tobacco, earth and spice. The acidity was tucked in nicely behind the fruit and carried the finish on and on. A phenomenal effort.
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Rather reticent nose. Graphite and tobacco on the palate with hints of darker berries. Lots of weight and a bit hard on the finish, but clearly more from youth than any fault. Clearly a very good wine, but would benefit from a long decant at this point.
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Bordeaux Tasting, Dallas, Texas (IL Sole Restaurant & Wine Bar): Medium ruby maroon red that smelled young and coated the glass with nice legs. Wonderful scent of red currants and raspberries, which was followed by a hint of green bell pepper and very subtle oak with a great finish. Needs more time. 92-94
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Intense, formidable, brooding with powerful tannins and a super-long finish. It still seems young and capable of improvement, though you search in vain for fruit flavors that could make this an extraordinary wine.
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Wow, this is young, almost painfully. The aromatics are barely evolved, just black cherry, graphite, rocks and a gorgeous floral note. The palate, mmmmmm, what a palate. Huge, weighty, fantastic grip, loads of ripe fruit, red moving to black, just drenched in minerals, tobacco, graphite. A real thrill ride. This needs lots of time, but it is always a pleasure.
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Tasted February 27, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Closed nose, tight as a drum. Swirled a little leather notes out of it after a while. Some flavors of black and Bing cherries. This wine is still not open for business in my opinion. I’ll be rescheduling my first bottle for tasting in 2010.
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Mooie volle rode kleur. In de neus mooie rijpe fruitigheid. Cassis, kersen met ook wat kruidigheid, laurier en tabak. Veel indrukken maar alles mooi op z'n plaats. In de smaak weer dat rode fruit en rijpe tonen. wijn is elegant maar je proeft dat er nog veel leven en kracht in de wijn zit. alles weer mooi in balans, goede structuur. Finesse. lange zachte afdronk. Mooie ronde tannines zijn aanwezig.
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Cabernets from around the world (Kungsholmen, Stockholm): This bottle had not survived 13 years in a too hot and dry closet, therefore not rated. Under a veil of wet cellar scent there was some coffe, leather, barnyard and cedarwood. Spicy, with a grassy diminished Bordeaux-taste, unfortunately also some used tea-bags. What a pity...
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It has been years since I have had the '90. It is brooding and massive. Classic bordeax scents are immediately present: leather, hint of funk, pencil shavings and cigar box. Extremely dark with no signs of fading this decade. (or probably the next) Rich and lush across the palate with black cherry and earthiness, slightly tannic with some spice on the finish. The wine is screaming for a steak...The palate adds richness and layers with about an hour of air.
After 4 hours, this is just exquisite and has added a ton of weight...great stuff.
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Classic Bordeaux nose with lead pencil, fruit and as noted elsewhere, a bit of that barnyard, gamey aromas as well. We were surprised, in that this was extremely smooth, soft tannins, good dark fruit, relatively low acid. Seemed very much ready to drink. The wine will last, but won't really improve. After open ~1 hr, it had, however, smoothed out, some of the barnyard nose was clearly volatile and gone, and it was even more satisfying as a classic, mature bordeaux. A wonderful wine.
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Consumed at Frank Noble's annual Christmas luncheon (at Gemelli restaurant). Bottle provided from my personal cellar. Although a formal tasting note was not made, it can be said that the wine was absolutely delicious, well-structured and early in its drinking window. For me (and many others) it was the wine of the afternoon (among several outstanding bottles).
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Heady cigar box and spicy nose. Lush, ripe, mouth-filling, with long sweet tannic finish. A great mouthful of wine. Absolutely ready to drink with great pleasure right now.
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Bordeaux looking out on Lake Michigan (Winnetka): Todd tried this last two years ago and said it wasn't ready, try again in two year so we did! This is a monster Lynch Bages with teeth gripping tannins prominent in the mouthfeel. Nevertheless, it is coming around..fruits include plums and cassis, cedar, and a bit of green pepper, and a touch of anise in the finish that goes on and on..lovely balance; 1 hour later in glass it was even better! Great future prospect, 92 is my current score but this has upside potential
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The Event: We gathered our wives, headed to our local C Club. We opened a 2001 Etude so they would keep their hands off the LB, which we decanted for two hours. Both noses were unmistakably Bordeaux and great. The 1990 in particular, was more "barnyard" but not off-putting in the least. Both were purple, the 1990 maybe a bit more heading to a slight bricking. The 1989 mid-palate was pronounced, full of flavor, the tannins are still there. This wine is awesome but still has years to go. The finish was there and was very good. A great wine. The 1990 was more velvety and darker, perhaps brooding. The midpalate wasn't as pronounced but there were no complaints. Cedar, spice, cassis, all there, just not as mouth filling as the 89. Then the finish. IF you tried to run, it would come and tackle you from behind. Unbelievable. After swallowing, I tasted as much flavor and length as when the wine was in my mouth. The biggest Bordeaux finish I think I have ever had. The 1990 is more approachable now but certainly has some years ahead too. These are different wines but both are very representative of LB. I rate each 96 pts and re- confirm why I love good Bordeaux so much.
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Lynch Bage vs Pichon Lalande 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995 plus 3 Ringers: Groups 4th place and my 2nd place vote out of 11 Bordeaux served blind. Nose: Complex classy Bordeaux earth tones with minerals, cherries and cedar Palate: Toasty and rich. Good mouthfeel. Ripe dry cherry, minerals and some smoke. Well rounded and smooth rich lingering finish. Solid and classy. Drinking well.
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I am a big fan of Lynch Bages so I was very glad to try this wine and it did not disappoint. Packed and stacked throughout. This is a big/rich and still complete/complex bottle of wine. Seamless integration of fruit/oak/acid. My #1 wine over the '90 Pichon Baron and '90 Angelus tonight.
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Tasted 12/99 - still too young. Nice fruit, but still quite forward and lacks complexity and integration. 90pts. Group #4, My #7 - Opaque red/crimson with some lightening. Forward aroma of spicy briar red fruit and sweetness. Tight structured black fruits with cofee finish. Some pepper too. Drinking sooner than the 89. 92 pts. 4/05
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Dinner at Harvest Vine (Seattle, WA, USA): This was a pristine bottle with a high fill and a spotless cork. The moment we opened it the nose reeked of tobacco and cigar box. With more air the aromatics yielded up an amazing note of cocoa powder followed by spicy cedar and then a return to tobacco with a hint of brett and leather. The palate was approachable from the get-go with initial notes of graphite and smokey minerals that were quickly swallowed by masses of black fruit. The mouthfeel was impeccable, lush and rich as any good 1990 should be, yet very well balanced and with good focus. The finish initially showed some drying tannins, but with air this smoothed and lengthened considerably. Mmm, this is such a fun, pleasurable young wine with loads of life ahead, fantastic claret!
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1990 Lynch Bages Pauillac I rank this as #3 of the night. It would take #1 from many tastings. Outstanding! Went from flavor to flavor. From Dark blackberries and currants to dried herbs, to bell pepper…. VERY aromatic. Mouth filling to a fault, with great texture and flavor. One of the best bottles of Lynch I’ve ever had.
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Brilliant deep clear red. Full bodied nose, hot, clear.
Clean, pure, full. Very powerful. A little too hot. Tangy oaky tannins. Integrated, but not fully. Really pure. Sweet cherry. Nice complexity, well built. Bold and big with toasted oak. Mature but will definitely get better. Hints of tar, lead, berry. Wide expanse of flavors. Some espresso. Long with med heavy weight. Pretty silky. Dark finish. Forward, pure, Very nice. B+/A-
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STG - woopin it up at Roys (Roys Crib): This is a monster of a wine, big and dark. It seemed like a baby compared to many of the other wines even the 89. I guessed LB on this (I guessed LB on many of the other wines too) because of the cedar on the nose. In addition to cedar there were massive black fruits, leather and some oak hiding in the background. The finish was very long.
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Year end SG Dinner #2 (House of Hersh): This was far more open and approachable then the 89. The nose was sweet and smoky. The palate was well balanced but young and explosive. If you like fruit forward wines that are still pure Bordeaux, this is for you.
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Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' #2 (Sammamish, WA, USA): Most tasters preferred the prior wine, but for me the 1990 curled my toes a bit more. Even more ripe than the 1989 with sheer masses of black fruit, graphite, and some younger notes of caramel and vanilla. Eventually a really cool tarry element appeared. The palate was dense and extracted, absolutely stunning with so much minerality and then, oh that finish, it just keeps going for a minute! For me this was just so hedonistic and rich that I forgave the fact that it was less well defined and less complex than the 1989. What a great showing from this pair!
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starts with dark fruit, leather and tobacco. Firm tannin that became smoother as the wine spent more time in the glass. Nice wine paired with lamb chops
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The 1990 Lynch Bages was very nice, not off but not as silky as I recall previous bottles. There was the classic bordeaux nose and fruits, but this bottle lack the 1990 elegant mouth feel that I have become to expect. Somewhat of a let down but the resturant was wonderful and I expect to return soon.
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Sending off the in-laws (Seattle, WA, USA): The nose starts with charcoal and sweet, almost caramel infused fruit. With air the tobacco starts to come out and then black cherry. At first, the palate was black and medicinal, bruising, an absolute kick in the teeth, slightly astringent, just drenched with salty minerals. However, with 3 hours of air this became sweeter and much more giving. Eventually this had a total reversal, showing an amazingly plush texture with not a hard edge to be found, screaming of tobacco and sweet fruit, drenched in mineral. With roasted lamb-loin and then some harder cheese this was a heavenly match!
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Tasted at Handford's, in same flight with 1990 Palmer and 1990 LLC. Quite opaque ruby, with brick tinge around the edges. Nose was a bit off - cooked vegetables, clay - perhaps heat damage? The palate is disappointing - quite harsh and surprisingly austere. Should wait another 5-10 years, but I'm not sure it would ever be great.
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Tasted at '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle provided by Marshall Banker. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of kirsch, brier, leather and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate, with big sweet tannins, low acidity, silky mouth texture and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. Nicely paired with the braised veal cheek (with savoy cabbage and serrano prosciutto in orange juniper berry sauce).
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Medium red. Scents of vitamin-pills. Also some dough. Strong in the mouth. Hard and rejective. Difficult to taste and evaluate. Somewhat diffuse in my opinion. It was really hard to decipher the elements here. I kept trying to analyze the structure and characteristics, but to no avail. The nose was intrigueing and I actually found myself smelling the wine more than wanting to consume it.
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Tasted at Patrick & Naoko's. Inky black in the glass (gee that SHOULD have been a giveaway). Loads of oak, somewhat medicinal, black fruit, coffee. I found this one to be acidic, tannic and rather astringent with a tight finish. This was consistently my least favorite WOTN. I guessed '89 Lynch Bages, but in fact this was '90 Lynch Bages.
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outstanding nose, richness, nice complexity, good-great finish, got sweeter, more open and more complex with time but retained an intense concentrated pure fruit streak right down the middle, even fuller bodied than the '82 Talbot brought by Jim & Shari,
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Tasted at wine bar at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Opaque mulberry with violet rim. Intense currants, oak, plum and characteristic Lynch Bages "paper paste" on nose. Palate follows. Full body, medium soft tannins. Medium, slightly hot finish. Nice, but needs time.
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4/21/2024 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
This wine continues to fire on all cylinders. Right from the start it showed strong with lots of wonderful tertiary aromas, a strong, fresh fruit core, an impeccable structure and perfect balance. When consumed 2 hours later in a restaurant it showed less complex and much younger. Still, it has all components of a great wine; the complexity, the precision, the elegance, freshness and a superb balance. 95pts for this bottle (rated up to 97pts in the past).
Decanting: Double decanted for 30 minutes, consumed two hours later. Got younger with air. This vintages usually doesn’t need much air.
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4/14/2024 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 99 Points
Plainly put this is one of my favorite Bordeaux. Have had it multiple times and it’s just an absolute delight every time. On this night it completely outdid a 1990 Latour which we enjoyed over a five hour dinner with my wife side by side at Hotel Bel Air. Hard to believe considering I paid more than double for the bottle of Latour.
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4/7/2024 - advinm41 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork was wine stained and fell apart upon opening but wine was beautiful underneath. Decanted 2 hrs, nose of black currants, plums cherries, violets, caramel, notes of iron and truffles. Palate came together at the end of decant, smooth with no hard edges, still very plentiful and sweet dark fruit with rounded tannins although this wine can go on for at least 5 more years given their potency, secondary and tertiary aromas of forest floor, truffles, caramel, herbs, old cedar and peppery on the finish which is incredibly long. Outstanding!
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3/16/2024 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
This, along with the 1989, is a duo of the greatest wines ever produced from the estate, leaving the 1961,1982, and 2000 in the starting blocks. I can only assume that some of the lukewarm reviews is due to a lack of aeration. This needs a good 5 or 6 hours in the decanter to be appreciated at this stage of its life. Once it comes alive, it is an astounding wine. The nose is a classical mature Paulliac, with old leather, beef blood, blackcurrant and plum, with hints of violet. Some bottles are more developed at this stage in its development, and to be honest this was less evolved end palate and on the finish, with residual tannin; hence, the lower rating. This is a classic Bordeaux, and I do feel we have to give it that special attention with preparation and research, rather than just treat as another decent Bordeaux. A post script; I left a small glass overnight and it was transformative. In future, I will decant this for 24 hours.
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3/13/2024 - MAC49 wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous nose, still a beautiful purple with little bricking. Fully integrated tannins and classic LB tasting notes. Powerful yet fully integrated and silky tannins. Feels like this can go another 20 years.
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2/3/2024 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is a decent Lynch Bages but far off the brilliant 1989 version. Beautiful deep ruby, no orange. Lightly spicy aroma. Decent concentration but really lacking focus and precision; perhaps slightly low in acidity. A little muddy. Perhaps an off bottle or heat damaged.
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12/30/2023 - mwellington wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 2+ hours and consumed over next 90 or so minutes. At opening and after an hour of decant it exhibited an over ripe nose, bricking and tightness. But after 2 hours the wine felt fully integrated with a softness on the nose and the tongue, great mouthfeel, forest floor and cedar with a touch of manure and a really long finish. Paired with beef tenderloin a the pork chop at Boulevard in SF. This feels like it’s at its peak.
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12/25/2023 - mclanew Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two hour decant. Drank alongside the 1989 and this was clearly a step behind at least tonight. The key difference is this was a little more foursquare and felt like it had already started to decline a bit with fruit a little faded and less vigour in the structure. Nevertheless still a very good aged bordeaux. There is a possibility this bottle had a bit of negative variation.
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12/15/2023 - wa2ofd wrote:
At an annual Holiday tasting, in 3 drink flight. Blind. On the reveal there was a 2000 Lynch and a ‘90 Vega in flight. The 90 was the most sublime. Lead pencil, graphite on nose. Still beautiful fruit. No rush, long life ahead. 2+hr decant.
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12/15/2023 - GregHH Likes this wine: 96 Points
Best after 6 hours in full open bottle
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12/14/2023 - palfr2 wrote:
Pall Mall 67 Singapore - penetrating nose of cassis, dark fruits, lead pencil and graphite. Regal the way a typical Pauillac is. Then so much freshness on the palate, great acidity. I lack reference points to declare it truly great and living up to the higher standards set separately by the vintage and the maker. It is obvious this still has a long life ahead of it. May be layered complexity is required to put it in the realm of truly greats. Using sensory memory this more than holds its own with a Mouton 89 I had a few weeks ago
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12/10/2023 - grub94 Likes this wine: 90 Points
From half bottle. Disappointing. After two hours some classic tobacco, cedar and graphite emerged but sort of two-dimensional until then with currant and earth. Balanced with medium finish.
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12/7/2023 - asgerG wrote: 96 Points
Vinklubben 1983's 40th anniversary X-mas dinner (Hos Sten): D2h
Dark red, yellow tinged, 5.5
Complex bouquet of pencil, jasmin, exotic spices and more
Dense palate, m-T, m+A, mB, dry, loads of dark fruits, long finish, super balance
Drink now-2040
Incredible. Seems to be in the early drinking window.
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11/17/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
I love the purity of this vintage of Lynch Bages which is more structured than most '90's but really impresses after a long decant. There is deep blackberry fruit along with classic Pauillac notes of graphite minerals and grilled nuts. Really refined and chiseled while giving a gorgeous texture and subtle power. The finish still shows some tannins but they are quite supple and there are lovely complex notes of spices, lead pencil and smoky gravel. As good as the '89 is, the '90 really bumps up against it with the right bottle.
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11/12/2023 - wineton.mee wrote: 92 Points
This was a far cry from the outstanding 90 Lynch Bages that we had some time back. While that was a beast (silky red fruits and so much aplomb), this was rather anonymous. The quality of the vintage is hidden and you had to really dig to see. There is some green, some dark fruits, and graphite/tobacco. The ingredients are there but just wasn’t singing today.
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11/11/2023 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
Same bottle as Melvin. Again clearly a left bank Bdx and a step up versus the 86 in terms of fruit. Still this 90 Lynch Bages, kindly shared by Dibbs, was not the best I have had.
While I had the underwhelming 86 Lynch Bages as a left bank 99, here I agreed with Jason on left bank 96, given the quality here but already slightly thinning fruit of this bottle.
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11/10/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 91 Points
Wines from regions starting with B: Very similar to the 1986, but with more vibrant fruit that made it an obvious guess as 1989/90. Felt like this didn’t get out of second gear, not as exciting as the bottle a few months ago.
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10/25/2023 - The Klipper wrote:
94
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10/24/2023 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 95 Points
So gorgeous. Amazing nose that started out so youthful but showed great leather, less tobacco, tart slate with deep peppery bite, long and intense. So good now.
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10/24/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Heirloom Cafe, SF): Intense aromatics, leather, cedar, forest floor; medium body, medium integrated alcohol and tannin, residual black fruit; finish is medium-plus length. Lovely mature Bordeaux. 93-94
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10/20/2023 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
NYWE
Fantastic! Fresh youthful. Primary fruit medium body and finish. Belies it’s age
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9/25/2023 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 97 Points
3rd time I have opened a bottle of this Château in this vintage.
Nose on the cigar, a little humus, cedar and sweet spices.
Fruity palate on blackcurrant, with the richness brought by the cigar, the whole sprinkled with spices. What more can be said? How harmonious, deep, with a touch of cedar that adds to the abyssal depth of this wine, and an unfailing balance. But what is most impressive is the touch of the mouth, real liquid silk, pure voluptuousness. Majestic finish on the leather which stretches with nobility.
This wine is great, it is so obvious! In addition to that, there seems to be a nice regularity on this wine which rarely disappoints.
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9/21/2023 - Ozen Likes this wine: 97 Points
The Lynch Bages 1990 is one of the truly great wines of this great vintage. Its wondefully rich, complex and extremely well integrated. It has been a ongoing match between 1989 and 1990 for which one to claim the best as they truly are close. The 1990 still has staying power although there is no reason to wait as it is at its very grand peak right now. Absolute top class and an incredible joy to drink.
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8/12/2023 - EdwardsCellar wrote:
Markus bday bottle
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8/9/2023 - Marc S wrote: 99 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of licorice anise. It's in total harmony and has flavours of raspberry, black currant and chocolate with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a short finish - This is truly one of the best bottles of Cabernet that I have ever had.
The wine is perfectly balanced, and still has plenty of fruit. The tannins are fading quickly and I think this wine is approachable right now. It is delicious wine which should be enjoyed at this time.
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8/6/2023 - GuanYu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for almost 4 hours. Orange rim, dark ruby center with brick tint. Blackcurrant, plum, cigar, truffle, liquorice, and pencil shaving. This 33 years old bottle was still youthful. Wine was open and fraugrant. Decent amount of sediment. One of the best bottles of Lynch Bages I have tasted.
This 1990 was better than the 1985 I tasted 3 weeks ago: More silky and powerful. I believe this 1990 would take another 20 years to hit prime.
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7/8/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 96 Points
The cork was wet all the way but the Durand prongs went in easily and it came out in one piece. I did not decant but passed the first 3 ounces through an aerotor and wow wow wow! Classic nose of damp forest floor and cedar but no funk unlike the last bottle I opened in 2022. First impression of dark fruit and smooth tannin was confirmed later after full decant and three hours open. At this point the nose revealed red fruit notes and the palate was red rich fruit, sturdy but slightly drying well integrated tannin and a finish that lasted a full minute. After four hours open the wine continues to evolve with distinct plum notes to the red and dark berry fruit. This is superb Pauillac wine which will continue to be delicious for another five years minimum. 90 Bordeaux continues to be my overall favorite vintage. Even after 24 hours open there is still good fruit. This wine is so delicious. It was a pleasure to sit outside in this comfortable Michigan night and just sip and enjoy this wine and thank the winemaker for his/her talent.
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5/26/2023 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of tar, herbs, spice, black tea, leather and hints of cedar, turning to silky tannins on a long, long finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/05/pour-boys-winers-diners-23-cityscape.html
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5/17/2023 - signotim Likes this wine: 94 Points
A war-torn bottle. In a moment of weakness, I purchased as a pre-arrival from a store in Southern California. Do yourself a favor and don't purchase old bottles on pre-arrival without a photo or an accurate description of the bottle condition. Stupid move I made. When the bottle was shipped to my house, I opened the package and thought, "what a waste of $400 dollars". The label, the capsule, the FILL LEVEL... it was all bad. I called the store and they offered me some crumbs.
When I removed the capsule last evening, I saw the cork was depressed nearly a half inch and soaked all the way through. I tried to get the Durand in position but as soon as a prong barely touched the cork, it fell into the bottle. I smelled the bottle and it actually had a nice fragrance. I poured a small taste thinking it would be awful and my sense of smell must be off... It was actually quite good! The color was nice with normal bricking at the edge and beautiful deep, dark, ruby red core. A wonderful nose of sweet red currant, baking spice, and cedar wood accents. It was delicious too with sweet, fresh fruit, a silky texture, light cedar wood notes, and a medium long finish. How can a bottle in such terrible condition perform so well? It's great Bordeaux thank goodness!
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5/15/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tasted regularly, this is one of my favourite wines, and this bottle was exceptional. With a great bottle it can legitimately challenge the Haut Brion and Margaux as left bank wine of the year. Decanting is still essential with 2 or 3 hours bringing out the optimum from the wine. It possesses a beautifully rich nose of blackcurrant, plum and old leather with notes of cedar and violet. The depth on the palate is outstanding with a good tannic spine, and the finish pushes past 60 seconds. I can't quite bring myself to give it a perfect score, but it's tempting. 99+
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3/31/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 94 Points
Beat the '90 Latour: Popped and poured. Started off a little green but this opened up very nicely. Developed some very vibrant dark red fruit as it fleshed out. The rest of the line-up was obvious so my only doubts were between the 88 Mouton and this, but the class of the 1990 vintage made it obvious in the end. Excellent showing after a couple of hours.
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3/31/2023 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beat the 1990 Latour: Third time having this wine. A lot greener than my first bottle but better than the last bottle. Seems like there might be bottle variation. My feeling is that with age the bigger names Paulliac’s are delivering now whereas this one has plateau-ed. The score is probably a more of reflection of the company it was served against than its own merits.
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3/31/2023 - pclin wrote: 94 Points
Single blind. Initially rather lean with good nose. Managed to put on a bit more weight later on, another middle of the pack wine against stiff competition.
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3/31/2023 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beat the 1990 Latour: Six years since my last bottle and this has barely moved. The most youthful wine together with the 06 Dujac that evening. Only gave it a slow ox of about 45 min but this needs a proper decant. Started a bit thin with lots of freshness, and only filled out after about 90 min in the bottle. A very classically styled Pauillac. Love it.
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2/19/2023 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 97 Points
An outstanding bottle of wine. This will last a lot longer. Incredibly fresh with a velvety backbone that opens the door to a potpourri of red fruit pencil shavings and tobacco. The wine is concentrated with plenty of follow through that just makes you want to keep sippin. Just beautiful and worth the price.
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2/13/2023 - Eric wrote:
The outside of the cork was screaming of TCA, but thankfully the wine was fine. Stalky with green tobacco, mmm, graphite and red fruit on the front of the palate, still actually a bit tannic, moving to dark, roasted tobacco on the finish. Love it. So mineral. So pure.
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2/3/2023 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Private dinner (Lynch-Bages 85, 90 and 03): Aged 15 months in French oak barrels (70% new wood). Blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 12.5% vol.
12 hours before the dinner double decanted. On the nose it starts a bit shy, gets more intense with additional air and shows leather next to under-wood and a suggestion of blackcurrant. On the palate elegant, dense and very long.
Classic Pauillac at the beginning of its maturity, did again a step up compared to five years ago but still not at its peak in my opinion and will easily survive another decade or two if the cork survives, 94+.
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1/31/2023 - GregHH wrote:
5-6 v otevřené láhvi nevylevat
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1/19/2023 - Ryan Whyte Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was an absolutely spectacular example of LB and of Pauillac in general. Drop dead nose that took its sweet time to show itself fully (decanting is still recommended) but full of intense crème de cassis, graphite pencil, exotic spices, old leather, sous-bois, sweet tobacco, mint, charred wood and gravel. Medium to full bodied, this was all class on the palate. Everything in perfect harmony, and with a mid-palate to die for. The finish was extremely long, and the wine kept evolving in the glass over the evening. I haven't tried the '89 yet as a comparison, but it's near the top of my list.
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1/18/2023 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 96 Points
WOTN at a vertical of Lynch-Bages with vintages from 1989 to 2018, edging out the 1989 though these two vintages were head and shoulders above the other wines which generally needed more time. Cassis, leather with a long finish. Classic Pauillac.
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1/10/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not sure of the air time for this one. My #8 WOTN tonight. Some graphite, old leaves, lots of tart cherry on the palate, it seems just a tad out of balance but that might be a factor of the air time? Wish we had more time to check this one out but it's getting late! Still, very enjoyable for any Bdx lover.
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12/25/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Two bottles at dinner tonight. The first would be rated lower as it had some bret impacting the wine negatively. The second is lovely although not quite as good as I remember it last year. Black currant, olives, cigar box. Full mature showing great length and complexity. Drink up in next five years.
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12/10/2022 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
First time to try the 90, having had the 89 twice. To me this was richer, more baked fruit, and in my recent memory, bearing some similarity to the 86 Mouton. It had some dark to blue fruit tones, lots of intensity on the palate, somewhat limited chromatic spectrum, and more “new world” suggestion than the 91 Dominus served at its side.
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12/9/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Everyone says this is ridiculously good. plenty of fruit, Pauillac, hasn't been reduced to the old wine generic character. Wow, and it is stunning. Beautiful depth of fruit character. Wow, just stunning.
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10/29/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
Aeration is essential for the wine, this was a BYO to a restaurant and was underwhelming for the first couple of hours, but then exploded into life. A short note with tasting notes as previous, but I have to use the opportunity for anyone UK based to celebrate the Fernery in the Grove at Narberth and their somelier team. 97+
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10/13/2022 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Same as last note although this bottle seemed fresher
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9/18/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 95 Points
9 months since my last bottle. This was poured at a restaurant and started to open after an hour in the glass. I’d still recommend a decant. Well polished and great balance. Worthy of the praise from the professional reviews and a relative bargain. In prime with a decade plus of optimal drinking. Revisit 2024.
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7/17/2022 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
No notes taken. Another magical bottle of this vintage for Lynch. Fantastic intensity and concentration on the nose and palate, highly layered with all telltale Pauillac aromas, full tertiary complexity with beautiful black truffle galore, leather and tobacco as well as tiny hints of brett (never had that before im a 1990 Lynch). Round structure, superb texture and balance, good freshness, a long and expanding finish. This has it all. While waiting for the 1989 to mature, this is now drinking on its peak and should stay there for many years to come. Beside Latour (higher complexity and unbelievable sharpness), this is the best Pauillac in this vintage beating Lafite and Mouton.
Decanting: Decanted for roughly 1 hour. Back an in the bottle and consumed 3 hours later. Worked very well.
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7/1/2022 - Ozen Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 1990 is one of the better vintages of Lynch Bages. It is still at peak and seems to be able to hold on to that for a few more years, although it does start to show some raisiny drying fruit. Overal fully mature, quite smooth, masculine, with largely dark fruit. It has consistently performed below the LB 1989: The 1990 is dryer, less fruit and at this age a bit pruny/raisiny on the aftertaste compared to the rich, harmonious 1989 which probably is one of the best LB vintages, next to the 1959 which was outstanding for a very long time.
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6/20/2022 - The Wine Monkeys Likes this wine: 95 Points
Initial approach. Ruby in color with a balanced nose of damp earth, very subtle vanilla,mild notes of oak, black pepper with very little fruit. Proceeded to evolve into notes of more pronounced green pepper, caramel, some dried spice, subtle black fruit, earth/mineraity, light vanilla, graphite and wood. What stood out the most to us, was the complete balance between the nose and taste from opening to finish (about 2 hours). A beautiful wine.
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5/26/2022 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 96 Points
This has improved massively since my last CT note. Now has more nuance. Lovely spiced red berry nose, but palate is the star of the show with a broad mid-palate with gorgeously ripe tannins and a very subtle but long lingering finish. Best to pop and pour, no reason to decant. Drink to 2030 (no reason to hold on longer, this is at peak). 96-97pts (range depends on bottle, I've had better than this)
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5/7/2022 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 93 Points
1989 v 1990 Bordeaux at Wine Watch. One of my two favourite wines on the night eclipsing the 1989 which did not show well. Cassis with a long finish. This was singing on the night.
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4/24/2022 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork wet all the way to the top and barely a pop when it came out but at least it was in one piece. Dominant nose of esrth, dust and some forest floor funk. The nose of funky Bordeaux is still there after 28 hours open but the fruit is just now beginning to emerge though there is still a rough tannic or acidic note to the flavor. However as the dark fruit finally emerges the finish is starting to lengthen and is more harmonius. Did I not decant this enough before tasting? Regardless compared to some other 90 Bordeaux it is not as accessible. The bottle and cork were not totally flawed I wonder if the long run up the cork may have affected the wine? In conclusion it is much better tonight than yesterday upon 2 hours open do maybe it still has some time in bottle to evolve.
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4/21/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
Quite some time since I drank this. Its definitely got the same richness of fruit and depth that I remember, with more elegance and a bit of masculinity. The thickness of this wine is now conveyed in equal parts of movement of the body and the color. The wine is now whole and the sum of all things beautiful in an aged bottle of Bordeaux. That would be earth laden plums, swimming in a pool of graphite with fresh brewed coffee nuances in the background, bringing that masculine feel to the elegance from the well preserved, aged wine. The length is quite long, leaving dark fruit in a cedar wrapper on your tongue for a good 30 seconds. This is clearly at peak and the time is now and over the next 5 to 7 years for sure. Drink
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3/22/2022 - Cailles wrote: 95 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: Medium expressive, fine nose, floral and bright. Super nice, tobacco. Superbly defined on the palate, fine red and dark fruit, floral notes, earthy notes and lots of minerality. The structural frame is impeccable with melted tannins, high acidity which is perfectly round and light, so creamy and nice. Wonderful balance, long and expanding finish. I‘ve had this 1990 many times over the past two years and it always showed amazing. This bottle (stored in the same cellar since release) was by far the youngest of all 1990s Lynch. So bright and light, full of tension and without any tertiary development. The clear highlight was this almost Burgundian Pauillac expression (not something I would associate with Pauillac or Lynch in particular), the lightness and brightness were truly amazing, as was the precision. 95+ pts, easily.
Decanting: This needed a bit of swirling to shine. This bottle would have needed an 2h in the decanter. Other bottles I had of this needed from no decant to 6 hours, so there is no way around at opening it early and check for yourself.
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3/14/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 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:
Sweet spices, a bit of earth and mushrooms, a pretty bright fruit profile boasting fresh red berries. The flavor profile on the palate was dominated by nice aging notes, but vibrant and lively acidity is pretty vibrant awarded this with a pretty youthful appearance. Unfortunately, this was lacking the finesse and elegance I loved in the last bottle a few months ago.
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2/20/2022 - winesnout Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine never disappoints. Lots of classic Pauillac fruit from an excellent vintage, cedar wood, meat, tobacco and spices. Beautiful sweetness in a long finish.
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2/19/2022 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
blind, side by side with 1990
Again 89 is a stunner but this time 90 is just a touch behind. Maybe one of the best PQR in older great Bordeaux. I love this wine since over 10 years. Still primary notes. The 90 is a bit opener and "easier" accessible. Great duo. At least 10-20 years ahead. 98 and 97
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2/13/2022 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Tasted double blind. This is the fifth time in the past 12 months I‘ve had this wine. From various sources, it‘s amazing how different the wines showed. One bottle back June was drinking fully mature, at its apogee and was to die for (97+ pts), others were very promising but not yet fully back from a sleepy phase (94/95 pts) and then came this bottle, which in comparison was drinking like a much younger, sexy, slutty right bank wine (I guessed a 1998). Quite complete, complex and precise, although I clearly prefer it more mature and less slutty.
TN: Very expressive on the nose displaying layers and layers of ripe, seductive cherries, coffee, caramel, some chocolate scents. Same intensity and aroma profile on the palate with the additional blue and darker berries and some minerality adding to the complexity but the focal point remains the cherry, toast, burnt sugar, coffee part. Sexy, slutty but still quite elegant although acidity could have been a touch higher.
Decanting: Decanted for a good two hours. Good from the go but improved further in the glass. This bottle could have easily used 3-4 hours.
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2/6/2022 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
Wow this baby is young!! By far the best and most seductive Lynch Bages I have ever tasted. It was so young with notes of caramel and purple fruit, that I guessed 10-15 years younger. Deliciously seductive and slightly slutty this was just a treat!
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1/31/2022 - calvinkkw Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted. Peak at 2-3 hours. Plateau at 4-5.
Excellent!
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1/29/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
Greg's 50th Birthday Bash: Tasted alongside the 1992 Dominus paired with the pork belly course. The '90 Lynch is the best vintage for Lynch Bages in my opinion. So good! The Dominus held its own up against the Lynch, but I believe this is because the Lynch had not been properly decanted. If it had more time to open up, I think it would have been a few strides ahead of the Dominus.
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1/27/2022 - J_H Likes this wine: 94 Points
- tasted blind
- Nose: cherry and lots of blue fruit, mocha, chocolate.
- Palate: More body than the previous wines (Paulillac Power) and more Merlot. Blind I guessed 2000 vintage. Has very soft and ripe tannins, medium + body. It lacks a bit of acidity (medium) in this bottle (already had another 1990 that came across even fresher), which would lead me to a higher score. Can be stored for a good 5-10 more years to develop even more complexity. A powerful left bank, this Lynch Bages 1990 should be served towards the end of a classic Bordeaux tasting.
- 93 points at the beginning, gets better and better, which is why it is towards 95 points.
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1/20/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 98 Points
Part of a small old Bordeaux line-up pebbles. Good amount of mineral notes such as graphite. Fruit mostly blueberry with some dark cherry in the mix. Adding a lot of cigar box aromas over time, also espresso and black coffee. Caramel and a pinch of sweet spice add sexiness. Then jumping back to fresh herbs. Versatility and complexity are off the charts. Rich with a muscular build, firm tannic structure but seamlessly integrated. Dense, concentrated and opulent, but with so much finesse and elegance that in the blind tasting setting the group guessed right bank.
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1/16/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 98 Points
Acquired at auction this was far more advanced than my bottles merchant purchased. However, aeration is still the catalyst for this wine. The cabernet level in the wine dictates extended decanting and it really pays dividends even at 30+ years. This really challenges the Margaux and Haut-Brion for the vintage top spot. With an hour in the glass after 5 hours of decanting the nose bursts into life with aromas of blackcurrant, plum, and leather with some lighter floral notes. The balance of fruit and tannin is seamless with a complexity and depth out of this world. Likewise the finish once fully aerated is pushing past 60+ seconds. I don't know what they did with Lynch-Bages in 1990 and 1989 but thank god they did! Also it still has upside!
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1/13/2022 - Hanibal wrote: 90 Points
Closed and unyielding. Not sure maybe weak bottle. Surprised by it myself. Not corked or anything but just not giving much.
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1/7/2022 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 96 Points
Grand i Lund
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1/1/2022 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 96 Points
2022 New Year's Day Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Deeper garnet but good clarity, thing garnet rim; iron, sanguine, herbs, iron, intense, some Brett, green pepper, smoky, sandy, saddle leather, juicy, red currant, great length, powerful and driven, not a ton of weight in the middle but in a great place; my '86 Talbot?
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1/1/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 97 Points
New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Tasted double blind. Yum, Yum, Yum. Nose, midpalate, and finish. This is my jam. I called it as my wine (which it was) but I must admit, I tasted it via Coravin earlier to ensure it wasn't corked. This reaffirms that 1990 continues to be my favorite vintage and left bank wines from '90 are the best of the best. This Lynch Bages could take down even the first growths in a blind tasting. It is a powerful wine that is singing right now and hitting on all cylinders. One caveat, I was blown away by the '86 Talbot that showed up 5 wines later. It was not that far off from the Lynch in this blind tasting. The Lynch edged it out for WOTN because it was more seamless and less messy than the Talbot. Only decanted for 1 hour before consumption.
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1/1/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 97 Points
From two well preserved bottles of this. Decanted ninety minutes. In an excellent drinking window. The wine is still in a state of early-mid maturity and not showing any sign of decline. The nose has a floral, red fruit flourish mixed with some lead pencil. The wine is full bodied, impeccably balanced, layered and complex combining black currant, raspberry with earth, tobacco and some cedar. Lovely long finish.
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12/26/2021 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
This showed awesomely. After 45 mins of air, the funk blew off, this wine was really singing.
Really structured mouth, and very focused balance, both on palette and nose.
This wine was not tired at all and the structure and energy persisted through a long finish, that was in a word, regal, and old-school. Loved it!
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12/21/2021 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose was funky at first, opened to black berry, herbs, and ash, same on the palate, big body, muted flavors, nothing wrong and nothing right, below expectations today, medium/long finish.
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12/20/2021 - melvinyeowq wrote:
Good shit dinner: Slightly green on the nose, but the unmistakable pencil lead and graphite that allowed a Bordeaux novice like me to guess Pauillac immediately. Ripe fruit that led me to a good vintage but given the colour I thought it was a 1982. Lacked a little charm and a little dull for me.
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12/20/2021 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sadly not one of the better bottles. A persistent green note on the nose detracted throughout the night. On the palate classic Pauillac; regal but doesn't have the sexiness that I usually associate with the vintage.
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12/1/2021 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Small Bordeaux gathering (Clarity - Vienna, Virginia): Incredibly youthful expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry concentrate, ink, licorice, ash, lead pencil, cedar, leather and earth. Once again, it display the 90 ripeness but also a hint of green. Excellent concentration, very finely layered concentrated black fruit, intense yet silky and fluid, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, fine silky tannins and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with ash and mint at the end. IMO, Leoville Las Cases and Lynch Bages age the slowest even more so than Latour. The 90 Lynch Bages is at least a decade young than the 90 Leoville Poyferre but that is not necessarily a good thing. IMO, Lynch Bages has a unique expression, pronounce ash, cassis and ink and always displays impressive concentrated. I however find them a bit straightforward. This can easily transform for a couple more decades.
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11/30/2021 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 95 Points
3 hour decant- way more accessible then a few years ago. Everything is in place now and this is in its prime. No point in holding these but they will be enjoyable for another 2 decades. The finish is persistent and it’s light on its feet. This should pair well with fish or chicken but tonight it went well with filet mignon.
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11/26/2021 - ocassiuso Likes this wine:
Black ruby. Moderately intense aromas of concentrated black fruit, slightly cooked. Dry, moderate acidity, tannins wrapped in dense fruit, full-bodied. Not very expressive on opening, and I did not get a chance to taste it later. Impression of power.
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11/17/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
I am lucky to taste this as often as I do because I love it! Combining the naturally stoic character of Pauillac with layer after of ripe red currants, cigar box, tobacco leaf, smoke, spice, and wet forest floor, the wine remains full, rich, and dense, yet there is a regal edge to its character that makes this such a turn on. At close to 32 years of age, this is drinking at its peak, where it should remain for at least another 15-20 more years, if well stored, and maybe longer!
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11/1/2021 - schan109 Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP. Very attractive nose with violet, Asian spice and wood, the palate begins to open up after 20 min in the glass, dominated with fruit, and high acidity. Unfortunately, the liquid was not fully open as we drink (I would prefer to decant it for 2 hours+). Still a young wine, and there will be long before it matures
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10/29/2021 - Philippe_C wrote: 99 Points
Fabulous Lynch Bages at his sweet spot of age, enormous nose of ripe red and black fruit, loads of meaty BBQ Angus, sandalwood… Perfectly mature tannins, one of the best Bordeaux I have had!!
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10/3/2021 - PhDP Likes this wine:
Voici un vin qui a suscité le débat, goûté en parallèle avec Hermitage La Chapelle 1990. Parmi les huit convives, une série d’opinions contestaient la maturité de ce LB, le mot « poivron » ayant été prononcé à plusieurs reprises.
Pour ma part, je considère qu’il s’agit d’un magnifique témoin d’une époque révolue: quelle complexité, quelle noblesse, quel équilibre. Bien sûr, ce n’est ni très puissant, ni très extraverti. Disons plutôt classique (mais le terme est ambigu) ou tradionnel au sens de certains Rioja ou de certains Barolo. Le terme « à l’ancienne » me semble pertinent, même si chacun risque de comprendre quelque chose de différent. Face à La Chapelle, ce LB paraît sans doute discret, timide. Mais il me semble que si l’on accepte de faire un effort, le vin récompense le dégustateur.
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9/29/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A superb bottle of this which is drinking beautifully now. Black-fruited and full-bodied in the style of the vintage and the finish is quite layered and complex with notes of graphite minerals and Asian spices. Yum!
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9/11/2021 - englishman's claret wrote:
This got a little lost in the shuffle of a lot of great wines, but I very much admired the clean density of its black fruit, mineral character, and pencil notes. There’s obviously great depth here. I need to sit down with a bottle of this and follow it closely for a few hours to try and get a better bead on what this is and where it’s going.
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9/10/2021 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Many of the others were picking this in their top wines and perhaps it will get there but for me today it was still a bit closed down a primary although with the potential to do a lot more. It’s clearly fresh and lively but as I said very primary which is more pronounced on the heels of the old wines. Some pepper. Darker fruits. Give it time.
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8/30/2021 - MLwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes, then enjoyed over the course of three hours. Definitely plenty of life left in this wine. The nose was incredible for the few couple of hours. It started to fade by the third hour, but the wine was quite delicious throughout the evening. Balanced with plenty of fruit left and lots of secondary and tertiary notes. Really quite nice.
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8/24/2021 - englishman's claret wrote:
This bottle, admittedly followed for only about an hour, doesn’t really hit high gear. Dense, plush, black-fruited, accented by pencil and squid ink, one wonders if this will ever have the articulate charm possessed by the 89. But then again, this still remains reasonably young and almost surely wasn’t given enough air.
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8/24/2021 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
No notes taken. A very beautiful wine, this bottle of the 1990 Lynch was not yet at its apogee like other bottles already are. The structure is there, the wine showed very harmonious and round, quite layered, almost weightless and with good precision but without much of that extra complexity full tertiary development adds. Nevertheless, a joy to drink and 95+ points.
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8/23/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 96 Points
This is a bit easier to get your head around and like the Pichon Baron 1990 is a sensationally good, full-on and full-bodied Pauillac. If it had an engine it would be a five litre V8. It has been even longer since I have had one of these and my previous concerns about this wine being too ripe and too low in acid were assuaged by this superb bottle. Rich, ripe but not overly so, this wine is smoother and less of a hooligan than the 89, with tobacco, cedar and earthy notes and a superb texture.
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8/23/2021 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
89/90 Bordeaux @ Hawksmoor (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): A step up on a previous bottle, but still a little four square cf the 89. Similar colour.similar blackcurrant nose with a slightly dusty top note. Velvety with slightly furry tannins. Classic, archetypal Pauillac. Very good but just lacks some flair if one’s being critical. ****
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8/17/2021 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful tart and bright red and dark fruits on the nose with some distinct Bordeaux notes and subtle Asian flavors. Light orange blossom followed by chalky tannins, oiled leather, flint, sweet cigar and irony red meat. Powerful flavors run across your tongue. In a lovely drinking window.
p.s. decomposed cabbage rolls and roasted cauliflower
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8/9/2021 - SteelerFan wrote: 94 Points
Smooth and rich. Fruit is still very much alive with gentle tannins, tobacco and earth. Medium bodied, ruby cherrybres color with restrained nose. On a very steady palteau.
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7/12/2021 - MattTM wrote:
JR Group of Six Dinner (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind next to the 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, 1990 Château Angélus, and 1990 Château Beausejour. Outstanding nose displaying bright red cherries, classic left bank pencil/cigar box/leather with an underlying sweetness lurking in the background. This is starting to flaunt its maturity meanwhile still hanging onto its youthful power. Cassis, a touch of mint, and plenty of spice become evident on the palate as this continues to open up. Lynch-Bages seems to always deliver exactly what I’m looking for (especially in this era) and this bottle was no different. Absolutely killer tonight and my favorite of the flight.
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7/9/2021 - kr522 wrote: 98 Points
out of magnum, this was pristine and hitting on all cylinders. the level of precision, purity, and complexity was stunning, and on a level i've not often experienced from Lynch Bages. probably the best Bordeaux I've had in the past 1-2 years (98-99)
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Informal gathering, no notes taken. I‘ve had an almost perfect (97+ points) some weeks ago (see detailed notes below). Lucky me, another bottle awaited at a friend’s place. Unfortunately, however, this had a little bit less of everything but still showed the same traits with a strong, ripe fruit core, lots of tertiary aromas and a mellowed structure as well as good tension. Just much less focused and precise and hence less interesting and hedonistic. Still, a beautiful wine.
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
Informal dinner, no notes taken. This is clearly the best bottle of the 90 Lynch I‘ve had so far and a perfectly mature Pauillac. Masculine with a dense tannin structure with velvety tannins, a superb freshness, waves of frsh tobacco, leather, earth, minerality and loads of black fruit. So clean and superbly precise with a long and expanding finish. Nearly perfect wine. 97-98 pts. Not decanted and no decanting was necessary.
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6/20/2021 - Mazy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ouvert à l’horizontale, on choisit de ne pas le décanter car il semble y avoir une pointe oxydative. On remet le bouchon pour lui faire honneur une heure plus tard quand le repas est prêt. La touche laissant craindre l’oxydation n’y est plus. Le vin est légèrement tannique mais s’assouplit rapidement en cours de soirée. On est à l’entrée de la phase où se déploient les arômes tertiaire de cuir, de feuille de tabac, etc. Un excellent vin de 31 ans.
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6/12/2021 - Eric wrote:
ESTG pandemic breaker: From magnum. Right down the fairway, everything you want in Lynch Bages.
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5/27/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 99 Points
One of my favourite wines along with the 1989 which is in a perfect spot and this is nearly there. With 5 or 6 hours in the decanter, and particularly with an hour in the glass, the wine is just about firing on all cylinders. Apart from a little residual youthfulness I can't pick any faults. The integration and balance are faultless, and I am quite convinced that the finish will still be going when I wake up tomorrow. I emphasise that patience in the glass really pays dividends and elevates it to an almost perfect rating. 99+
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5/1/2021 - guido23 wrote: flawed
Moldy cork, which isn't a death nell but his was corked from the get go.
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4/11/2021 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Bottom of neck fill, saturated cork. Decanted about 1 hour.
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4/6/2021 - Frank Schneider wrote: 97 Points
Thats why we drink bordeaux ! All in. After 3 h in the decanter it was sooo great . Drink or wait !!!
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4/2/2021 - Trickyone Likes this wine:
Color could have passed for a much younger wine, but the developed bouquet and flavors told a story only a mature Bordeaux can. Lovely balance between oak, fruit and tannins. A good bit of the leathery notes that I love so much in these wines. Some life ahead for properly stored bottles.
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4/1/2021 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful wine. Very ripe fruit, silky with fully resolved tannins. Very tasty.
Unfortunately it was too cold and never got to fully open up because I was drinking it outside on the sidewalk at Raoul’s in NYC while it was 45 degrees outside, I think it may have deserved a higher score if it had been a few degrees warmer.
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3/30/2021 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
I didn’t had that much luck with 1990s Bordeaux in the past year with most bottles being rather muted, in a difficult stage or inconsistent but this Lynch Bages showed great. This is so far my best bottle of this with the softest structure and a great balance. It very well showcases the Pauillac masculinity but with softened lines and an inviting sweetness. This wine is easily drinking on a 95/96 point level with just that extra kick of complexity and precision missing for the 97+ points category. The 1989 definitely has all that but still needs more time (last time I checked it was young, vibrant, superbly fresh but needed 6 hours in the decanter to start to sing).
TN: Right out of the gate this wine is great and a textbook Pauillac full of dark fruit, loads of graphite minerality and wonderful tertiary tobacco, leather and truffle scents. The same aromas, the same very good intensity and good precision on the nose and palate. With time more earthy scents, some red fruit hints and a bit of toffee completed the picture but overall not much development over the course of 3 hours. There is an expansive tannin structure with lots of tension but it consists of perfectly fine and round tannins. A well-embedded acidity keeps the wine light and fresh. There is some creaminess but the overall texture is still slightly masculine and finly graind. The finish is slightly expansive, dominated by the fruit and earthy aromas and with medium length. The overall balance of this wine is quite stunning, you could definitely drink this bottle all day and night long.
Decanting: Not decanted and followed over three hours. Good from the go, improved with air a bit. My guess is that 1h of decanting is sufficient.
Glasses: Sensory and Zalto Burgundy neck on neck for the win. Both showed more depth, a much better balance and a softer structure and texture than the Zalto Bordeaux, the Grassl 1855 and the Gabriel Gold. The Sensory had the higher precision than the Zalto Burg and won. The Grassl and Gabriel showed much more coarse tannins, less balance, less fruit, and less depth. Far behind the Zalto Bordeaux and not on the same planet as the two winners.
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3/26/2021 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 96 Points
På Grand.
Fantastiskt vin. Se tidigare not.
Visar verkligen på storheten med äldre Bordeaux.
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2/26/2021 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 96 Points
Oerhört vacker färg, med en brillians i sig så det nästan gnistrar om det. Järn, levrat blod, grafit, grus, undervegetation, rök från aska, läder, tobak, blyertspenna, tryffel, mörka bär mm. Lena tanniner med bra fäste. Otroligt “fresh”. Ståtligt. Aristokratiskt. Ganska tillbakadraget, propsar inte på uppmärksamhet utan finns bara där att sniffa in. Och när man lugnar ner sig och bara låter det komma till sig … wow.
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2/3/2021 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep purple. Pronounced aromas of roasted bell pepper and cloves, as well as ripe blackberry, paprika, and peat smoke. Savoury and spicy on the palate, with tannins still providing some bite, and fairly heavy, with blackberry and cassis flavours, pepper, paprika, somewhat meaty, and lots of smoke. Quite a good length, with the peaty blackness extending somewhat. A classic Pauillac style, and having a good amount of ripe fruits to counter the savoury flavours. Excellent wine!
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1/26/2021 - rosenst1 wrote: 94 Points
PnP w Durand. Cork wet 2/3rds way up and in good shape. Fill was at the bottom of the neck. Medium deep red. Lovely nose of mushroom, cigar box, graphite, and spice. Medium weight on the palate with lovely fruit and completely resolved tannins. This has lovely density but is not a spectacular wine, merely extremely good. I would not expect this to improve further at age 31 but it should drink very well over the next 5 years.
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1/23/2021 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose on cloves, which will evolve on menthol, tobacco, leather.
A sensation that dominates: nobility.
The touch is velvety, with perfectly integrated aging. We have at the same time a concentrated juice, intense, but which remains fluid, which lines the palate like velvet. Smooth and spicy, it glides like whey with a masterful balance and totally melted tannins. Magnificent length with a finish that leaves a taste of spicy leather. A delight. Rarely have I seen so much energy in a bottle. This wine will defy time.
Simply great.
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12/31/2020 - grub94 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Developed the way you want all clarets to develop. This was from a 375. Beautiful dark purple with slight auburn on rim. Tertiary notes dominate the nose with leather, cigar box, forest mushrooms, still some hints of fruit. Palate is consistent with the nose but shows dark berry and strawberry jams. Still some unresolved very soft tannins. Very well balanced with long finish showing more fruit and tannin. I will give this another 8-10 years to enjoy.
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12/31/2020 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Nose: 93 Palate: 92-93
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12/25/2020 - Mjladha Likes this wine: 93 Points
Past its prime? Nice mouthfeel and beautiful nose but fairly herbal and green. Fruit has receded.
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12/25/2020 - Fruitsrouges Likes this wine: 97 Points
Exceptional wine exemplifying why we seek out exceptional wines and wait decades to find out if they are truly noble. This 30 year old features an outstanding complex bouquet, with fruit still subtlety present providing aromas and sweetness of dried cranberries, and blackcherry/blackberry jam underpinning a bouquet of leather, soy, graphite, forest floor and antique polished wood. Pronounced aroma and flavor intensity are perfectly balanced by full body and high tannins which are fully resolved and harmonized and provide and elegant grippy counterpoint to the sweet and silky palate. This outstanding Paulliac shows linear movement from attack through mid palate to back palate to a finish that builds after swallowing and persists in flavor and caresses the palate. This fabulous cru exemplifies remarkable elegance, finesse, silkiness and length. It is the kind of elixir that can hook anyone on fine wine for life!
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12/19/2020 - vinodonpedro Likes this wine: 94 Points
An excellent bottle from the chateau. Earthy with very smooth and silky tannins. Paired with some striploin. Notes of leather and light fruits.
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12/17/2020 - pyrat40 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very pleased that this was still in its drinking window, although it likely would not have gotten any better - so drink up! Classic mature Bordeaux. Not a whole lot of fruit but very balanced and refined; resolved tannins, gravel, smoke maybe? Quite a bit of sediment but not unexpected at 30 years. Very good year for a great wine.
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11/26/2020 - etyc Likes this wine:
Popped & decanted. This nosed just about right - tabacco leaves, smoke, earth, indian-ink - beautiful & not lacking complexity. Very refined on the palate with tannins that were well resolved (fine), this was just as much a beauty - red-fruit driven with tea-leaves, spice, more tobacco leaves, this was firing possibly on all cylinders! This was definitely in the drinking window, and I believe it'll hold for a few more years, but may not improve further. If you have one, drink & enjoy!
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11/22/2020 - doug374 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cork was soft at the bottom but good for top 3/4. Wine was in good shape a little light coming through to soften the red. Aromas were very pleasing of earth, tobacco, cherries, vanilla. Fully mature, still some time to go but would not push it too much longer. Meals were duck and heritage pork, everyone was well satisfied.
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10/7/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A perfect bottle filled with smooth dark fruits and classic lead pencil flavors. Still fairly structured although totally giving it's all with a fabulously long finish showing complex gravel and graphite notes. A chiseled and silky wine with plenty of gas left in the tank. 95+
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9/28/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 97 Points
Characteristic of the vintage, the 90 LB is full-bodied, rich and round with perfect levels of ripe fruit, glycerin and sweetness. I could bury my nose in the bosom of the glass all night due to its cedar, graphite, crushed flower and dark soil fragrance. Offering up a sexy mouthfeel with voluptuous textures and a long, dense finish I feel the need for a safe word to experience this hedonistic beast of a wine. Take a back seat Mr. Grey...Mr. Lynch-Bages will see you now!
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9/12/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Just a superb example of Lynch Bages at its best, drinking in its prime time window. The wine is concentrated, character-driven and filled with ripe red currants, tobacco leaf, cigar box and cedar aromatics. The tannins are ripe, soft and refined, leaving you the perfect amount of freshness, wet earth, herbs, leafy tobacco, cassis, spice and blackberry in the finish. If you have a bottle, do not hesitate to pop a cork.
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9/11/2020 - MKTaylor wrote:
Amazing
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8/30/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 99 Points
This was not as integrated as the previous bottle a year ago, and seemed to have retreated slightly. I will probably wait another couple of years before returning to the wine. That said, this is a wine which is very exceptional, and deserving of complete respect. Everything is exceptional and the only thing missing is a couple of more years to give this a perfect rating.
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8/24/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note
Almost sweet, sugar-coated type of red berry fruit with only hints of aging notes. This lack of perceptible aging also carries on to the palate where this showed juicy and fresh with a long-lasting finish. I have had great experiences with aged Lynch Bages (1982 and 1989), but this was not one of them.
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8/3/2020 - punter wrote: 98 Points
Most incredible, eye-popping aromas engulfed the entire room upon pulling the cork. 2 hour decant, light bricking, medium dark color. Rich dark fruits with cassis continued to evolve and deepen over 3 1/2 hours. Wave upon wave of mouth-coating layers with amazing length. Perfect concentration, resolved tannins and acidic balance. Years and years remaining. Would buy this and today’s '90 Montrose over any 1990 first growth, save Margaux. Best showing to date.
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7/28/2020 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 95 Points
Had the pleasure of having a second bottle of this stunner last night to celebrate the wife's birthday. Everything was there; Pauillac nose, fully resolved tannins, still vibrant fruit balanced well with the minerality that comes from appropriately aged Bordeaux. This bottle didn't hit the heights that the last bottle took us to, which was perhaps stored better, but that's a minor quibble. This wine is fantastic and still a very good value for lovers of top shelf Bordeaux.
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7/24/2020 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted 10 Cabernet blends semi blind with Coravin.
The cork was too soft for the coravin needle which jammed so I had to pull the cork on this one. The bottle was good shape though.
Very smokey start almost scorched earth which quickly moves over to cigar box. Some fruit left. Bell peppers and sweer’n’sour cherries. Same mouth impression. Small almost resolved tannin. Left in the glass for 4 hours and it improved gradually showing more fruit. Kept in the fridge for 2-3 days and it held up very well.
Overall full of character and in a good place but maybe I’m a bit less enthusiastic about this wine compared to last time. Still love it though.
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7/13/2020 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
This bottle of the 1990 Lynch was not yet fully ready to drink. It needed a lot of decanting and swirling in the glass to open up and become softer and more harmonious. It doesn’t yet have the softness and hence the charm to play in the top league. It is too masculine at this point. My hunch is that with 10 more years of cellaring, this will become a wonderful wine: more tertiary, much softer and rounder and more inviting. It certainly has the tension, structure and fruit to age gracefully. 93 to 94 points today with quite some upside.
TN: At first a bit closed and harsh, with time more open with a core of ripe dark fruit, mainly cassis, lots of minerality, some earthy flavors and the first tertiary aromas of tobacco and leather shining through on the nose and palate. The precision is quite good, the complexity will only improve from here. The structural frame is not yet at its peak with still slightly noticeable and angular tannins as well as a sweetness-acidity balance, which is not yet perfect.
Decanting: If you open the wine today, I would at list decant it for 6 hours.
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7/12/2020 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 96 Points
As good a bottle of red wine as I've had this year and the best Bordeaux I've had in a good long while. I've been drinking this wine consistently since the mid-90s and it has always been a great Lynch-Bages. It retains the Pauillac black currant and dark fruit aligned with graphite and cedar but it has grown whispier and longer, there is more room for other less aggressive notes to have their voices heard. Maybe a bit of dried violet there, some sous-bois forest floor, a hint of leather. The wine is resolved and beautiful but there is still the slightest frame of structure. Well stored bottles of this might drink well forever. My bottles are long gone so this one was from my dad's cellar (he doesn't drink as much wine anymore and wanted some bottles to have a good home). We bought a few cases together for $30 a bottle back in the day. Takes me back to simpler times.
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7/12/2020 - Philippe_C wrote: 99 Points
Nice nose of roasted meat, loads of exotic wood, cèpes de Bordeaux, hint of forest floor... Still very young, crispy tannin, red cherries, loads of ripe tannin, lenght of 60 sec.
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6/28/2020 - LJT wrote: 93 Points
Still doing very well. Good fruit; long aftertaste. Should be fine for five more years.
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6/21/2020 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious black cherry fruit with leather, cigar box flavors, excellent structure, long finish, took 2 hours to open and have leathery flavors integrate
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6/6/2020 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Wet earth, dark fruit, touch of rust on the nose and palate. Full, plush. Round and ripe. Feel like this is at its peak now.
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5/18/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 96 Points
Smoke and graphite on the nose. Nice lively acidity. Nuanced mature blackberry fruit with layers of mushrooms and damp earth and some licorice. Medium body with strong cigarbox notes on the long finish. Lovely.
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5/17/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A wonderful aged Pauillac nose of dark berries, tobacco and sweet graphite. Deep and delicious on the palate with great aged flavors of roasted nuts, sweet black currants and graphite minerals. The texture is of the finest silk and there is superb intensity with layers of liquid graphite that just float over the tongue. The finish has a wonderful mineral crunch along with complex notes of tobacco, warm gravel and that incredible graphite thing again. This is a perfect bottle and it’s showing very youthful and just magnificent with charred Filet Mignon. I’ve always thought the ’89 was the better of these two wines but I have to admit that I’m not sure anymore. 95+
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4/27/2020 - tomlee wrote: 100 Points
Dark crimson in color. 12.5% ABV. Stunning aromas of red fruits, cigar box, forest floor and saddle leather that literally filled the cellar while the wine decanted. Warm and supple with concentrated fruits and silky yet firm tannins. The wine shows remarkably young and fresh. Black cherry, creme de cassis, currants and plums on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and seamless. Despite decanting for almost four hours the wine continued to show better throughout the evening. You can drink this now or give it more time. It will show well for decades to come.
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4/11/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 95 Points
A Bordeaux Deep Dive, With Proper Social Distancing; 4/11/2020-4/12/2020 (The Virtual World of Zoom): Neck and neck with a 1990 Lynch-Bages served alongside it. Both were in fantastic shape. That typical mature Bordeaux nose of cigar box, pencil lead and old leather, with muted fruit notes lurking too. Well structured, balanced and vibrant. A glycerined texture, showing black currant, some fennel and mild herbal notes. Strong acidity and structure reflecting its tannins too. I loved the wines intensity. As with the 1989, fully mature but not yet in a tertiary phase. Will hold at this level for decades.
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3/28/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Smokey nose. Brambly cassis, licorice and cedar flavors and beautiful freshness and acidity. Intensity without any heaviness. Nice long complex finish. Perfectly balanced.
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3/13/2020 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Extraordinary. Drank with a friend after a splash decant.
Dark crimson with moderate sediment, this wine is mature age 29+
Dazzling nose of blackberry, cassis, and cherry with endless finish.
If a date, this was your high school prom queen age 30; Mature, worldly, with her act together + oozing beauty charm and sex appeal.
Easily another decade of terrific drinking ahead.
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3/11/2020 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Single Blind 1990 Bordeaux (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Powerful 'wow' nose that has intensity and layering. The palate is delicious with rich fruit that is still quite fresh with good fine structure. Delicious.
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3/11/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
1990 Bordeaux Dinner (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Single blind at 1990 Bordeaux dinner. Meaty and powerful, this showed lots of ripe, rich black fruit with spice hints, but is not particularly elegant. I do not expect any further upside.
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2/19/2020 - Ara Kafafian wrote: 91 Points
Blind, slight brick rim, more green than fruit, peppers, vanilla, graphite, cotton candy, powerful and tannic. Fruit is disappearing. Bad bottle? Drink now.
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2/13/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Love this fully mature LB now which shows fine flavors of faded dark fruits with notes of tobacco and a strong streak of graphite minerals. The fruit here is perfectly sweet and the finish is so smooth and satisfying. Wow!
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2/9/2020 - NGFISK Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened for an employee wine dinner I cooked. Decanted for 2 hours - wine continued to evolve in the glass as we enjoyed over the span of ~ 2 hours. Wine was showing marvelously - black fruits, tobacco and spices. Silky and rich with a long finish. Great to share such a wonderful example of this wine and vintage with my employees.
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1/7/2020 - Nanda wrote: 96 Points
Casual Dinner with Friends (Ada St.): Side by side with the 1982, and this was showing better tonight. Wow - what a bottle. Aromas that are so full, deep, intense and layered -- plum and cherry, with flowers, bell pepper, tobacco and cedar. Rich and dense with chewy, refined tannin. Long and delicious.
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1/5/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 98 Points
At a tasting we put on for our Couples Cru of 13 present, of seven 1990 Bordeaux (Angelus, Figeac, Beausejour Duffau, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages, Montrose). All wines purchased on release and aged in my cellar. Last tasted 2013. Typical Cazes style, still dark garnet, mostly opaque, slight browning at the edges. Pronounced cassis, anise, and toasty French oak. Plenty of fruit, some sweetness, perfect balance. Not as perfect as Cazes' Pichon Baron, the clear favorite. Very long aftertaste. Remarkably young for a 30 year old wine. Drinkable now, should easily hold another 3-5 years.
Ric
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1/2/2020 - mchern02 wrote: 96 Points
Coravined a glass last week then two hour decant today.
Fantastic youthful nose that is highly aromatic with black fruit, cinnamon, truffles, cedar wood, and anise.
Nearly perfect (or perfect) balance of acidity and body with dark fruit, minerality, balanced resolved tannins, and smooth feel.
Mouth coating, lengthy finish with perfect acidity and huge length.
This is rocking at 30 years and will keep going and going.
Can’t imagine there’s a better LB out there.
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11/28/2019 - Dehrmann Likes this wine: 93 Points
2019 thanksgiving dinner - marcus, christine, camille, bernard, pol...1988 Yquem 92 / 1999 clos des lambrays 92 / 1996 granbussia conterno 90 / 1990 lynch bages 93
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11/23/2019 - UFGators wrote:
This is the third time tasting. I am blown away by how big and youthful this wine is. This wine is drinking beautifully now but has the structure to last for another decade.
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10/24/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 94 Points
Last tasted December 2017. 4 hour decant and this perfectly balanced beauty was singing. At hour 6 this was holding up great. Very nice finish certainly in its prime for me. Elegance is all that comes to mind. This will certainly hold for decades and possibly slightly improve. Revisit in 2022.
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10/18/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
From a magnum, this was just great! Full-bodied, deep, long, intense and complex, the wine is concentrated with ripe, dark red fruits, wet earth tobacco and forest floor. The firm, refined tannins add the right backbone to all that gorgeous, ripe, red fruits. You can drink this now, give it more time. But there is no real reason to wait as this is just singing today.
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10/13/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 97 Points
The best bottle of Lynch ever made. Everytime I have the pleasure to taste the ‘90 Lynch, I don’t take it for granted. This is about as good as Bordeaux gets. It also confirms that the 1990 vintage is still my favorite vintage. If you want to win WOTN in a blind tasting, this is a good choice. Decanted for 1 hour and consumed over the course of 3 hours.
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9/8/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is starting to hit its prime drinking window, and showing mature secondary characteristics and some tertiary. I have suffered from bottle variance over the last few years, but this was singing. It really is a special wine and probably the best I have tasted this year. I feel the nose perhaps has some development ahead, but the palate is mature with blackberry, plum, and old leather. It is multi layered in its complexity and exquisitely balanced. The only barrier to perfection is the finish which is absolutely harmonious but short of 60 seconds. I would hope a year or two could resolve this.
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8/10/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Cork in pristine shape. Graphite and pencil shavings on the nicely expressive nose. Leather and complex dark berry flavors. Still lots of prominent tannins left, giving the wine a solid structure, if not a slightly drying finish. Solid acidic backbone lends plenty of freshness to the wine.
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8/1/2019 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 100 Points
This wine blew me away! Nose so intoxicating almost didn't want to ruin it by drinking the wine, but once I did it was also a magical experience. Aromas of fresh flowers/lilacs and violets, baking spices (vanilla, cinnamon), crisp sweet cedar-wood and a lot more beyond my ability to discern. Fruit, earth and tannins in beautiful balance and a spectacular finish. While I remain a huge Napa fan, I admit it's difficult to find it's equal in the Valley but of course to me it's apples and oranges - same grapes but different soil and wine-making style. Believe this wine is at full maturity and has evolved in an extraordinary way - the 1990 Pichon-Baron also at a similar/magical state of evolution. Simply awesome.
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7/10/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 3 hours before serving. Bold and powerful with graphite, tobacco, leather, and black fruit. It came across a bit chunky when it was served against a 90 Latour. Good on its own nevertheless.
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7/4/2019 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 95 Points
Super, men ung! Nese meningsløst bra, også munn. Hvordan er det mulig? Slank. Vagt gammeldags, men super. Ikke forførende.
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6/27/2019 - UTPK wrote:
Had the 1990, 1974 and 1961 together with Jean Charles Cazes. The 1974 was off but the two otjers were singing. The 90 was from Jean Charles private cellar and was as good as an example they come. Bright and ripe fruit. Jumps from the glass. Deep and complex nose. Tannins are soft and sweet. The 1961 was also perfect with balsamic notes, roses and underbrush. Very long and elegant. However, I prefer the 1961 as it was 10-15 years ago. The 1990 is prefect now though.
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6/2/2019 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
A pristine bottle, showing tremendous aromas of rich black fruits, scorched earth, and forest floor. Deep pure and silky smooth texture featuring a near perfect balance of dried ripe blackberry and nice acid lift with a full mouth feel. The tannins are smooth and well integrated and loads of spice on a long sexy finish with just a touch of bite. Tremendous showing and seems to be entering a new phase offering up a lot of enjoyment. The reason we cellar wines. Nearly 30 years old and still a very long life ahead.
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6/1/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 97 Points
Wow, wow, wow! This is a special Lynch, but you already know that. Such a different animal than the classic and linear 89.
Nose: Exotic nose of cassis, plum, damson, clove, espresso, cedar, tobacco and just a hint of coconut. Evolves for hours on the nose revealing more and more. Palate: So much push and pull happening between black fruit, blueberry, mineral, earth and smokey tobacco notes. Supported by layers of cedar, herb and espresso. Finish: Complex, complete and beguiling at times. This impresses for its power, authority and exotic charm.
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5/24/2019 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 92 Points
1989 Bordeaux Dinner (Joseph's Place, Wong Chung Hang, Hong Kong): Strong legs. Translucent black-red. Nose is lovely black berry fruit....hints of sun warmed cedar shingles. Very bright. Palate is bright, very well-defined, huge depth of bright black/red fruit. Good length but will only get better with 5-7 years' more bottle age. 92+ but would have benefited from a long decant, I think compared to when I drank it previously.
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5/8/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Bottle in perfect condition. Bright vibrant dark fruit. Very elegant. Feels very light on its feet but with plenty of depth. Blackberries and cassis. Delicious
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4/19/2019 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark ruby with bricking the nose was tight at first reminiscent of the powerful 1982 with cassis, crushed rocks, leather and black fruits. Very powerful, dynamic and tight on the palate, masculine, great longevity awaits this complex wine. Long chassis and leather finish with tannins still quite persistent despite 3 hours in decanter.
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2/8/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
Ouvert par Charles L. pour souligner une naissance :)
Nez envoûtant de cèdre, boite à cigare, truffes. La bouche est ronde en attaque, avant de retrouver la proverbiale droiture qui m'a fait reconnaitre l'appellation. Le fruit est mûr, presque sucré, d’une puissance remarquable, avec tous les attributs d'un grand millésime. J'ai d'abord pensé à un 1996, puis 1990 et j'ai trouvé le domaine au 2e essai, avec cette exubérance typique. Un très beau Lynch, long et savoureux , spectaculaire. 94-95 pts
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2/3/2019 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Textbook Pauillac, lovely aged Bordeaux and in a good place. It's a very good Lynch, however, it doesn't reach and will never reach the heights of the 1989 from the same winery. The structure, depth and precision are not on an equally high level. It lacks the cool style, the cut, the freshness of its older sibling. The '89 could very well become a perfect wine someday whereas I can't imagine the '90 to improve significantly from here.
TN: A bit musty with dusty tannins after opening the bottle. Needed time to come around and open up. Attractive minerality with pencil shavings, earth, rocks, leather, forest floor with mushrooms, some meaty notes, lots of black currant, dark berries, some (welcomed) brett aromas, with a lot of time more smoke and black truffle aromatics pop up. Tannins are stark velvety or even a bit dusty. After hours of air all components mellow into one attractive whole. Intensity, precision, depth and balance on good to very good levels.
Decanting: It needs at least 4 hours in the decanter. Best after five hours (hence the 94+ points, first few hours would have deserved a 92+ max).
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2/1/2019 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely mature Bordeaux. See previous notes. Still has ways to go.
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12/14/2018 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark, opaque burgundy no perception of rim variation. The perfume is dusty at first with lead pencil, library, dusty books, leather, mushroom fresh earth, tobacco and cigar. FIrst flavor in the mouth is licorice, fennel, dark dried black cherries, cloves and baking spices but soft spice. Gorgeously balanced with acidity and tannin both medium plus. Finish is medium-long with soft quiet smokey deliciousness. After an hour the sweetish licorice emerges after two hours the sweetness predominates. Bacchus rates this as a 94 Ceres 93.
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11/11/2018 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 96 Points
A superlative wine in every way with everything, fruit and tannins in perfect balance and once again showing why the 89 and 90 Bordeaux vintages have given me more pleasure than any other vintages. Rich but with freshness and vigor.The best Lynch Bages I have ever had the pleasure of drinking
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11/3/2018 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 97 Points
Best Lynch-Bages ever? I know people go on and on about the 1989, but having had both I definitely preferred this bottle. This wine is absolutely ready to drink now, even though I agree with the folks that think this has some really good years left. The nose right out of the gate had that familiar Pauillac scent of barnyard, leather, tobacco, and lead pencil. The palate was full of rich dark berries, cassis, black tea, and a pleasant smoky finish. We had this early in the afternoon and tasted it all night, the wine never really leaving you as we reminisced about how good it was until bed time. They're pretty expensive now so this is definitely not going to be a regular thing but it would be hard to pass up buying another bottle of this if you could get it for ~$300.
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10/20/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: flawed
SLDS Single Bottle Dinner: Too medicinal and bretty. Metallic and mousy.
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10/15/2018 - Rogershkg wrote: 90 Points
Good wine, but not spectacular. Colour red, nose dark fruit, taste only medium length but well balanced
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10/13/2018 - StasMedvedev.lv Likes this wine: 95 Points
Super Vintages of SuperSeconds🍷 (Riga, Latvia): 🏅 Rating 95/100 (4,5🌟)
Bit modest as opposed to Pichon Baron, lesser concentration. More flowers and jammy fruits, juicy plum, cassis.
5eme GC Classé which in fact made its way to SuperSeconds!
Large estate: 222 acres, planted w/ 73% CS, 15% M, 10% CF, 2% PV. Fermented in steel vats. 15mo aging in 60% new oak. Racking every 3mo. Fining w/ egg whites. Filtration only if necessary.
"Poor man’s Mouton Rothschild" is among best buys in Bordeaux.
---
Read my wine writing at stasmedvedev.lv
and follow me on Instagram
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10/5/2018 - MC wrote:
Last bottle. Perfect fill and cork. Decanted for 30 minutes, and this had a nose singing right out of the bottle. Dark, concentrated, ripe red fruits, nice secondaries. Just a pleasure to drink. Only a bit of drying tannin on the finish makes this short of great for me. Possible more air could have made a difference - but this one didn't last long enough to find out...what a steal it was at the time. A-
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9/8/2018 - MaxSiegel Likes this wine: 95 Points
Probably the best Lynch-Bages I've tasted. Richly concentrated and starting to go tertiary, but with plenty of life ahead of it.
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9/5/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Stunning in every sense of the word, this bottle was pristine. Elegant, concentrated, regal and potent, the full bodied wine had ripe, soft tannins and an elegance to the finish. The nose, loaded with tobacco, cedar chest, forest floor, smoke, cassis and cherry could keep you busy for hours. Splash decanted, this was a beauty!
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9/1/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
This has everything, but there is a variation issue. While this bottle was fabulous, there was a possible undertone of the cork, or possibly unresolved tannin. On a positive note the palate, depth, and finish are exceptional and worthy of a 100 point wine. It is full of barnyard, dark berry fruits, and old leather with a 100 point palate if untainted, and a 2+ minute finish. With a bottle fully singing I would give this 99/100.
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8/10/2018 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
Consistent with my previous notes. Outstanding wine in full stride with two hours oxidation needed in a decanter.
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7/21/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 97 Points
This bottle was a pristine example firing on all cylinders. Classic Pauillac drinking on a first growth level. Flavored peaked at 1.5-2 hours in decanter. Tons of dark cherries and a long finish. More fruit forward and less graphite. Seems to be fully mature and at its peak. This is one to drink now while the 1989 continue to mature. Completely different style versus the 1989 but equally delicious. Bottle variation may keep me from buying more 1990 versus other vintages.
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6/18/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 95 Points
Like most of the wines I have drank from 1990 this tastes a little bit to get going in the decanter but after 2 hours it’s pleasure in the glass. It does not have the intoxicating nose of the 1990 LLC or acidity but it is still an excellent mature Bordeaux. It is not an “in your face” bdx but a refined and graceful wine. As the wine sits out it gains in complexity and mouthfeel. Excellent to drink right now. The wine seems to have the structure to stay at this level for a long time but I am not sure it will get better. Lots of other good wines in going rate for these now which is 350-399. Will hold my last two.
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5/28/2018 - Dehrmann Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bordeaux Dinner ME/CB...’02 Leoville (92), ‘90 Baron (93), ‘90 Lynch Bages (91)...Magnien ‘02 Clos de Beze (90)
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5/25/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
A good, but probably not pristine example. On the nose the wine offers its cedar, tobacco, cassis, herbal and leafy character with ease. Full bodied and concentrated, there is depth, but this bottle shows a bit more rusticity that it should, and there is an herbal, leaf and green component that takes away from the spicy, red fruits.
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5/23/2018 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Brother Jeff's visit to DC - Mostly Bordeaux (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Youthful expressive nose displaying ripe blue and black fruit, crème de cassis, ink, licorice, lead pencil, spearmint, cedar and earth. The nose is fascinating that the 90 ripe fruit and noticeable green via spearmint coexist. Excellent concentration, finely layered ripe black fruit, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and a long cassis and ink driven finish with a hint of spearmint at the end. Jeff mentions significant bottle variation in the 90 LB and finds this very green. For my palate, the green is expressed as spearmint. As usual for the property, intense and ink but a bit monolithic.
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5/3/2018 - vintage52 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fabulous wine. Based on LBs drunk in the last three years, I thought the ‘89 to be superior; but not this time. Classic and unmistakeable Bordeaux, dare I say Pauillac, nose. Great mouth feel-perfect balance of soft tannic grip, fruit; great verve from nice acidity, all of which carries through to a ++ finish. Almost perfect. At its peak I think, but will drink beautifully for many years.
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4/23/2018 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
Consistent with the previous bottle and notes. Excellent and powerful, full bodied, precise fruit, complex and a long finish with black fruits, cassis and lots of crushed rocks and pencil lead. My kind of Pauillac.
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4/19/2018 - UTPK wrote:
Intense and charming nose, almost showing overripeness, but without any cooked fruit. Stringent and clean. Very long. Clearly more sexy than the 1989 at this showing. Blew away the Latour 1990 served alongside, but with hydric stress on the vine for Latour 1990, it explains the difference. The Latour is much lighter in colour and almost falls apart in the glass.
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3/8/2018 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
Way more evolved than the Chateau Margaux 1990 I had a few weeks back. Don’t know why my fellow CTs under rate this wine. Deep crimson color, cork well soaked, pristine bottle, nose of cassis, pencil shavings, crushed rocks, gravel, and black pepper. Decanted and let breathe for an hour and a half then drank over the same. Full bodied wine with explosive cassis fruit, tobacco, leather, great acidity and backbone, very well structure, slightly more linear and less complex versus the 89 - also a favorite of mine - tannins well integrated and a long gratifying finish. Open for business but will continue to evolve for the next 10 years or so.
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3/4/2018 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Ex-négociant bottle, solid neck fill, looking very clean. Very deep and fresh color, black cherry to light ruby at the rim. This was well balanced, with just enough structure to pair with great food. The fruit was weak, with some cherry emerging late, otherwise loads of leather and earth, bordering on generic barnyard. A decent food wine, showing flashes of its pedigree, but a shade below expectations this time.
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2/21/2018 - sung251 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine is pretty rich with deep cassis core, well pitched acid, slight notes of classic gravel and pencil shavings. The wine is very smooth with mostly resolved tannins. If you enjoy the richer, bolder flavors with smoothness now is the time to drink. Unfortunately the wine still needs more time you want more tertiary flavors. I would come back in about 5 years to see its progression
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2/17/2018 - pao_swe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still very good. Smooth and long rich taste. Glad that I still have 6 bottles left.
The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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2/12/2018 - mflesh wrote: 95 Points
This wine has started to develop some secondary notes, but wow what a lot of power this one has. Poured alongside a 2014 Napa Cab, they were exactly the same color on the pour and only the nose distinguished the two. This wine has a lot of cigar box, plum, and ash on the nose. The line for this wine is: "I'm not as old as I look, and I'm still young enough to date your daughter." Enters with some ash, plum, fig, grilled meat, giving way to tobacco, earth, finishing almost slightly tannic and with some acidity. This wine will continue to develop over the next 10-15 years, and I'd say that this wine isn't going anywhere for another 30 to 40 years. This is actually my first Lynch-Bages enjoyed tonight, and hopefully not the last.
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2/7/2018 - Jeongyahn Likes this wine:
Black currant, cedar, spices, herb
Classical Paulliac
Good minerality and acidity
It needs more time!
Comparable to first-class
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2/4/2018 - pepmi wrote: 95 Points
Please read my last three tasting notes on the 1990 Lynch Bages. I have nothing more to say about this incredible wine nearing the close of its third decade. I wish I had a dozen more.
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1/12/2018 - amateur62 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted an hour before drinking and was still improving with further air. Had this wine several times some years ago, but it was the first time that I found it very interesting.
Hard to describe, on the first sip there is something that reminds me to a old drug store, something medical, with more air it gets more approachable, on the nose black cherry, leather and smoke, on the palate elegant, fresh, medium bodied, tannins are still very present, long finish.
Not sure how to rate it, quite unique and a bit intellectual, just at the beginning of its maturity, would be interesting to try it 10 years later. 92-95
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12/31/2017 - djhammond wrote: flawed
What a bummer. One of my favourite wines on New Year's Eve. Still drinkable but it just couldn't lose the whiff of the cork.
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12/31/2017 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bottle from a cold cellar, in neck fill, only bottom third of cork tainted. Slow ox’ed for 2h, followed by a 45 min decant. Still a fairly dark but clear garnet, no signs of browning whatsoever. Great, regal Pauillac from the first glass. Dark fruit, a touch sous bios and wood spices on the nose, plenty of iron on the palate, initially just a bit tight but really blossoms around the 60 min mark in the decanter, structure and tannins are still there but perfectly integrated with the still good fruit. Medium + finish of 45 seconds.
Unlike other notes here, and despite this being from a cold cellar, I thought it showed best somewhere at the 60-90 min mark in the decanter (+ 2h slow ox in this case), after that the fruit started retreating just a bit with the tannins becoming more evident. Still excellent but just a notch below the peak tonight.
Bottom line is this is a superb Pauillac, at First Growth level, and in my eyes in the middle of its peak drinking window. Likely to stay in this window for another 10-15 years and will be certainly still very nice to drink in 30 years.
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12/29/2017 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 94 Points
I agree with Burgnick’s review. Spot on.
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12/18/2017 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
With 2.5 hours of aeration, 90 Lynch Bages is drinking beautifully. This is a classic paulliac with tobacco, dark fruit, red currant, truffle, earth, soil, cedarwood and smoke. Lots of power and complexity on the palate. Classic Paulliac firing in all cylinders. It is still very young but it has just entered its drinking window. One of my favourite bordeaux in the 90s.
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12/17/2017 - Dancing with bottles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still pretty dark. Appealing scent of fruits and smoke. Quite modern in style, mid to fullbodied, soft, Lots of spicy and smoky flavours from strong toasted Barrels are still dominating the fruit, rather low acid. On its last Peak, starting to fade a bit but still impressive, this is a very good wine but not sensational. Just to much make up from tosted Barrels for my taste. Drink up during the 5-6 years.
(Drunk on a private diner with friends accompanied by a perfect medium done Piece of roasted Beef)
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12/13/2017 - Jamie Manley wrote: 97 Points
During Thanksgiving, a fascinating Lynch Bages. Firing on all cylinders, this was an absolute treat. The nose drifted in and out of Bordeaux and Northern Rhone. Deep cherry and cassis, wet leaves, burnt rubber, earth, mulch, tobacco, and pencil. Many dimensions with the palate and a beautiful display of complexity and fruit. PnP, but consumed over eight hours with my dog by my side. The wine improved with every passing hour and was simply stunning at the end. From perfect provenance, a gorgeous Stanford Cardinal hue, surely majestic. 97+ Pts
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12/6/2017 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 97 Points
Château Lynch-Bages Vertical Dinner (San Diego, California): This opaque red/garnet wine offers an intense aromatic profile of red and black fruit, accented with baking spices, pipe tobacco, truffles and lavender. Full-bodied, low in acidity and with nicely integrated alcohol, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose and is impressively dense on the mid-palate. The wine's oak is seamless and the plentiful tannins are quite fine-grained, making for an overall silky texture. Finishing long and smooth, this is classic Pauillac that will have substantial longevity. Drink now-2040.
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11/18/2017 - misterstarre Likes this wine: 94 Points
The nose and pallet match - dark fruit, graphite, cedar. The wine shows plenty of secondary development, but the structure is firm and the tannins are largely unevolved. This tastes like a 20 year old wine, but feels like it was bottled five years ago. Let this one sit a good long while. It's great now, but it will evolve to be so much more.
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10/8/2017 - THT wrote: 92 Points
Beau vin, mais un peu inférieur à la bouteille précédente. Un petit creux en milieu de bouche. Légère déception par rapport à la bouteille précédente qui elle, était grande ! Cela reste une belle bouteille néansmoins ...
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9/22/2017 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Nose: A/A- Palate: B++/A-
Part of 6 decades of Lynch Bages vertical tasting
My #4, Group's #4 (60 pts). Tastes blind
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9/22/2017 - MLwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious, balanced, and complex. Decanted, and the wine was at its best around three hours in.
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9/6/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 96 Points
Another powerhouse bottle of 1990 Lynch-Bages. I just can't get enough of that sweet dark fruit, barnyard, cedar, and graphite. It's hard to find flaws on the palate, especially with such an incredible, lengthy finish. Simply beautiful.
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8/31/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Don Serving So Many Great Blind Wines/Flights (Park Ridge, IL): Tasted double blind in what turned out to be a Lynch-Bages/ Togni flight. Ripe black fruit throughout, very rich and very dense. Clearly complete and well balanced. Lots of everything. I enjoyed this wine tonight more than ever before. My favorite of the flight, group's #1 as well.
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8/5/2017 - nywine68 wrote: 97 Points
Awesome wine! The nose is quintessential mature Bordeaux with all its nuances and complexities. The wine has a light body but a long finish. The tannins are still there but ultrafine and give the wine a gorgeous structure and mouthfeel. The flavors include sweet plums and figs. This just keeps lingering in your mouth, revealing more and more with each sip.
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7/22/2017 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner at Friends (Hong Kong): Opened several hours by our host but not decanted. Deep black-red totally opaque in colour. Nose is deep black-berried fruit and new cedar shingles - still quite primary but very welcoming and voluptuous. Palate is rich unctuous black and red berry fruit, some cedar, very harmonised but still quite primary/secondary and clearly with the best still to come over the next 10+ years. Good growling and mounting resonance and reverberance on the finish. Quite captivating and very easy to enjoy but it has to lot of evolution ahead of it to match the more mature 1989. 94+.
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7/6/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Krug and Dom Perignon Dinner, with Bonus Wines (The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Ripe black fruit with some sweet spice and liqueur hints. Somewhat monolithic, so far less interesting vs the 1989.
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6/18/2017 - curtr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bold, full bodied, has years of life remaining.
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6/16/2017 - aquacongas wrote: 96 Points
Unbelievable fresh, no decantation, typical left bank Bordeaux as pencil, cassis, cigar box and red berries, still in his fruity stage, at least 20 more years, 96
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6/4/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very strong bottle. Smooth acids, damp soil and tar notes balance the rich fruit. 93-94
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6/1/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 99 Points
This has suddenly started firing on all cylinders and is a marked improvement from six months ago. Tasted in a vertical with the 1989, this is now matching the majestic 1989 punch for punch, albeit with a style of its own. Blackberry and leather dominate the nose and palate and are subtle and smooth with the sweetened tannin. As with the 1989, it is the balance which is extraordinary which never once wavers even for a second from the nose to the palate through to the 2+ minute finish. This did need to spend a few hours in the decanter but is now nudging perfection 99+.
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5/20/2017 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Wow, a real step up from the previous wines. Such a complete wine, very good balance!
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5/20/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; very fresh and leafy Cabernet nose, bright and sweet fruit, good depth; crisp and fresh and lively palate, light body, slightly floral, light tannins; good length. A good bottle, but not nearly as rich and impressive as it should have been.
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5/19/2017 - hawkeye54 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at Restaurant 301 in Eureka, Ca. Decanted. Cork in great shape. Seems to have been stored very well. Tight upon opening. Opened very nicely over three hours. The one hour mark was awesome. Lush fruit, beautiful acidity and fine grain tannins. Started to thin out a little in the last hour.
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5/18/2017 - justpkj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opaque core with slightly brown edges. Vibrant and engaging nose, showing complex and varied aromas. On the palate: meaty, dark fruits, and graphite. Drinking not as sumptuous as the nose, but still excellent.
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5/12/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful cassis and graphite with a touch of mint, watermelon, and watermelon rind, great concentration and nuance, its only flaw is that it lacks a little structure, but it is still terrific. Pretty much at peak, but it should hold for a nice long time.
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4/30/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
16 different vintages of Lynch bages (Bend's place): Tasting 16 different vintages of LB, not blind, all of them decanted from Gabriel glas
flight with 89 and 82
the youngest one in this flight, very hedonistic in the beginning, alot of black and berry fruit, very refreshning acidity, firm and ripe Tannins, very clean and Long finish, but Needs some time and air, for me again tightly behind the 89, very elegant in spite of his fruity power, I would wait at least 5 more for another bottle, 96+
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3/18/2017 - charleshetzel Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hours and then another 1.5 hour in bottle with cork removed. Absolutely decadent nose of licorice, cassis, pencil lead and tobacco. Amazing the tannin left in this wine. Gorgeous deep blackberry color in the glass. This fooled everyone blind as a 2000+ or younger right banker. As a 27 year old left bank Bordeaux I'd back the truck up for more. Incredibly long, delicious, robust dark plum fruit finish. 99 points.
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3/18/2017 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
This could have passed for a 2009. Forward, lush red and black cab fruits. A bit of an earth-driven, pencil lead edge to the palate, along with coarse tannins give it away as Bordeaux. Ageless wine.
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3/10/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
Super 1990s Bordeaux Tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): This is one of my favorite vintages of Lynch-Bages, and it performed admirably this evening. One of the best noses of the night, with very pure dark fruit, barnyard, tobacco, spice, and mint. Luscious texture on the palate. Serious structured with prominent tannins. Mouth-watering freshness on the finish.
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2/21/2017 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Side by side with 89 LB. The 90 is more restrained and fresh. It started to open up after 3 hours in the decanter. Truffe, perfume, black fruit, blood, iron and pencil shaving on the nose. Palate is complex with good structure, freshness and high acidity. This wine has a better future than the 89, but it is still a few years before it hit its drinking window. Keep.
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2/11/2017 - MAOC wrote:
Decanted shortly before serving. Quite a ripe but gloriously balanced profile of blackcurrant and some redder fruit alongside rich leather and cedar and touches of smokey tobacco. Was maybe at its absolute best on first pour, but this was no doubt a very good bottle - great now and with time left; I think maybe for me the 89 just edges it comparatively. Still ***** though.
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2/3/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
Mildly corked and displayed significant bret.
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2/2/2017 - THT wrote: 97 Points
Ouverte et servie. Pas de carafage. Ça envoie du lourd ! Magnifique festival au nez, relativement peu évolué pour son âge, beaucoup de fruits noirs, plutôt fumée que cèdre et cigare, l'appellation est difficile à trouver. La bouche est tout aussi superbe, dense, du velours, mais avec une poigne solide, bien que pas agressive. Très beau vin maintenant et des promesses d'avenir !
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1/22/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
Scents of blackberry and cassis with a hint of strawberry dominate the nose tempered with tobacco. On the palate the fruit is luscious with big muscular tannins making their presence felt. The finish is deep and lengthy. This is an amazing wine but still will improve and develop over the next year or two with the potential to surpass the 1989.
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1/20/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 99 Points
Bordeaux 1990 (Restaurant Fitzgerald, Rotterdam): Almost perfect!
My number 1 on our Bdx-90-tasting. And the groups' number 1 as well.
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12/30/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 96 Points
It's always interesting to try a 1989 or 1990 Lynch-Bages, noting how different these incredible vintages are. I still slightly prefer the 1990, as I find it a bit more exotic and unique. There is cassis, blackberry, Asian spice, cedar, leather, bell pepper, and pipe tobacco on the nose. The nose is matched by an equally impressive palate that remained interesting over several hours. Seemed to improve and loosen up with aeration. Tannins are super silky and ripe. A long finish. Not the best bottle of 1990 Lynch-Bages I've had, which goes to show you just how impressive this vintage is.
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12/25/2016 - Ericsson wrote: 96 Points
Magnifique bouteille, dans ma cave dès l'achat en primeur, bouchon parfait, mid neck. Carafé durant 90 minutes.
Couleur grenat foncé avec des reflets brique assez prononcés.
Nez assez retenu sur le cassis, la cendre, une touche de fumée.
En bouche, le vin est superbe de finesse, complexe, aristocratique, les tanins sont bien intégrés, la longueur est très belle.
Une main de velours dans un gant de fer.
Pour mon palais il est à maturité et il faut le boire dans les 7-8 ans qui viennent.
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12/18/2016 - Radboy wrote: 96 Points
Simply delicious.
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12/15/2016 - Jamie Manley wrote: 98 Points
Utterly sublime. From perfect OWC provenance, this wine still has room for further development. Magic on the nose - graphite, ripe cherry, cassis, tobacco, mineral, earth, and pencil. More of the same on the palate with a wonderful expression of fruit. Velvet in the mouth with fantastic complexity and a finish that goes on forever. This wine gets better by the hour and loves air. This is now my favorite vintage of Lynch. 98+ Pts
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12/11/2016 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 96 Points
Five Bordeaux By Five Decades (Rancho de Los Olivos): Tasted upon opening, then wisely decided to decant. Revisited over 8 hours, and it was not done blossoming even then. Such impressive depth, with powerful dark fruits, violets, graphite and leather. I love the glycerined texture. Truly a benchmark Pauillac for me, and this vintage may be on par with the '82 and '89. Could be ageless. Certainly is timeless.
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12/10/2016 - pepmi wrote: 95 Points
One of two remaining bottles left in the cellar. Reminiscent of a prior tasting. Ethereal. Near perfection in Bordeaux style. A bit narrow but more than made up for in almost infinite length.
Its almost unimaginable that I bought this (among others in a case) for $66 a bottle from Gary Vaynerchuk in his father's store before he became an internet/social media sensation (by his own account). Its always marvelous to drink a bottle stored in your cellar for more than 2.5 decades -- no matter what the bottle condition -- just to know that you've held it for that long. Even better when it is a wine that shows you what can become of something organic over time. Like the rare birdie on the golf course, one every now and then will keep you coming back for more.
To those of you in your thirties, buy now, buy quality and let it be in your cellar. When you are an old man, open and you will be richly rewarded.
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11/20/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning nose of Black fruits, graphite minerals and green tobacco. So plush on the palate now with delicious liquid graphite flavors that just roll over the tongue. So well balanced by a fresh underlying acidity. The finish is crisp and still slightly tannic and cuts across the palate like a knife's edge with very fine complex notes of graphite minerals and something slightly green but in a good way. Great tonight but it's best days are still ahead. The biggest mistake in the 1855 classification is Lynch Bages as a 5th growth. 94
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11/16/2016 - no leashes wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, fully mature bordeaux, with red fruit, tobacco, earth and mineral flavors. Smooth and elegant with a half hour decant. Absolutely beautiful.
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11/13/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Double Blind 1990 Bordeaux with a Big Infusion of Show Stealing Old Napa (Jason and Tracy's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass blind (initally) over 90 minutes. This felt more closed initially, needing some significant air to open up, very youthful, vanilla, dark fruits, gradually shows nice crme de cassis. This was more brooding on the palate, big and full bodied, earth and graphite, oak, medium finish. This changed markedly over the hour. Steve felt this bottle might be off, thinking there was a lot of nail polish, but I just never got that myself. I thought this was good and tracking on the upside. 93+pts.
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10/26/2016 - theeagle03 wrote: 97 Points
Big. Black cherry, blueberry. Good structure, seems young. Tobacco and animal notes
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10/23/2016 - jamie24 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really good after a 3 hour decant. I'm finding large amount of bottle variation with old vintages of Lynch. The previous few from this case hadn't been great but this bottle was singing. Everything you'd want from fully mature Bordeaux. I've also had similar variation from my case of '89 Lynch Bages. Goes to show the old adage is true that there is no such thing as a great wine, only great bottles.
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10/6/2016 - up4wine wrote: 95 Points
An amazing wine that is still in its prime. Rich, lush fruit with a nice hint of oak and spice. Extremely long finish. Part of 1990-2005 Vertical tasting and claimed 1st place among the panel.
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9/28/2016 - RaphaelMalago Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted before serving, this is a memorable vintage of Lynch Bages and always perform better than any wine that is drunk next to it. Beautiful nose of red fruits, sweet spices, lavender and violets. Elegant and superb palate, balanced with a huge structure that lingers in the mouth. Always, always, amazing and should be cellared at least 10+ years.
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9/18/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is just an amazing wine, nearly matching the 1989. Aromas of blackcurrant and cherry vanilla subtly tinge the nose but then burst into life in the glass with a sumptuous rich roundness. Beautiful soft but steely tannins give the wine a perfect balance and leaves a velvety finish in the mouth for 30+ seconds. Unlike the 1989 which is at its absolute peak, I think this could still improve, but highly recommended now.
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8/6/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black raspberry, moist earth, graphite notes, tar. Resolved tannins and very smooth palate
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8/5/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ripe red and black fruit with some dark savories. Smooth palate progression and good finish with fine tannins at this point. Good condition, yet to develop its full complexity. 93-94+
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7/23/2016 - RaphaelMalago Likes this wine: 98 Points
1990 Lynch Bages - decanted before serving, this is a memorable vintage of Lynch Bages and always perform better than any wine that is drunk next to it. Beautifull nose of red fruits, sweet spices, lavender and violets. Elegant and superb palate, balanced with a huge structure that lingers in the mouth. Always, always, amazing and should be cellared at least 10+ years.
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6/18/2016 - Corgi wrote:
Rather monotone.
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6/17/2016 - LJT wrote: 93 Points
Ready now but will hold. Nice dark fruit aroma and taste. Tannins and associated leather. Well balanced.
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6/8/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
more obtuse bottle with somewhat flabby red and dark fruit flavors; hints of tar and dark earth in the background but not as well defined as this wine can be. 91-92+
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4/25/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful nose of smoky black fruits, tobacco and graphite. Best after 2 hours in a decanter and then showing classic 1990 silky black fruit with good intensity and richness. Still quite young and fruit forward but also showing some lovely tertiary flavors of lead pencil and woodsmoke. While the '89 has a bit more breed and depth, the '90 is probably drinking better today and it even needs a few more years to reach peak and it's very terroir-driven. God, I just love Lynch Bages and it is so representative of Pauillac! 94+
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4/13/2016 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Rather stunning tonight.
Perhaps my WOTN among '82 Conseillante, '03 LB, '05 Cos and a host of barolos including Giascosas.
In a real sweet spot. Doesn't have the smoky, leathery gamey flavors of some other years, simply so rich
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4/13/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Return to San Antonio III - barolo/bordeaux (Mike O): Just awesome bdx right at the perfect place for my palate. Less toast and charcoal than many Lynch Bages, with a lovely nuanced mint noted mixed I with the dark fruit. Tremendous finish. At peak for me. Big thanks to Dave for bringing this.
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4/13/2016 - texaswinelover wrote:
Glad I opened now. Drinking in its prime but will last for years still. Tannins were super fine and integrated. Upon opening nose was stinky but not flawed. Beautifully textured and developed. Could drink this all night.
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3/31/2016 - ricknat1 wrote: 93 Points
Very nice showing but was overshadowed by the 89
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3/22/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at 67
Incredible rich and young, feels more like a 5 year old than a 25 year old.
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3/16/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 97 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Adam, Amsterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Honeyed nose, a wonderful marriage of freshness, richness and evolution, spices and blackcurrants, so elegant and flowing, lifted, finely grained tannins, great length and finesse. Supreme Lynch-Bages, just beautiful.
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3/5/2016 - cooberp wrote: 90 Points
Fragrant, open nose, very leafy with ripe redcurrant. Soft structure with well-disguised tannins in the mouth, nice and long. But too much celery flavor on the finish for me, and not as much fruit on the palate as you'd want or expect from this vintage. A nice, elegant claret for current drinking if you don't mind a touch of green meanies.
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1/28/2016 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 97 Points
1989 vs. 1990 Bordeaux (Vaucluse): 89 vs 90 tasting. Gorgeous nose. A fruitbowl with fully saturated round flavors that go on and on. Beautifully integrated tannins. Liked this better than the 89.
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1/17/2016 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
1989/1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston, IL): Medium ruby. Powerful and lifted aromatics with primary red fruit, smoke and cigar box. Palate is similarly driven and powerful with rich, primary red fruit and still-gritty tannin. Flavors are also more primary with fruit in the foreground and smoke, mineral and bell pepper lurking in the background. Enjoyable, but very young and seemingly in need of time.
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1/17/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
1989/1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston IL): Also really enjoyable, just nothing like the even more wonderful 1989 in the next glass. Rich and more powerful with fun and riper fruit, just less complex and nuanced.
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12/27/2015 - pkatz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazingly youthful. LB funk was there but subdued.
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12/19/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Tasted double blind. Big and burly black fruit start with some green pepper. Moderate weight. Simpler than I recall from other time tasted in recent years, but still drinking nicely now.
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12/16/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Achim's Magnum Tasting 2015 (Behrens am Kai in Düsseldorf 1 star restaurant): I don't know if the bottle was really correct, greatno se but missing it in the mouth, some people thought about a cork,but I don'tbelieve it, compared to LB 89 much smaller. I should retry it again, 91-92
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11/22/2015 - psyrah wrote:
Musty, not much fruit, dry finish, drank it, but it may have been mildly corked. Have had much better bottles.
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10/30/2015 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
prachtig glas, helemaal in orde, elegant, verleidelijk, soepel, mooie balans
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10/11/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Old bordeaux notes of musty, dusty, leather, wet wood. Very silky, velvety, and smooth. Its past its prime days but still special. Always a real treat to drink these old bordeaux's.
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10/8/2015 - Hodby wrote: 94 Points
Dark red color, pale edge. Expressive nose: huge pencil box, cedar shavings, wood smoke, pipe tobacco, celeriac, kirschwasser, plum wine. Wow, I could sniff this happily all night. On arrival, very smooth fine tannin and low-medium acidity. Flavors match the nose in type, but not quite in equal intensity. Medium finish. Delightful wine and a real treat with oak-grilled skewers of wine marinated sirloin tips, mushrooms, red bell pepper and onion. Bottle #2 of three.
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9/26/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sweet nose with brambly fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, bell pepper, white pepper, dark earth, and clear elements of tar. A sweetness to the nose of this bottle that comes off quite young. Palate has dark fruit, soil notes underneath, but lacks real depth at this point and had a sweetness to my palate on this evening beyond what I have noticed before. Still somewhat grippy tannins on the backpalate. Enough overall balance that it should still improve with time. I will find this a much more enjoyable wine when the secondary notes are more developed. Decanted two hours.
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7/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Grace, power and elegance, with the structure to continue aging, a nose of tobacco, cigar box, lead pencil, and herbs and a mouth full of fresh, crisp, sweet, blackberries and cassis and soft textures. Drink it or age it further, either way, this is a winner!
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6/3/2015 - charleshetzel wrote: 96 Points
Brief note: Decanted three hours before serving. Deep, dark black cigar fruit. Heavy tannins before fruit. This wine needs more time decanted.
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5/27/2015 - Rechrom wrote: 95 Points
An excellent bottle. Purchased on release and stored in a passive cellar. Cork intact but saturated. Vibrant on the palate, and a beautiful mature red. Lead pencil, smoke, herbs with dark fruit. Clean finish. Does not have the length or the panache to be truly outstanding, but might develop further. Nice balance and should drink well for several more years.
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5/16/2015 - MC wrote:
Decanted one hour and probably needed another but this was showing well and was great with food. Again just short of great for me but excellent full bodied but balanced Bordeaux wine showing dark fruits and earth and is in a great spot right now. A-
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3/18/2015 - emzee.mc wrote: 93 Points
The wine is popped and decanted for a full day before drinking, courtesy to J. It pours a maroon color with a mahogany edge and thin legs. At 12.5% ABV, I was curious as this is a blockbuster vintage. On the nose, the wine yields a bouquet of potpourri, leather, smoke and copious amounts of truffle. Perhaps it's the age, but the fruit (mostly strawberries and blackberries) is somewhat muted. On the palate, the wine is glazed with glycerin and finely integrated tannins. It is unctuous and silky. Nevertheless, there is a green streak in the wine, and that leads to flavors of peppercorns, cured meats (especially lardo), earth and truffles. Fruit is slightly more apparent here than in the nose. Acidity is quite low. Finish is of medium length, lasting around half a minute. This is a definitely enjoyable bottle; but at this price point, I believe there are better options out there. (eg: Maybach or even Araujo and Bond).
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3/6/2015 - Gabbby wrote: 94 Points
Side by side with Lynch Bages 82, 90, 95, 01. Always thought that 82 vintage is my favorite Lynch Bages, but this 90 vintage opened up after 2 hours that is an amazing wine that is a rich, complex full body wine with good layers of fruit and texture.
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2/28/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
This bottle was at the height of the arch. Screaming earth, leather, dried flowers and antique shop with perfect sweetness to balance the very serious act. Mature, soft, glycerin bodied, and still very long..
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2/14/2015 - LJT Likes this wine: 95 Points
Aged Bordeaux taste and bouquet. Long aftertaste. No need to wait longer, but it will last five to ten years.
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1/21/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is the lowest I've rated this wine in the last 5 years, something I attribute more to this individual bottle than where the wine is right now. Bold nose of dark fruits and berries, light tar, cedar, white pepper, graphite, and rosemary. Tannins have settled down considerably and are now well integrated. However, the palate, while very good, was not up to the standards that this wine has set for me in the past, and thus will need to give it another try soon. This bottle had a noticeably softer cork than others from my cellar which may have been a factor in its performance. Decanted for 30 minutes and then consumed over 1.5 hours.
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1/1/2015 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
New Year's Day, 2015 with Bud and Liz, Chris and John, Marc and Justine, Lottie and Moss (Eketahuna, New Zealand): Stunning Pauillac nose - classic cigar box and textbook pencil shavings. Lovely oak integration and supple texture. This has a lovely cool spice element to the palate that adds wonderful definition and lifted this wine above the Cos 1990 drunk at the same time. Great ripeness levels and a long and satisfying finish make for an outstanding wine. Ready now but still young.
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12/24/2014 - jww Likes this wine: 90 Points
Excellent wine dark color still has fresh fruit with leather and flint flavors still a tannic finish but overall very enjoyable
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12/10/2014 - hongkongtom Likes this wine: 94 Points
Jean-Charles Cazes had been through the Cave the day before and recommended the 1989 and 1990 from the years we had available. This did not disappoint, silky, smoky, dark fruit, fresh and very nicely balanced.
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11/25/2014 - winemaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
Really excellent wine, but not quite as good as the '89.
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11/9/2014 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 98 Points
1990 lynch bages
Color: still dark, wow
Nose: very pure, crystaline, complex, monumental tour de force of terroir & wine making
Palate: perfect bottle, this is a stupendous wine! Powerful with ballerina moves, a great Lynch & a pleasure to enjoy it in the company of great friends, in my opinion the WOTN
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11/9/2014 - SteelerFan wrote: 91 Points
Smooth and round. Good fruit but not as much structure as I remember. Perhaps fading just a little?
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11/6/2014 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
Dunn Comparative Cabernet Tasting (Chez John Morris): Served double-blind, I guessed a 1991 Napa valley floor cab. Intense, powerfully pure casis/raspbery fruit that turns darker and more graphitey and smokier/cigarish with air. The fruit in the mouth is superripe, bordering on overripe, and it's dense and thick and lush and a bit glossy and slick, a giant smooth round ball of smokey black fruit. Low-acid, the concentration and suave tannin character is impressive but it's not that complex and it's oddly a bit short on the finish. This is rather modern and 1990ish in style. I preferred the Dunn.
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11/2/2014 - scott w Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking very well tonight, earth, tobacco, dark fruit, leather, black tea, really opened up after an hour in the glass and showed some freshness plum with a hint of red fruit and pencil lead. Soft and round in a good way, silky nicely balanced acid and tannin.
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10/25/2014 - kidsmurf2000 Likes this wine: 96 Points
fantastic aged classic Bordeaux... Drink up now.
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10/6/2014 - no leashes wrote: 93 Points
Delicious fully mature bordeaux.
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8/21/2014 - amred wrote: 94 Points
Still drinking perfectly. Classic aged Bordeaux, with incredible smoothness and balance, essence of lead pencil and leather, with soft tannins and dark fruit. Wish I had cases. While not quite up to some of the first growths, incredibly close.
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7/10/2014 - MikeZ Likes this wine:
Excellent. Not as decadent as the '89 with more structure. In a good place now for drinking.
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7/8/2014 - tbuysse wrote: 96 Points
Tasted yesterday in Paris with JM Cazes. Big, elegant, hedonistic wine. I would not really agree that one should wait for many years to come. Excellent drinking window now. Perfume of stable, pure terroir, truffles, Porto, tobacco, leather and dark red fruits explodes on the nose. Our table was 50 – 50 divided whether this would surpass the 2000 in the long haul. Not worth the discussion. Both are legends and MUST haves for any serious Bordeaux fan. Incredible quality!
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7/5/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 95 Points
Shane's Birthday Dinner (Otto e Mezzo, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong): Still a touch of purple, translucent just about. Nose is sweaty, damp saddle, sweaty horse, wet ferns and lots of sous bois. Palate is beautiful poised and harmonic integration of white mushroom , bramble fruit, autumn mists in an oak forest....stunning. Quite belly-filling. Still a puppy. Lacked the finesse of the preceding 1985 Burgundy. But a real treat and it showed brilliantly tonight, although I still prefer the 1989. Interestingly, this got totally and unanimously blown out of the water by the Ch. Montrose 1990 we drank the following evening in the same company.
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6/24/2014 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
BYOB dinner with Jamie Pollack (Bourbon Steak): Ripe black fruits, cassis, lead pencil, a hint of cedar and earth. Excellent concentration, ripe black fruit driven palate impression, nicely integrated tannins and good length. Served next to the 90 VCC and the 86 PLL, the nose seems a bit one dimensional for me.
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4/24/2014 - chitownmb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Soft tannins, hint of earth and tar, smooth bright fruit, still showing well
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4/22/2014 - BradE wrote:
Drank the 89 and 90 Lynch Bages side by side. They both were very good, and for a while it was hard to pick a preference. But in the end, the 89 was the unanimous pick.
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4/13/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
1990 ANYTHING Dinner (Our house): Very similar to the bottle I had last year. Great bright red fruit on the nose. Excellent freshness, but this is still coiled. Love the ripeness and sleek texture. Will improve.
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4/7/2014 - BUBBA DAWG wrote: flawed
unfortunately cork was saturated near 50% and came out too easily...wasn't burnt toast just past prime...really bummed
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3/29/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 98 Points
Loads of bacon and roasted meat, cigar box, leather… incredibly silky tannins, bacon fat, ripe strawberries, delicate acidity, fabulous and incredibly young for 25 years!!
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3/6/2014 - LWI wrote: flawed
1990 Bordeaux Horizontal: Corked. Very impressive wine beneath, sappy dark fruit.
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3/4/2014 - DonalOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
From magnum (direct from the chateau in 2013). Wonderful in every way. My WOTN but only just compared to the Cos '90. Generally full all round but clearly could improve with a few more years at least in this format.
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2/24/2014 - subtlet Likes this wine: 92 Points
1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Noisette, Portland, OR): The nose is rich, with scents of tart cherries, dark toast, marrow, dark earth, and a hint of cow. Earthy flavors carry across the palate, giving gentle but firm structure. The fruit is light through the whole experience, with earth in the foreground even on the finish. It's noticeably smoother with food.
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2/21/2014 - Radboy wrote: 99 Points
Quite simply, a fantastic bottle. This is not a deep, powerful wine and I suppose someone who prefers that style will be disappointed. However, this has so many layers of flavor it is quite brilliant in its complexity. It opens with a fragrant rose-tinged cedar nose with hints of cedar campfire wood. If you have smelled fresh burned cedar, you will appreciate this subtlety. The fruit is perfectly balanced at this point with elegant hints of cherries mellow black fruit with pencil lead and black licorice. I have had the good fortune to have drank some great wines and this is one of the best.
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2/15/2014 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From double magnum. Mild signs of age on the edges, but mostly still dark berry red. Great floral nose with classic cedar, plus plum and black cherries, with a almost viscous, soft mouthfeel full of dark fruit with a nice bite of acidity. Really long finish. Very nice. Lots of life left. And got better as the night went on!
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2/2/2014 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
Interestingly, in a tasting note of this wine from two years ago, I remarked that the 90 Lynch-Bages showed two more decades of life. It showed very well in this tasting but I would dramatically shorten the aging window. This may simply demonstrate the bottle to bottle variation not only in tasting characteristics but in aging potential as well.
This wine showed plenty of surreal nuance and complexity. Floral, rose petal bouquet. Very soft, supple and elegant in the mouth.
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1/23/2014 - UTPK wrote:
Fourth time I have this wine. Vertical LB 1988-2007. This one was clearly the best of the bunch. Amazing that this could beat the hell out of the other vintages with the 1996 showing such a lovely nose and palate. The 1990 however, just bursted from the glass with more intensity than the 1996 and then 2-3 more layers and better definition. High fidelity stereo vs mono! Colour vs monochrome. Defies words.
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1/18/2014 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Saturday night wines: Blind. Youthful, graphite, tobacco, dark fruit; deep fruit in the mouth as well, a hint of sweetness, mighty - still structured. Never doubted that it was a West Bank.
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1/10/2014 - amred wrote: 97 Points
This wine was close to perfect for an aged Bordeaux. Color was still solid, no hint of brick. Nose was absolutely classic lead pencil and tobacco. On the mount, exquisitely well balanced with fruit, smooth tannins, and classic Bordeaux flavors of leather, graphite, dark fruit and hints of mineral. A really fabulous wine. Thank goodnes we have a few more bottles--this wine is not beginning to be tired.
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1/4/2014 - nytiger wrote: 93 Points
excellent color nose flavors and finish
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1/2/2014 - Nike-Raider wrote: 94 Points
A fine wine that has been in my cellar for decades. I pulled this bottle for New Years Eve. With the rest of the family gone, I had a great chance to try this in peace.
The cork was pristine but the wine took long hours to open. The complexity is impressive. There is still some Tart fresh fruit as well as dried. Minerals, leather, & Cedar enhance the profile.
Overall the wine was dark, and brooding; something you might well serve to "Ming the Merciless". This is obviously a great wine just not to my taste.
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12/16/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Chicago Wine Flock..."Wines that Jim Wanted to Compare" ("Chateau La Grange" - La Grange IL): Tasted double blind. Open 3 hours before serving, then tasted multiple times over approx 2 1/2 hours. Very black fruit with some cigar box notes. Meaty spice on nose and palate. Tannins forward ahead of fruit, this is a powerful wine that needs more time to show its charm and potential. I still felt that way at the end of the tasting, after this wine had been open 6 hours, in glass almost 3 hours.
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12/12/2013 - BUBBA DAWG Likes this wine: 96 Points
...it doesn't get much better than this...
accessed via coravin...decanted 1 hour in glass...deep garnet in color with good clarity and ever so little fade at rim...heavenly nose immediately puts saliva glands in overdrive, so much so that you are literally licking your lips, swallowing and tasting this wine through your nose...classic yet explosive paulliac nose of ripe black currant, cigar box, mellow tar, spices and floral herbs...someone should make a room/car deodorizer with this in mind - how much would you pay for a 2000 LB Room Deodorizer? - I might go as high as $20 if someone thinks that is commercially viable...absolutely delicious on entry with black currant, kirsch and subtle notes of tobacco, chocolate and herbs through the mid-palate...impeccably structured with succulent tannins, well-balanced acidity and a refined yet long finish...the mouth-feel on this one is spectacular, oftentimes described as higher glycerin levels but experts say glycerin is not detectable by human palate, whatever the reason, this is one of my favorite wines of the year and a clear step above the 2000 PLB I had last night
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12/4/2013 - rjpbath Likes this wine: 93 Points
Collossal and impressive wine. SO Pauillac. But still has a long life in it. Great wine
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11/17/2013 - valjone Likes this wine: 93 Points
A pristine bottle (cork was completely dry) kept in cellar from release. Expected more. Needs years to open up and show its true colors. Fresh and red garnet, smokey, oaky and still fruity. Tannins not resolved yet and bright acidity. Amazing potential.
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11/14/2013 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Open for a day or 2 in the owners refrigerator so this was not a fresh bottle, however it was still very nice. Needed to warm up but was smooth and still showing good fruit once it did. Enjoyed it.
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11/9/2013 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 99 Points
At a tasting we put on for our Couples Cru of 17 present, of eight 1990 Bordeaux (Angelus, Figeac, Beausejour Duffau, La Mission Haut-Brion, Leoville Barton, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages, Montrose). All wines purchased on release and aged in my cellar. Typical Cazes style, still dark garnet, mostly opaque, no browning at the edges. Pronounced cassis, anise, and toasty French oak. Plenty of fruit, some sweetness, perfect balance. More open than Cazes' Pichon Baron. Very long aftertaste. This tied for second place with Angelus, behind the favorite Montrose. Drinkable now, should easily hold another 3-5 years.
Ric
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10/21/2013 - Ludi Likes this wine: 97 Points
Cupissimo granato. Potentissimo ed elegante il naso di grafite, humus, caffè, cuoio, pepe nero, spezie orientali, eucalipto, carne arrosto. Bocca intatta, di eleganza assoluta. Lunghissimo e soave
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10/20/2013 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
La Fête du Bordeaux - 2011 Vintage (Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Chicago): Very fresh and youthful color. Beautifully bright and smoky profile. Superb, growing just a bit greener with air. Perfect provenance.
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9/24/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
I've probably tasted 1990 Lynch Bages 2-3 times this year and each bottle has been remarkably consistent. What more could you ask for in Pauillac? Full body, intense concentration of flavor, aromatic complexity, sensuous, elegant textures, ripe fruit and tannins and a long finish that's packed with layers of ripe, fresh berries make this a treat. The original $30 price is looking good these days.
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9/21/2013 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 92 Points
An excellent wine but not as spectacular as I expected. Full aroma of cassis, toasty oak, mocha, but maybe just a hint of off-nose. Medium-full bodied, nice fruit but tasted slightly past its peak. Still mostly opaque. Lingering aftertaste. Other bottles of this same wine might be better...we'll see when I open the next one!
Ric
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9/20/2013 - Nutty08 wrote:
HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Tough competition at this table, and while Lynch holds its own, it's a slight notch down. Profile shifts to more of a smoky nose, darker feel, and district lovely mint note that is really charming. Powerful palate, darker fruit profile than the Mouton and Lafitte, but luscious and coats the palate. Tannins are present and noticeably more course. I've loved this in the past and it's just a stop down in complexity compared to the Rothschilds. A-
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8/6/2013 - ckinv368 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and slow-oxed for 1 1/2 hours prior to drinking.
Nose of prunes, dust, over-ripe black cherries, mushrooms, forest floor, cigar box and cedar, blood and roast beef.
Perfectly muted dark cherry, green pepper, dusty remnants of tannin, fig, mushroom, prune, smoky blackberries, coffee, cedar, forest floor, graphite, blood, old books, and roasted meat. Still a very powerful, complex wine. Almost overpowering flavors at times.
The middle and end of the palate reminds me of sitting in a dark wood-paneled room with tapestries on the wall, fire crackling, contemplating a wonderful book, smoking a cigar, nursing a scotch. In three words: the good life.
Amazing wine, almost completely mature, but still has a little ways it can go before the astringency burns completely off. Drink now or hold for 2-3 years for it to hit its absolute peak. Imagine this will plateau for quite a while before it begins to decline. The finish was so long, and the wine so powerful and concentrated, I can't imagine it is going to decline or decay anytime soon. If you have some of this, you're pretty lucky! Everything old-school BDX should be.
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6/28/2013 - Ary wrote: 96 Points
Bordeaux 1990 (semi blind) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): Well defined, youth- and powerful palate. Notes of thick cream, herbs, iron and lots of dark fruits, lingering finish with well integrated tannins.
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6/16/2013 - tbabes wrote: 99 Points
This wine continues to evolve and improve, and has never failed to impress. Purple ruby core, turning to blood red at the rim. Notes of roasted herbs, cassis, black truffle, tree bark, with hints of olive, and leather. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great balance, layers of flavor, amazing purity, and a long, complex and beautifully delineated finish.
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6/10/2013 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely nose of sweet tobacco, cigar and plums. Soft ripe tannins and again the cigar comes back in. Outstanding wine!
For me a reference point to future LB or Pauillacs.
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6/9/2013 - shaferguy91 wrote: 95 Points
No decant. Terrific bottle of wine !
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6/2/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Lunch with Rob. Compared to the 1990 La Mission we had along side, this was quite youthful by comparison. Bright red fruit, currant on the nose with a background of plenty of earth and leather. More red fruit, spice, leather and old wood on the palate. Fresh, vibrant and a bit tight, even after 4 hours. Long finish. This is still on the way up. Superb.
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5/29/2013 - DonalOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lynch Bages Dinner (Grand Hyatt Hong Kong): Drunk from a magnum. Nose is quite floral. gentle tannins but so delicate. Great balance - the acid is still a good medium with the tannins present but clearly matured to a different level. (see previous note)
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4/28/2013 - MikeATL Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully, an elegant blend of leather and red fruit with well-integrated, fine tannic structure.
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4/23/2013 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle of wine. Hit or miss, some bottles have been less impressive. However, when it's on, it's on. Great earth, leather, spice.
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4/18/2013 - MGrange Likes this wine: 96 Points
What a big wine, drinking beautiful now but has many more years left. This wine shouts 'I'm Pauillac'.
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3/9/2013 - dtrall wrote: 94 Points
Drank with great friends and family following the '97 DC Gravelly Meadow. Wow what a special wine which changed its colors and nose as frequently as the waiters came to the table! This wine continued to get better and better!
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1/19/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good dark color. A bit reticent at first even after a 4-hour double-decant but developed in the glass to show a wonderfully pure and classic Pauillac with flavors of black currants, tobacco and graphite minerals. This is a medium-bodied but fairly dense and focused wine that really needs a long decant at this point. It is very finely concetrated on the finish with wonderful notes of black spices and graphite. Just a lovely Bordeaux that still needs a few years.
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1/18/2013 - dcwino wrote: 90 Points
1990 Bordeaux dinner with Latour, Beausejour Duffau, Montrose and etc (Capital Grille Tysons, VA): Wine no 6 - Lead pencil, ash, cassis, cedar and earth. A hint of brett I thought and the power of suggestion kicked in. Thought Montrose and never look back. Assaf thought just way to young.
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1/6/2013 - Radboy wrote: 96 Points
Simply terrific and an example of why we love mature clarets.
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1/1/2013 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 96 Points
Garnet, red. Nose initially filled the room when decanted. As it opened in the decanter, nose of currents, tobacco, seasoned salt showed itself. Taste was smooth, mouthfilling, cedar, spices. Finish lasted a long time. Friends at the dinner had recently had 1990 Haut Brion, 1990 Latour. They bother felt that this was showing better than those 2. Wonderful.
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12/27/2012 - JWN Wine Guy wrote:
In 2009, for the first time Chateau Lynch Bages has introduced a third wine: Pauillac de Lynch-Bages. Produced from the Chateau’s younger vines and treated with the same care as the estate’s first and second wines, this wine expresses the best of the historic 2009 vintage. A fresh and elegant wine with notes of red fruit, spice, wood and a silky well-rounded mouthfeel to finish it off. The lighter structure makes this wine an excellent pairing with many dishes and a pleasure to enjoy right away.
“Pauillac will be appreciated by wine lovers and Lynch-Bages connoisseurs alike.” – Jean-Charles Cazes, Proprietor
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12/25/2012 - KSWinegeek Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep purple color. Tobacco and cedar on the nose. So smooth and elegant. Finish is like having smoked a cigar. Better after 3 hours in the decanter. Still has time.
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12/21/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 95 Points
2012 - Last Simple one in 2012 (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): Alcohol ::
Sweet cigar box, tobacco leave, leathery, wildness and savory meatiness. With time pu-EE (Chinese tea) notes emerged with dried lavender scents. This medium bodied LB is silky smooth, such richness and concentration without vein heavy. Full of finesse and elegance. The grip is insanely huge. Incredible, minute long finished. This still has long way to go. I like.
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12/15/2012 - Whinojb Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has plenty of life to go. Dark color with no bricking. Decanted for two hours. Nose of cassis, dark, stewed fruit, Tobacco and certainly that pencil lead from Paullac. The mouth feel was smooth from the front of the pallet to the back. It was a rich wine - but wasn't overpowered with fruit - great minerality. A truly wonderful experience.
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12/14/2012 - Zweder Likes this wine: 96 Points
Battle between Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. 11 TOP Vintages from 1982 - 2009 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Extremely beautiful and complex bouquet with dark fruits, perfume, cedar, graphite, cigar box etc. etc. On the palate aromatic as well, beautiful dark fruits, soft tannin with still a good bite. No more notes unfortunately, but this a great wine with still plenty of future.
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12/11/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
End of year dinner; Break out the good stuff- Alto Adige, Rhone, Bordeaux, Barolo, Loire and Port. (Amali.): Showing more open and plush than the last bottle I've had. It has wonderful aromatics of sweet black cherry, cigar box, tobacco ad graphite. Rich and maybe a touch plump on the palate with like flavors as aromas. There's a voluptuous mouthfeel to the wine and he tannins are sweet and integrated. Just a joy to drink. A.
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12/9/2012 - tbabes wrote: 99 Points
This bottle had been opened and double decanted several hours before dinner. An incredibly open, complex, and intense bouquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, black truffle, ripe black fruit and tapenade. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, great depth of flavor, beautiful balance and purity, with great grip and focus on the long finish. The best showing yet of the 1990 Lynch Bages!
Interestingly, we tasted this along side another bottle that had come directly from the Chateau which had been recorked in 2007; the orignal bottle (from which this tasting note comes) was superior. Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner at Lacroix.
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11/15/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Five Decades of Lynch Bages with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Colour is surprisingly on the dark side. Richard Brazier commented that this was probably kept in a cold cellar as other bottles he had tried in the past were more open and felt readier. For us this is the first LB 1990 we have tried so no old notes to fall back to.
The nose is full of dark fruits to start and it evolved quite a few herby, minty and light floral notes as it evolved. Some notes of mocha too that we never expected to find. On this palate it feels very young almost backward, with good ripe fruit as expected of a 1990, but with solid tannin. Still a very good wine with a lot of life ahead but nowhere near to what we expected. 92-93 from us at the moment.
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10/26/2012 - Bb87 wrote: 93 Points
We drank after 2002 opus one. Opened, decanted and poured. Smelled skunked, moldy. We're deeply disappointed. But with time it metamorphosed into a smoother balanced wine. Strong tobacco, cedar, pencil, and berry. We were experimenting with decanting and learned a good lesson. I would give this at least 1.5-2 hrs
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10/14/2012 - JulianSkeels Does not like this wine: 94 Points
My birthday dinner at the HK Krug Room (with Krug NV, 98 Krug, 89 Palmer). Drank over 3 hours following a 60 min decant. Pristine bottle from cellar with top fill and perfect cork. This is a wonderful Pauillac example, with the 'masculine' style of Lynch married to a very opulent style for the vintage. Still has lead, cedar and tobacco, but combined with licorice, spices, sweet cherry and blackberry (becoming cassis after time in decanter and rather spoiling the balance). Would be great, if not for a lack of depth in the middle – perhaps needs longer in cellar? … flashy but somehow never opens up to become the wine I hope for after initial impressions. Clear preference for the 89 Lynch… but I'm not a fan of the 90 Bdx style anyway.
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9/29/2012 - WinoRick wrote: 96 Points
With a rack of lamb, this wine showed beautifully. Good color with not even a hint of a brown edge, medium body with sweet fruit blended with bright acidity. All the tannins have melted away. Drink now or later.
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9/19/2012 - jamie24 wrote: 87 Points
a little dusty. given all the other positive reviews maybe this bottle was flawed. the '89 way better in my opinion
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9/18/2012 - palbe wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. Quite dark in colour. Classic Pauillac nose of pencil shavings, leather, coffee and cassis. Dense and juicy mouth feel, layered and long. Classy!
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9/5/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
What a sexy little beast this has morphed into. The tannins are refined and elegant. There is a lot of concentration of fruit and flavor, yet, every part of this wine is polished, plush and soft, There are no hard edges to be found. And it tastes incredibly young and fresh and improved in the glass during the night . You can age this for decades, or enjoy it today. Tasted blind, I thought it was 2000 Pichon Baron, another wine I love. If anyone felt this was the best Lynch Bages of all time, they'd get no argument from me. Why not? If they picked 1989 or 2009, I also see their point. 1990 Lynch Bages is at that same high level. this is truly a stunning Pauillac that is worth seeking out.
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8/11/2012 - tbabes wrote: 95 Points
Another wonderful bottle of the 1990 Lynch Bages, although in this blind tasting it was bested by the 1990 Montrose. Drinking wonderfully at present, but with a long life ahead!
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8/5/2012 - ricknat1 wrote:
Richer than the 89, but sweeter and less integrated with a slightly alcoholic finish. I found the wine slightly thin, but others thought it picked up depth and richness
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7/29/2012 - lvjohn wrote: 94 Points
Verges on the profound.
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7/28/2012 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
Very little sign of aging, classic cedar, tobacco, dark fruit flavors. Great weight and balance. A lovely Pauillac in a very happy place.
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7/15/2012 - Racer117 wrote: 95 Points
A fabulous Pauillac wine. This will sound like a broken record....... pencil lead, tobacco/cigar box, old leather, some mint tinged berry fruit...... how I wish I had a few of these in the cellar.
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7/15/2012 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 7/15/2012 (Casa Red Guy): Clear inky dark blood-garnet color. Stunning bouquet of bright fresh red currants, cherries, earth, oak, river stones. More vibrant than the 1991 Montelena tasted just prior. Full-bodied, invigorating, brilliant balance and focus. Just loved it. ShaneT found this "a little short on the midpalate." If he drinks better wine than this, then from now on I'm having what he's having. My #1 and group's FIRST PLACE (tie) tonight.
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6/8/2012 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
Lovely bold cedar and green pepper nose, this is the most complete and balanced wine in this flight (compared to 1988 and 1989 L-B). Has the potential to age and develop further. Shows more structure than the 1989 but has excellent fruit to match. Nice stemminess present. Longest finish of this flight. Nice bit of Chinese 5-spice too.
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6/5/2012 - nytiger wrote: 93 Points
excellent in a tasting of 9 bordeaux
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6/3/2012 - WinoRick wrote: 96 Points
Tasted with friends and a grilled steak. The previous review pretty much says what we experienced and this was the wine of the evening. While seemingly at its peak, I think it will continue to evolve gracefully for a decade.
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5/28/2012 - godx wrote: 92 Points
La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - 1988, 1989, 1990 Red Bordeaux (CinCin Restaurant): Slightly more youthful looking than the ’89. This had the most expressive nose of the flight with loads of cedar, Bordeaux funk, dark fruits, bell pepper and tobacco. This also takes the cake for the sweetest fruit and most supple and round mouthfeel. There’s a good deal of structure here, but the ripe and sweet nature of the tannins almost fools you into thinking there’s none. Flavours are intense, sweet and refined compared to the ‘89s more tannic and structured profile. Ample acidity keeps the round mouthfeel from being sluggish and there’s a hint of alcohol on the finish that reminds you of the hot year that 1990 was. This had the best nose of the flight; the ’89 had the best palate of the flight. Like the ’89, this should continue to develop for at least 5+ years, but this won’t be as long lived as the ’89. Excellent. 92+
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5/28/2012 - EhrlichDY wrote: 96 Points
Racy kirsch, ripe cherry fruit, and cedar on the palate. Great depth of flavor and balance of fruit and secondary characteristics. Medium bodied and light on the palate with tannins fully resolved, yet still sturdily framed and retaining freshness. A regal wine with finesse, persistence, and subtle power. At or near peak but should hold for 5-10 years.
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5/3/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Tobacco leaf, cigar box, gravel, black cherry, cassis, herbs, cedar wood, lead pencil, forest floor and earthy scents capture your attention. On the palate, with its sweet tannins, layers of ripe, fresh, black and red fruits and spice, you want to delve deeper into the wine. This is a serious Pauillac with a lot to offer. Lately, over the past 12 months, I've preferred 1989 Lynch Bages over the 1990. Prior to 2010, the 1990 had been my favorite. At this tasting, both vintages deserved high scores for different reasons. 1989 Lynch Bages is more powerful and tannic, but 1990 Lynch Bages offers a more refined, supple, elegant quality. Either way, these two back to back vintages are sublime.
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4/30/2012 - acheng wrote: 95 Points
Stunning. Immediately apparent the wine of the night. Earthy, tea, leather, aged orange peel. Completely crashed with the over-spiced pork it was served with but no matter. A complete wine with great mouth feel and persistence. Power without weight. Clearly outclassing everything served before it. Outstanding.
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4/27/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
Un joli nez de truffes, de sous-bois, c'est suave. La bouche est ronde et élégante, une texture superbe, de la fraicheur, un vin sèveux mais avec beaucoup de finesse, qui se prolonge dans une finale de dentelle. Beaucoup de classe, wow! Quel vin magnifique! Mon vin de la soirée. Avec ce nez et cette rondeur, j'étais persuadé comme la presque totalité des convives qu'il s'agissait du Tertre Rôteboeuf!
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4/25/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 94 Points
Another bottle, another tasting, great performance.
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4/22/2012 - ghayman wrote: flawed
May have encountered my first fast of "bottle shocked" wine. After traveling to Europe to enjoy with friends, the wine smelled off immediately. It did not seem corked, but smelled something akin to dirty diapers. After several hours of 'settling' the wine simply turned to prunes then began to have a sharp vinegar bite after more hours of decanting. So much for $200+ on this bottle...
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4/21/2012 - tbabes wrote: 97 Points
The fill was into the neck a d the cork was pristine; another perfectly stored bottle of the 1990 Lynch Bages. Popped, poured and consumed over the course of 2 hours. A healthy purple-ruby core with no signs of amber at the rim. Notes of cassis, cedar, roasted herbs, and hints of tapenade and black truffle. Medium-bodied, with a velvety mid-palate, impressive concentration, great depth and balance, and a long, complex, and incredibly well-delineated finish.
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4/17/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 99 Points
Spectacular and classic Paulliac/Bordeaux!
Very tight when first opened, started to show in about an hour and just got better as we went. Intensity and favors really came through once it opened. Will let stand an extra hour next time I drink it
Black fruit, veggie, tobacco and cedar typical of the style. Still very fresh, this wine feels like it has a lot of years ahead of it.
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4/16/2012 - vespasian wrote: 96 Points
Roasted meats and spice with licorice and hot bricks on the nose. Obviously a very ripe year. savoury, meaty character to the fruit. The cassis coming through here is very pure and rich yet paradoxically youthful and fresh - great intensity; mouthfilling flavours - really expansive across the palate, tannins quite firm but beautifully covered by the fruit. Long. A peacocks tail of complex notes rounds out the finish. Powerful and youthful even at this age - plenty still in the tank. Brimming with energy and zip.
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2/28/2012 - DonalOB wrote: 95 Points
Drunk from a half bottle and in youthful condition. Deep ruby still with hardly any rim.
Great nose and palate of blackcurrants, cedar and sweet spice. Quite full-bodied and long. Except for the complexity this might be thought of as less than 10 years old.
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2/28/2012 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Home
Wonderful rich deep colour with hardly any bricking. Nose of chassis, tobacco and forest floor. Medium length but a little lacking in the mid palate.
Excellent wine that will go down as a Lynch Bages classic
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2/11/2012 - St Paul wrote: 93 Points
I have had this wine at least 3 times before and I think this was the best so far. The lovely Pauillac nose with cooked green veggies and horse shit is there and in the mouth I got fab black currant, chocolate and coffee. Very easy drinking with a freshness that was lovely. I enjoy this style of Bordeaux. Classy and fresh and not over ripe fruit with too much alcohol. Nice one!
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2/4/2012 - willthethrill wrote: 89 Points
Dusty closet on the nose with a huge amount of burnt tire which then opens up into a rich earthy Bordeaux. Drank with Christian and C with filet mignon.
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2/1/2012 - dream wrote: 94 Points
From a perfectly-conditioned bottle: Needed quite some time in a decanter to open up. Then a classic LB that is quite close to the '89 in quality with wonderful slate and mineral notes along with black fruits and smoky cassis. Medium-bodied and perhaps a touch less full than the '89 but surprisingly similar in character (I expected more lush fruit) and the terroir of the vineyard is really quite apparent. The finish is complex and I love the smoky/slate flavor that lingers on the palate but I would say well-stored bottles of this need a bit more time in the cellar.
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1/25/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 98 Points
89/90 Bordeaux Retrospective with Hart Davis Hart: Tasted after the 89, the two are certainly more similar than dissimilar. Again a rich, fat, sumptuous wine. Gorgeous nose that's similarly dark and chocolatey, but even more complex for the floral and earth components. But the palate here stands in contrast - where the 89 traded its fruit for an ashen/mineral sort of tone the 90 retains the thick, juicy fruit. It's sumptuous! I prefer the 90 stylistically, but the quality doesn't seem to differ between the two. Drinking beautifully and although I can't imagine it will improve, I don't think it's going anywhere soon either.
5-
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1/2/2012 - winesnout wrote: 95 Points
As always, very good. Lots of cherries, raspberries, cedar, tobacco and spice. Medium-bodied, both powerful and elegant, with great finesse and a silky texture. This wine will continue to improve over the next 5-8 years but who wants to wait. Excellent, however, I definitely prefer the Lynch-Bages 1989 with its incredible richness and youthful blueberry flavors which was the winner (97 points) in our recent 1989 Bordeaux tasting, outshining even the 1989 Cheval Blanc.
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1/1/2012 - UTPK wrote:
Tasted alongside Lagrange 1990, and the difference was smaller then I had expected. The Lagrange nose was darker, less cedary and less bright than the LB. The LB was more classic left bank with freshly squeezed black berries, pencil shawings, cigar, and a more complex profile all together. No thertiary aromas on any wine yet. On the palate, the weight was similar, medium weight I would say. Again the LB came across lighter bodied than I remember from previous occasions with this wine. Both were very fresh with mature fruit and low tannins. The LB was slightly longer, but they changed all the time in the glasses. Sometimes the Lagrange was more pleasant, sometimes the LB. Both were the same temperature, from my cellar, and decanted for 4 hours.
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12/27/2011 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
Based on color, bouquet and taste, this wine shows two decades of additional life to it. Almost a crime to drink it now.
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12/24/2011 - ahubner wrote: 94 Points
- It's in total harmony with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - Natal 2011 familia Hubner, casa da mamae em cotia.
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12/4/2011 - KellyW wrote: 96 Points
From magnum. Classic Pauillac nose of tobacco, leather and graphite. Solid core of ripe fruit. Great balance and poise.
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11/5/2011 - djdaqm wrote: 91 Points
Started with a pleasant old Bordeaux smell. As time went by the quality of the wine declined. Pretty much is was a dissapointment for all who tasted it, given the price and reviews. It was not corked or spoiled. This bottle was just lacking complexity. I was even started to suspect foul play since the wine was purchased at an auction.
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11/1/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
One whiff of the gorgeous, smoke, coffee, tobacco, plum, tapenade, cassis, spice, lead pencil and earthy perfume and you know you're tasting a great Pauillac. Blind, the wine feels like a Pomerol as it gracefully fills your palate with ripe, pure, intense, juicy plums, cassis and spice. 1990 Lynch Bages juxtaposes power with elegance. This is probably my favorite vintage of Lynch Bages to drink today. As this wine continues to develop, I would not be surprised to see it gain another point. It's a very special Pauillac with all the great qualities of the 1990 Bordeaux vintage.
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9/17/2011 - jreis wrote:
Decanted and consumed over an hour or so. White pepper, leather, coffee and mocha on the nose with just a real hint of the Lynch Bages bell pepper. The palate still seemed young - not tannic, but still a little tight and restrained. Flavors similar to the nose, but not quite as pronounced. Great structure, grip and length, this is really just starting to get into its drinking window and has a long life ahead of it.
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9/4/2011 - kjroenetrian wrote: 98 Points
Deep purple color, bouquet of spice, fruit, smoke, tar, cedar and alcohol. The wine was extremely smooth w/ layers of flavor w/ spice and soft tannins. Medium finish. Decanted and drank immediately. Excellent balance and a lovely bottle that is drinking great now.
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9/1/2011 - wpd wrote: 95 Points
Decanted and drank over an hour and half. Perfectly aged. Plenty of fruit, complex flavors of ripe berries, cigar box, long finish. Last bottle of 6 and the best. Worth the wait, but should have waited on the other 5.
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8/24/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
This is the silkiest vintage of Lynch Bages I've ever tasted. The velvet tannins and opulent textures remind me of a Pomerol. Concentrated with ripe, sweet, opulent layers fruit, this Pauillac is filled with cassis, tobacco, black cherry, earth, spice, cigar box, stone and forest floor sensations. This sublime Bordeaux wine should continue to improve and offer pleasure for decades.
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8/21/2011 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 93 Points
fantastic wine. drank this next to a 1990 Ducru. The Ducru was sweeter on the nose, a shade paler, and tasted thin compared to the lynch. The Lynch had the stuffing to go for another 10 years - more earth and tobacco in the nose, much fuller body and a great finish with well integrated tannins.
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8/20/2011 - pkatz wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, mature but not nearly over the hill. Funky, barnyardy and tarry as is typical for this wine. Surprisingly different from another bottle I had about a year ago.
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7/20/2011 - lkatz wrote:
This is the second driner of 3 bottles that I have. Like the first one it was a disappointment...flat, musty, tasteless. It's been well stored for the last 4 years or so but can't speak for it's prior life. The cork and fill were fine, decanted for about an hour but never opened up. Followed with an Aussie Merlot which was delicious
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7/1/2011 - tbabes wrote: 97 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; a very well stored bottle. Decanted about 20 minutes prior to dinner. A touch of bricking / amber at the rim. A very extroverted bouquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, leather, green pepper, ripe black fruits, white truffle and a hint of tapenade. Medium bodied, with a velvety and lush mouthfeel, excellent delineation, impressive concentration and depth of flavor, and a flavorful finish. A great wine that is drinking wonderfully at present.
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6/19/2011 - MC wrote:
I really enjoyed this. A 2 hour decant had this fully open and it showed really well. Dark fruit, rich and powerful, but fully integrated wine that went really well with the food throughout the meal. A touch short of great, but this was really really good, peaking, and a pleasure to drink. A-
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6/9/2011 - larryw wrote: 91 Points
Cork on this bottle was in bad shape, but surprisingly after 2 hours in a decanter the wine came out much, much better than expected. Dark cherry color with some amber; "dusty" neither unpleasant nor especially noteworthy on the nose. and tannins still in evidence. Collectively we gave it a 91. We tasted it alongside a 1995 Beycheville that outscored it by a few points. Both wines went well with grilled rack-of-lamb.
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6/5/2011 - UTPK wrote:
Came across a bit lighter than 1 year ago, but probably bottle variation. On the nose this beauty has pure cedar wood, pencil shavings, lead, perfectly mature and fresh blackcurrants. Less flowery and excuberant than I remember. Sweet but balanced attack. Lots of weight and presence. Chewy and very easy to drink. Long clean finish (we got it blind and guessed Pauillac from 2000, it was that fresh!)
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6/1/2011 - Whistler wrote: 96 Points
Been holding off from drinking one of two bottles, well worth the wait. On the nose you know that a treat is coming - ripe, sweet blackcherries, graphite, leather and woodsmoke. Combining exceptional power and great finesse on the palate, the length is terrific. I doubt this wine will improve further but will remain where it is for well over a decade.
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5/8/2011 - davidandrose wrote: 97 Points
Brought in to The French Laundry as our red wine for the evening. Decanted for an hour before first taste. Exquisite wine drinking extraordinarily well. Don't have a ton of experience with well-aged bordeaux as we don't have many bdx in our cellar, but this was a real treat. Purchased from a respectable store 10+ years ago when they got a shipment of older vintages directly from the winery - fill to mid-lower neck, cork was perfect. Can't mistake the bordeaux nose, with a delicate balance of fruit and structure. Saddle leather, old tobacco, cassis, cherry were most evident flavors in a profile that was rich and gained weight as the evening wore on. As we were wrapping up our dinner 5 hours after we sat down and 90 mins after our first taste the wine was solidly in its stride. Offered a glass to the Sommelier and the kitchen staff and they were soundly impressed with this bottle. While $75 corkage is stout, have to appreciate that they brought our Reidel Sommelier stems for this.
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5/8/2011 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured based on planning to drink this over a couple of nights and the ambiguous comments on CT on whether this needs a decant. Excellent fill (mid-neck) and good cork. Very dark red with little or no lightening at the rim. Poured a small amount; nose is initially quite musty. After an hour or so, the nose has cleaned up with classic Paulliac cigar box, graphite, and savory scents. On the palate this was initially a bit lacking in intensity, but clearly was ripe and close to its drinking window; after some time it began to flesh out and put on more depth.
However, still not a lot of aromatic complexity; quite remarkably undeveloped for 21 years of age. One wonders whether the ripeness will retard/prevent development of secondary and tertiary nuances.
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5/8/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 96 Points
Even though this rated the highest for me, the older wines were more memorable at this stage in the wines evolution. Started with a weird musty nose that blew off. Lots of lead and cedar mixed with plum, black cherry. I think this wine will be even better in 5 years. There was a decent amount of residual sugar and some alcohol that masked the palate but the ingredients are their for greatness. I am also biased with this wine as it was the wine that made me collect and enjoy Bordeaux.
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4/24/2011 - tbabes wrote: 97 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; a pristine bottle that has been well stored -- popped, poured and consumed over the course of 2 hours. At first the bouquet was a bit restrained, but with about 30 minutes of air, aromas of cedary black fruits, truffle, roasted herbs and hints of leather and forrest floor. Medium-bodied, with a lush and opulent mouthfeel, perfect balance, incredible depth of flavor, with great grip and focus on the long and complex finish. On this night, I (ever so slightly) preferred the 1989 Lynch Bages, but I am not sure it was a fair competition; the '89 had a couple hours of breathing time, whereas the '90 was popped and poured. They are both great wines and are perfect examples of the heights that Lynch Bages is able to achieve.
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3/31/2011 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
WCC Mostly Lynch-Bages Vertical (Taste Restaurant, Albany, NY): [1 hour in a decanter. Half hour in an open bottle.] Much sweeter than the 89. Delicious, long sweet, black fruit finish. A joy to drink tonight and for some time to come.
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3/20/2011 - 3marinerfans wrote: 94 Points
Had with peppercorn-crusted prime tenderloin with horseradish-cream sauce and it paired oh, so nicely. We bought this from someone selling their cellar collection, and it was a great find. Such great balance and so perfectly integrated for drinking now. Tried a little with a vinturi and it actually shut it down, so we did not decant it. Silky, very smooth, well--balanced and richer than we thought it would be - enjoyed it over 3 hours.
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3/19/2011 - Haut Brion Likes this wine:
***.5 Too young, decanted for 2 hours and barely start to see what it has.
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3/9/2011 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
I brought this with us to dinner at Bouchon; our server decanted it about 30 minutes prior to service -- the fill was into the neck and the cork was sound. A healthy purple-ruby core, turning towards garnet at the rim. This was a bit more reserved on the nose than previous bottles, offering up notes of ripe dark fruits, earth, a hint of barnyard, and roasted herbs. Medium-bodied, with pure fruit flavors, a lush texture, and impressive depth. The structure was a bit more noticeable on the finish, and I think this wine will actually continue to improve over the next few years.
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3/6/2011 - Biglama wrote: 94 Points
rode kleur, klassieke neus, cederhout, getoast, donkere tonen, rijpheid, zwoel fruit, smaak is mooi geouderd, licht romig, zachtheid, mooie tannines, goed in balans en nog mooi op dronk
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2/28/2011 - Operations wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful balance with nice acidity, good tertiary flavors, integrated tannins. Went perfectly with a grilled steak dinner. Bottle tasted great after a a decant and 1 hour wait, but became much silkier over the following 2 hours.
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2/11/2011 - rc@ughey wrote: 93 Points
I don't drink a ton of Bordeaux, but wines like this suggest that I should look toward the Medoc more often. This was stored since release by a generous friend, and decanted for an hour and consumed over the next two.
This is really a pointe right now. The tannins are fully integrated, it retains a subtle acidity, and the fruit is now framed by alluring non-fruit flavors. In addition to sour cherries, the nose shows deep, dark fruits, leather, and coffee. It's much the same on the palate, which a silk-textured melange of mellow dark fruits and leather. Despite the deep fruit, this is not a heavy wine and remains pretty nimble. It has a medium finish. There is no rush to drink these, but it's in a really great place right now.
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2/4/2011 - PeterH wrote: 95 Points
Wow is this tasty. Perfect now..
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1/31/2011 - weinmatt wrote: 98 Points
Definitely hitting its peaks... great fruit (nose of blueberries, coffee) and only a few tannins left. Needed 30-45 minutes in the decanter but opened beautifully
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1/4/2011 - WinoRick wrote: 94 Points
Always a favorite, the wine showed beautifully and the little bit left the next day was better yet. Yum. Plenty of life left in this wine.
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12/25/2010 - Benj wrote: 90 Points
Very much in line with the bottle we had in '08 but a little bolder. Nowhere near the bottle we had in '09. Great stuff, but not the mind-blowing experience of last year, sadly.
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11/30/2010 - BradKNYC wrote:
Bordeaux and a sweet Chenin with the Last Tuesday of the Month Supper Club. (Bill's): The La Conseillante was a tough act to follow and in comparison, this wine seemed quite a bit more reticent and clumsy. It was nowhere near as vibrant on the nose, only offering hints of black fruit and herb aromas. The palate, too, stood in sharp contrast. This wine was darker, with more of a cassis, graphite, herbal and tobacco leaf character to it. A little plump and unfocused, I’m thinking this wine could use more bottle age. A-.
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11/19/2010 - Wrighty wrote: 93 Points
My 40th dinner celebrations (Crown Wine Cellars (Hong Kong)): More depth and punch than the 1988. Nose also stank a little, also coffee notes. Palate was deep and intense. Decent finish.
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11/12/2010 - tbabes wrote: 96 Points
The fill was well into the neck, and the cork was sound. A ruby-red color with no signs of amber. An extroverted and compelling boquet, offering up notes of roasted herbs, tree bark, ripe black fruits, truffles and hot stones. Medium-bodied, with good grip, velvety texture, incredble depth and impressive focus and delineation on the long finish. A wonderful wine that seems to be nearing peak maturity; it is drinking perfectly at present.
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11/5/2010 - NY Wino wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for 1 hour prior to drinking. This was the unanimous WOTN at a recent 1990 tasting. The wine had a deep purple color with a nose of that wafted up pencil shavings, roses and cedar. The wine had excellent fruit as well as smoky, tobacco flavors and a delicious mouth coating finish that went on and on. The tannins have evolved beautifully and while still there, they are soft and the wine is really well balanced. Drinking perfectly right now.
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10/22/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Peddling for Pebbles 2 (The Ledbury): Slightly muted nose, but dusty blackcurrant starting to come through. Nice tobacco element too. A little flabby on the attack and then a broad, full, expansive mid palate with reasonably soft, velvety tannins. A little light on the finish but quite persistent and long. A slightly damp-leaf element to the nose and palate. ***(*) maybe ***1/2
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9/6/2010 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Deep purple color with a bright ruby edge. The nose was very subtle dark fruit. The fruit was muted black cherry and plum with hints of cassis, leather and chocolate and a fair dose of earth. The distinctive LB pencil lead was noticeable. Tannins were subdued and the balance was excellent. I expected more of a "pop" from this wine. Its elements were there, but they were subdued. Perhaps this is a closed period.
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8/27/2010 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful Bordeaux nose with pencil lead and cedar notes. The dark currant fruit is well balanced with the smoothing tannins. Decanted 90 minutes.
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8/2/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This powerful wine opens with truffle, cassis, tobacco, earth and barn yard notes. Concentrated and filled with juicy, ripe black berry and cassis flavors, this intense wine is showing well today and with more time, it's going to get better!
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8/2/2010 - tbabes wrote: 93 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; opened about an hour before service. I brought this from Philly down to the beach house in Pensacola a few days prior, and stored it in the fridge until opening. Clearly this bottle was a bit "shocked" and did not show as well as previous bottles. That being said, the bouquet was still rather exotic and outgoing, with notes of cassis, fennel, roasted herbs and earth. Medium-bodied, with good balance, impressive depth, and fine delineation on the finish. A touch of dilution though on the mid-palate, which I attribute to the travel shock.
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6/27/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Still youthful in appearance. The nose however, is completely open, and it's so lovery. There is no doubt that you are on left bank Bordeaux, but this wine has so many qualities in the bouquet, apart from the "normal" lead pencil, black currant and cedar, typical for Pauillac. There are also saddle leather, dried roses (incredible flowered nose, that is what I remember the most) and lavender. Very smooth and well balanced. No obtrusive tannins and no hard edges, very easy to drink. A great performance (the best Lynch Bages I have had apart from the 1961) and obviously in a peak drinking window! Impeccably stored, and the cork looked like a 3 year old, perfect!
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6/25/2010 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Misc Bordeaux 1990 tasting - Martin: Plenty of chocolate on the nose mixed with freshly ground coffee. Some iron and pine also coming through.
The palate has a solid black currant/fruit core with a solid depth. Plenty of mature fruit with just a hint of tobacco and tar.
Still a very young wine and very primary.
After a little while in the glass it does show some green bell pepper.
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6/25/2010 - Terkel wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 1990 - 20 years later (Martins office): Dark center with an orange hue. Very pure and distinct nose with beautiful blackcurrant, leaves, licorice, tobacco and iron. The taste has similar pure blackcurrant fruit, backed by green, vegetable notes of green peppers and tobacco leaves. On the finish it’s more mineral notes of iron and pencil shavings as well as some greasy licorice and truffles. Great length and character.
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5/30/2010 - tbabes wrote: 98 Points
The Kitchen Cabinet does Per Se (Per Se, East Dining Room): The fill was into the neck and the cork was pristine; the sommelier at Per Se decanted this about 1 hour prior to service. A lovely deep red color with a hint of garnet at the rim. I am completely berzerk about the bouquet of this wine! Intoxicating notes of black fruits, star anise, roasted herbs and tapenade (Bruce said green pepper!) jumped from the glass; heavenly stuff! Medium-bodied, with a lush and velvety mouthfeel, incredible depth and impeccable balance. A wonderfully round and expansive finish; what a wine!
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5/20/2010 - beachbum wrote: 92 Points
i seemed to be the one dissenter on this, i felt the wine was still hiding, beautiful tight friut soars out of the glass with classic LB lead and mint into a cool dark friut with tar mid palet, others felt the alcohol was showing with the friut dropping.
knowing lynch, and seeing the other recent tn's, i'd say we are in a bit of a closed stage. but what do i know.
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5/18/2010 - MRichman wrote:
1990 Left Bank Bordeaux Horizontal: Sweet, smooth, silky with a long strong finish. Beautiful, but edge goes to the Pichon Baron.
A-
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5/16/2010 - MC wrote:
Unfortunately without the benefit of a good decant. This was very nice, dark color, and a very nice nose. But it didn't have the finish of a great one, and seemed like it may be starting to fade a bit. It did improve after an hour and show off a bit more complexity - but even then I wondered how much longer it will go. Very nice, but I would start drinking. A-
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5/10/2010 - MC wrote:
Still a dark color, but this wine is mature and drinking really well. Not the finish of the very best of them, but this is a very nice wine and one I wish I had more of as it should hold for a while. A-/A
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5/7/2010 - THA wrote:
CdBaH 78th (Bayou Club): An unexpected disappointment. It seemed to be closed and lacking the depth, structure, and power one would expect.
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5/5/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dallas 2nd Wednesday Group - May 2010 (SteveW's house in North Dallas): WIML91-92?
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dried herbs, a hint of smoke, black cherries and black berries. Flavors of black berries and black cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink with some air or continue to hold.
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5/1/2010 - kennyg wrote: 94 Points
Moderate funk on nose likely some brett, thick leathery mid-palate with well integrated tannins and long slightly acidic finish. very complex and well preserved. Believe this will go on for many more years
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4/25/2010 - lkatz wrote:
very disappointed in this wine...lacking in flavor, taste or depth. Hope my other bottles do better over the years
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4/16/2010 - tbabes wrote: 98 Points
The fill was into the neck, and the cork was pristine; this had obviously been perfectly stored. The sommelier at the Fountain Restaurant decanted this about 1 hour prior to consumption. A pleasing purple-ruby core, turning towards ruby at the rim; no signs of amber or rust. A heavenly bouquet, with scents of ripe dark fruits, fennel, and lilly. On the palate, this was off the charts, with layers and layers of flavor, an incredibly velvety texture and great balance. Impressive focus on the long and complex finish. There was not a hard edge to be found, but this will no doubt last for many years to come.
This was the first bottle from a case purchase, which had arrived less than 48 hours prior. I was worried about travel shock, but as the note suggests, this wine was singing!
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4/9/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Consumed at Whiskn"Ladle restaurant in La Jolla with succulent spring lamb, fresh peas and mushrooms. The bottle was pristine and was provided by Ken Johnson. Similar impression as 1/25/08...this wine is the real deal. Drink now-12/20.
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4/9/2010 - Biglama wrote: 94 Points
meegenomen naar proeverij,
rode kleur, mooie wat belegen neus, donker rood fruit, potlood, cederhout, klassiek, smaak is zacht en mooi rond, harmonie met diepgang
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3/31/2010 - MRichman wrote:
Lynch Bages vertical (Morton's NYC): Sweet, lush, beautiful. Soft, silky, fleshy fruit, good herbal and tobacco notes. Nice long glycerine finish. A wonderful wine, but edged out by the 1989 with its firmer structure. My #3 of the night.
A--
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3/25/2010 - dbg wrote:
The 1990 Lynch Bages showed a little lightening at the rim, and like Jon I though it had the best nose of the younger wines. Agree with Jon also that it had plenty of fruit and great balance. Lots of cassis and meaty notes. It was full-bodied and had some beginning complexity, a real lush ripe fruit presence on the palate, and a nice finish with really smooth tannins.
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3/23/2010 - ed-d wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind. Big & rich, dark & tannic. Tastes young with a lot of graphite & dark chocolate. Nice.
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3/10/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
Longboarder and Jay Miller do Dallas (Daniele Osteria, Dallas, TX): WIML93-94
Tasted at an offline. Dark garnet color in the glass, really pretty hue. Nose of tobacco, white pepper, herbs du provence, thistle and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries, black berries and a hint of bitters on the medium to long finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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1/9/2010 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Ruby appearance, no bricking visible to us (though not great lighting). Dark chocolate/cocoa on the nose at first, with a hint of barnyard at first, this opened up to add some blackcurrant and dark fruits. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with more chocolate and spice flavors. The finish is the most impressive part of this wine. It lasted and lasted, we basically stopped counting.
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12/29/2009 - GA wrote: 91 Points
12/09 Cherry - rounded blanced soft tannins - smoothnes and elogance. 91 pts.
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12/28/2009 - Nanks wrote: 91 Points
After reading other tasting notes on this wine my own thoughts may come as a bit of a surprise but i found this rather disappointing. Lacking in power. The fruit seems to have given up the fight and taken the day off. Good chance that at 2 hours i gave it TOO much time to open up. A little short and a little lacking in acidity. On the plus side the nose promises well , the tannins are smooth and round and medium weight. My overall impression ? Drink up ! its on the way out...
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12/27/2009 - nate's cellar wrote: 95 Points
excellent bordeaux - best bottle I've enjoyed in quite some time
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12/20/2009 - Benj wrote: 92 Points
Much, much better than the bottle we had last year. Very rich and complex nose with huge blackcurrant, cedar and sweet spice (particulalry allspice), impeccable rich, pure fresh tobacco leaves, a slug of dark chocolate and v. slightly dirty. On the palate there's more of the same, especially the chocolate, spice and blackcurrant. Medium tannin, medium acid, finish lengthens with time in the glass and could be slightly longer but all in all this is one of the best Bordeaux I've yet had.
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12/17/2009 - ricknat1 wrote: 90 Points
Richer than the 89, but sweeter and less integrated with a slightly alcoholic finish. 90
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12/14/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
Big and flamboyant with a lot of leather on the nose. Did not have a chance to open up, which it needed. Good but not great. (91)
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12/11/2009 - wa2ofd wrote:
Still very youthful, lead pencil, tar...very pauillac...great wine!!!
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11/28/2009 - nvitols wrote: 98 Points
Fully balanced favors of cherry, cedar, and alder smoke. Still youthful with a long way to run until peak maturity. One of the best wines I have drunk.
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11/22/2009 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
Drank with 89,91, 88 and 86
This was a complex beast...very unLB like
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11/10/2009 - cgrimes wrote: 94 Points
NSMFOW November 2009--Mini Verticals (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Dark ruby color with some bricking. Nose of blackberries, cassis, tobacco, pencil lead. Similar on the palate with some earth and mineral. Still some tannins to provide structure. Good balance and density. Classic.
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10/24/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Deep dark royal purple color. Completely opaque black at the center.
Enormously aromatic. Funky and terroir driven displaying neatly wound leather and menthol aromas.
Black truffles, balsamic glaze and some dark tomato soup mixed with blackberry liqueur.
Barnyard flavors mixed with hay and dark blackberry pancake syrup.
Yummy and delicious. Drinking very well at this age. One of my favorite Lynch-Bages of all time.
An excellent showing in a world class vintage.
Cheers!
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10/15/2009 - wfm wrote: 87 Points
Bottle felt off. Don't think it was corked but it was definitely without much fruit. Disappointing to say the least.
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10/3/2009 - petitblanc wrote: flawed
Beautiful looking, musty tasting. The cork on this could be pushed in with a finger. A badly stored bottle that I didn't have much hope for to start with. After two flawed bottles of different Bordeaux tonight, we decided to dedicate the evening to purging the cellar of a number of questionable-looking bottles.
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9/27/2009 - btock wrote: 94 Points
A delight. Classic nose and great length. Deep forest floor elements, soft black fruits, well composed and drinking well now. Second time I've had this in recent months, and both bottles were great.
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9/19/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
Nice classic notes and showing young and a little tight -first I thought this was a victim of too little decanting but as the evening progressed this bottle just didn't have the love to share. Overall nice but lacking the complexity in both flavor profile and structure. Good but not as good as this can be.
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7/11/2009 - jjclips2 wrote: 96 Points
Kruger's 75th (Corsair): Wow. Writing these TN's a month later and I can still taste this one! Super concentrated throughout. Dark chocolate, creme de cassis, tobacco, and tapenade. The nose has a distinct charred meat characteristic, slightly toasty. The palate is coated with rich black fruits and chocolate, spices, and moderate tannins. Sweet fruits and spices with touches of earth. Not quite as complex as it will become in the future, but this singing to me that day.
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7/3/2009 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Always a spectacular wine. Textbook Lynch-Bages with tobacco leaf, graphite and cassis. Very mineral and savory for quite a while, but 4 hours after sitting in a decanter there is getting a sweeter core of black cherry fruit that is finally coming out. Faintly dry on the finish but overall much more supple and silky than a few years ago. This is rounding into form, still quite young with plenty of time ahead.
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6/25/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
The wine opens with ripe, cassis, tobacco, spice and tobacco. Full bodied, with soft round tannins, the soft, elegantly styled, fruit filled finish expresses ample, ripe fruit character. My favorite vintage of LB for current drinking.
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6/1/2009 - torcams wrote: 95 Points
A lesson on the ageability of fine Bordeaux - still fairly young, with firm tannins which are just starting to soften. Very drinkable at this age with lots of dark fruits (cassis, blackberry) and that classic lead pencil/graphite aroma along with some grilled meat. Excellent overall balance and a nice long finish. Definitely ranks among the best Bordeaux I've ever had. Still at least another decade ahead for this wine.
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5/2/2009 - BigRed1000 wrote: 93 Points
Nice fruit on the nose without a lot of brett. Much better than the 90 Figiac.
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1/19/2009 - JScott wrote: flawed
Like my prior experience with this bottling, not much but Brett on the nose and palate. I believe they were from the same source and likely cooked, so I won't score it. Previous experiences with this wine have been very good, but this lot is not.
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1/11/2009 - SteelerFan wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes before drinking and still somewhat closed. This wine is delicious but still a baby - just entering its drinking phase. Dark ruby with cherry, cassis and cedar flavors. No signs of age at all - I would think it was a 5-year old first growth if I didn't see the label. There is deep, rich underlying fruit and balanced, but noticeable tannins. Really great now but will be sensational in 5-10 more years.
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12/25/2008 - Benj wrote: 89 Points
This really disappointed me, considering its prestige and the praise this wine regularly receives. The nose was far too alcoholic, though rich and pretty complex, and the palate just didn't wow me, though had a good amount of dark fruit and spice with a nice long finish. The wine was very leathery, which I kinda liked, but just didn't do anything particularly outstanding for me. I'd be interested to try a different bottle, or different vintages, but from this showing, I wasn't too impressed (don't get me wrong, it was an excellent wine, just not deserving of the price).
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12/10/2008 - mnh wrote:
Excellent now
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12/8/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 95 Points
Lynch Bages Vertical Focused on Parker 91+ Point Reds (Sweets and Savories. Fullerton near Ashland. Chicago. IL): Sight: Dark Plum Red with no signs of bricking.
Nose: A wonderful but slightly different nose than that 1989. My initial impression was that it was slightly more muted than the 1989. Also - the 1989 had a larger raspberry component as well. But with those minor things out of the way - the 1990 Lynch Bages also gushes out of the glass with layers and layers of complex and alluring scents. Oodles of dark red bush and tree fruits, and some smoke components combined with an alluring soft wood smell. Leather and cassis intermingle in folding layers too.
Palate: A very fine taste. Rich, hedonistic, seductive, demure. A very crammed wine with tons of fruit extract that coat that palate all over and has an impressive run from attack through finish on the palate. I perceived a lower level of acid than the 1989 Lynch Bages - but that's OK. Pure velvet - keeps changing, one can spend a lot of time with this bottle.
Overall: Many people have had heated discussions around the 1989 vs. the 1990 as to which one is superior. They are different, but yet similar. For me, I fall on the 1989 side of the discussion. However, this 1990 is so amazing as well that have to say that I would be most pleased if I had the choice to drink either. 94-95 points.
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12/8/2008 - jordanj wrote: 90 Points
Lynch Bages Vertical (Sweet and Savories): I can not find my notes on this but I recall it didn’t wow me. In fact, the only thing I have written down was “ehhh”. Others liked this a lot.
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12/8/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
Lynch Bages Vertical 1961-2005 (Sweets and Savories, Chicago IL): nose: different from the 89, but still provides a lot of intrigue. Deep and showing off the vintage with sweet red and black cherry tones, fruitcakes, red and black currants, cedar, pencil lead, smoke, and bits of saddle leather. Very deep and complex, but with a sweetness to it that is very enjoyable and pleasing
taste: very deep and layered with sweet tones of red and black cherries, cedar, pencil lead, smoke, leather, along with red and black currants forming the base. Well layered with a plushness to it while still being very much bordeaux and very much lynch. It just unwinds slowly on the palate and has great medium body to it with still good tannins
overall: a great companion to the 89. There will probably be forever a debate between bordeaux lovers that have had these wines which one is their preference. On this night for me, it was the 89, but it was a 1 and 1a type situtation. This was a supreme wine that just did everything at a much heightened level and was a real delight.
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12/1/2008 - Biglama wrote: 96 Points
Mooie volle rode kleur, neus is licht wat stal en erf maar ook nog mooi rood fruit, klassieke neus en komt fris over, smaak is zijde zacht met veel balans en diepgang, mooi rijpe tonen en veel karakter, tannines zijn al mooi opgenomen in de wijn, genieten
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11/22/2008 - petitblanc wrote: flawed
Very spongy cork, slightly raised, but no evident seepage or taint. Lifeless and uninteresting.
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9/10/2008 - bsherwin wrote:
A wine that requires no patience is the 1990 Lynch Bages, a wine that fights well above its Fifth Growth weight class. It is one of the friendliest wines I've ever met. It is the labrador retriever, it is the friend that lets you crash at his place, it is the girlfriend that tells you to go to Vegas with your buddies and means it. From a wine perspective, the thing I love about it is how it pops. I could go through the deep cassis, the dollop of vanilla, the extravagent weight in the mouth, the lush rich waves of dark fruit mingling with tobacco, earth and spice. This wine wasn't the most profound wine of the night, but impossible not to enjoy.
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5/9/2008 - winemaker wrote: 96 Points
Had it next to a 1990 Montrose and the Lynch won. Very complex and tasty. Earthy, some leather, but very nice.
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4/23/2008 - JasonD wrote:
Very similar to the bottle Eric had. Decanted for over an hour which helped this open up. Lots of tobacco and fruit with some hints of leather. Very good but not amazing.
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4/23/2008 - mlhla wrote:
Decanted 30 minutes. Delicious.
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4/13/2008 - Eric wrote:
Sunday night with Bordeaux and some lamb (Seattle, WA): A slow burn. Typical Lynch-Bages nose, lots of tobacco, hints of good green. A wall of fruit and structure on the palate, a huge monolith of a wine. Still, with the lamb this unwinds quite nicely and really opens up. Very primary, direct, dare I say linear, but just glorious raw material here. I really should let these sleep, but this is a fun wine to check in on now and then, and this bottle was certainly quite enjoyable.
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3/12/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
Dallas 2nd Wednesday - March 2008 (Lola's, Dallas, TX): WIML93+
Tasted March 12, 2008. Opened and served immediately. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Elegant nose of plums, briar patch, florals and a hint of smoke. Flavors of rich berries, plums, cherries and minerals. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink now with a decant or continue to hold WOTN for me.
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2/22/2008 - Biglama wrote: 90 Points
over 2 dagen gedronken, in eerste instantie vrij gesloten neus, licht wat chemisch iets fruitig nog en wat aards, later meer herkenbare tonen als cassis en cederhout, smaak is zacht en soepel, vrij laag in de zuren en wat plakkende tannines, wijn komt geconcentreerd over. heeft aandacht nodig
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1/25/2008 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Tasted in single-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Medoc tasting. Deep garnet robe with bricking at the rim. Beautiful, intense bouquet of cardamom, assorted black fruits, mushrooms and leather. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, melted tannins and complex flavors which mirror the nose. Long, smooth finish. Absolutely stunning stuff! Drink now-12/20.
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12/26/2007 - Marco68 wrote: 94 Points
Very reticent at first it needs oxigen to open,then improve continuously in the glass it boasts powerful and complexity layer of layer of mature fruits,silky tannins,perfect acidity will last for many many years.
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12/25/2007 - NittanyLion wrote:
Not decanted. Single bottle lot purchased locally at a charity auction. Dark, purple-red with just the faintest hint of lightening on the edges. For us, a typical Pauillac nose-- tobacco, earthy, some graphite or pencil lead. Lovely nose. Some black fruits on the palate along with the ever-present tobacco--with a nice long finish. Very elegant and lovely--drinking very nice with about 15-20 min of air.
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12/22/2007 - 2cellartracker wrote:
Fantastic! A Christmas tradition to open a bottle of this case. 95
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12/4/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 96 Points
Kitchen Tasting Group does Lynch Bages: Dark red color. Looks extremely youthful. Soaring nose gives an impressive expression of black fruit, tobacco, mushroom, funk and floral notes. Ever so slightly roasted fruit. Awesome. In the mouth this gives complex flavors of dark fruit and tobacco with some mineral notes. The texture is divine. Perfect balance. Smooth tannins. Great length on the finish. Really good with great potential to develop further with additional bottle age.
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12/4/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93-94. Comparable to previous bottles. Still holding in 93-94 range. I'm thinking this wine does have quite a bit of life ahead of it.
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12/4/2007 - Siggy wrote: 95 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Lynch Bages (JP's American Bistro, Minneapolis): Now we're talking! Enchanting nose featuring dark fruit, spice, pencil lead, and tobacco. Gorgeously ripe black fruit, herbs/leaves, with a smoldering, smoky finish. Youthful. Silky minerality on the palate. Wonderful balance. Co-WOTN for me.
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11/15/2007 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Dark, red, ruby color with lightening around the edges. Cassis & smoke on the nose. Full bodied. Silky, lush black fruit on the palate. Surprisingly accessible. This has more in common with the 85 than the 89. Good, but not great. Will improve with a few additional years of bottle age
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10/13/2007 - jahlove wrote: 93 Points
Open for four hours, decanted in the last hour. Color is still suprisingly dark around the edges for its age. The nose is very pretty. Lots of flowers, blackberry, tobacco and earth, all of which follow through on the palette, stretching out on the long finish. The mouthfeel is very silky, but also carries a weight that is suprising for it's 12.5% alcohol content. This is all about Old World elegance and class. Paired deliciously with game hens with a red currant sauce.
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10/9/2007 - Eric wrote:
Dinner at Wilfred's (New York City): Lynch-Bages can be a bit linear and monolithic, but the 1989 and 1990 sure are fun to drink. This 1990 was no exception. Big, burly, black, and medicinal with an explosion of Pauillac tobacco. What's not to love here? Just textbook Pauillac.
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10/5/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Golf & Dinner at Medinah with Rocky, Kevin, et al. (Medinah Country Club): One of the better showing bottles of this I've had. Great black fruit with green pepper notes, and a nice spiciness. Concentrated and rich but well balanced and very drinkable. Nice.
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9/11/2007 - jmd60611 wrote: 94 Points
Yummy, silky and balanced. Thsi puppy was popped and poured at Mortons LA with the Russak boys and sure was a pleaser...Great depth, layers, structure and balance
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8/27/2007 - Cracker Barrel wrote: 96 Points
Drank at 11 Madison for Denise's Birthday. Outstanding bottle.
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8/19/2007 - GA wrote: 93 Points
8/07 Tasted at an offline - Big bold fruit and huge chewy tannins - good balance - 10 year laydown. 93 pts.
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8/9/2007 - grapist wrote: 95 Points
The genuine article. Most everything you want in a mature Bordeaux. Balanced, complex, forever finish. Followed a '01 Plumpjack Cab. and the L-B was clearly superior.
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7/29/2007 - GA wrote: 92 Points
7/07 tasted off Sparks restaurant list - Earthen nose - dark ruby red - cherry fruit with a structured and layered tobacco oak chocolate finish - needed time to open and breath - good balance and interesting wine. 92 pts.
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7/8/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
What a treat. Thanks Bob. Previously decanted and aired, this wine is the real deal...the reason why we all collect, cellar, and drink wines. The ridiculously smooth texture and mouth feel of this wine have to be tasted to be believed. The dark black currant and plum fruit is still gorgeous, supple, and fresh, and the LB is so polished and viscerally fun to drink that it defies description. There's also an earth side to this wine that shows black truffle, as well as some cigar box. One of the top wines of the night.
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6/22/2007 - JohnB wrote: flawed
corked
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6/16/2007 - Cheryl wrote:
Per Se - from magnum - I don't understand what the fuss is. I am not a huge bordeaux person, so that must be it. I found it one note, soy sauce, almost sour.
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5/16/2007 - win wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at large dinner. Minimal notes. 90-92
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4/13/2007 - futronic wrote: 94 Points
Philly Pre-Game Champagne and Bordeaux Dinner (Marigold Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA): Dark ruby red colour. Huge, powerful nose with black licorice, black plums, black cherry, cream/vanilla, herbs, and alcohol. Medium-full bodied with replays from nose. Moderate-long finish, ~40s, with spice and black licorice nose. Lovely!
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4/13/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
Champagne & Bordeaux Offline (Marigold in Philadelphia, PA): WIML93,WA92,WS93
Tasted April 13, 2007 at an offline. Opened and decanted about 3 or so hours before serving. Dark garnet color in the glass, slightly dusty looking towards center. Nose of cedar, graphite, black currants and anise. Flavors of anise, black berries and black cherries. Medium to full acidity, medium tannins and medium to full bodied. Needs more time in bottle. Hold. No rush here. Downgrading my previous rating of WIML94 to WIML93.
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4/13/2007 - psmith wrote:
A very ripe wine: more fruit than earth-driven character. Feels overdone after several less-overt wines. Will clearly benefit from time. Undoubtedly not the better for being served after several more refined wines.
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3/30/2007 - sajjy wrote: 90 Points
Drank 3/24/07 in a blind tasting and lost out to a 2000 Bond(Melbury?).The wine took 3-4 hours to open up and at it's peak was very good,i was a little disappointed as the82 Lynch Bages was one of the most enjoyable wine experiences of my life.I think it still needs a few more years.
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3/14/2007 - Topper wrote: 95 Points
Captured this wine at its absolute peak. Just gorgeous - the Angelina Jolie reference in Cheryl's note was right on. If a wine can be voluptuous, then this was it. Don't wait any more on thiese.
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2/23/2007 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Pauillac (Seattle, WA): Quite reticent at first with 90 minutes of decanting. Surprisingly hollow on the mid-palate, but this does explode on the finish. Does it just need more air? Yup, this starts to open up with amazing charcoal and mineral notes. Toothsome, tannic and quite young. A reticent showing. I retasted two hours later, and AHAH, this has opened up. Very nice tobacco notes now. Much thicker and more spicy on the midpalate. This bottle needed a LOT more air to shine.
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2/7/2007 - cheeseman wrote: 95 Points
Super Bowl Party 2007-This wine was beetter than Peyton Manning!!!!
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2/1/2007 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
HDH Comparative Bordeaux Tasting 1989 & 1990 (Casino Club): Full red/purple color. Lovely complex spicy red fruit nose with graphite notes. Mmmmn, wow. Nice rich complex red fruit with depth - pencil lead, cedar, and black fruit. Classic Pauillac.
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1/28/2007 - shaferguy91 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Still very young. Delicious.
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1/26/2007 - Nico P. wrote: 89 Points
Blackcurrant, coffee, soy sauce, earth. Only slight bricking at the edges. Still has grip, tart medium long finish. Nice
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12/30/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
(at Corks – Baltimore) Pretty good, but overall a little disappointing. Classic black current flavor profile. I was hoping for more depth and explosiveness. This is drinking very well now – a delicious, but not profound bottle. (17)
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12/2/2006 - JScott wrote: flawed
Quite a bit more Bretty than I've had previously, enough to blunt the underlying fruit. Maybe slightly cooked, which might explain the elevated Brett.
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11/10/2006 - Cheryl wrote:
"Lush, hiding nothing, attractive, an Angelina Jolie-wine"
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11/3/2006 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with He Who Must Not Be Named (Jim Clary's): Full coffee black/red color. Full black fruit aroma. big bold black tannic fruit with some earthy blood hints. I think this wine still needs some more time, personally.
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10/28/2006 - Grinner wrote: 96 Points
An amazing dark ruby color with earthy cigar box and currant nose. A thick/plush wine with persistent dark fruit and smooth but obvious tannins. Great finish, still a baby!
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10/26/2006 - win wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Lynch-Bages Wine Dinner with Monsieur Jean-Charles Cazes (The Petroleum Club, Sky Lobby, Dallas, Texas): This wine was showing very well tonight. Simply the best Lynch-Bages I have had, thus far. Classic wine.
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10/12/2006 - bsherwin wrote:
Sweet 16 Party for our Bordeaux (Triomphe): Wow. A dark, expressive, opulent wine. A classic Pauillac that is absolutely singing right now. I had had it back in May and thought it was firing on all cylinders then, but this blew that away. The wine was decidedly Bordeaux with notes of leather, lead and earth, but the fruit was so sweet and emphatic that one could easily mistake it for a California Cabernet. In the mouth it was lush with rich waves of dark fruit mingling with tobacco, earth and spice. The acidity was tucked in nicely behind the fruit and carried the finish on and on. A phenomenal effort.
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10/10/2006 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Lynch Bages vertical (Washington Hotel, London): Not much on nose, savoury, sharp, but a tobacco sweetness developed, long, but not complex
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9/9/2006 - wineismylife wrote: flawed
WIMLNR,WA94,WS88-95
Tasted September 9, 2006 at an offline. No notes taken. This wine was horribly corked. No rating.
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8/20/2006 - psmith wrote: 92 Points
Rather reticent nose. Graphite and tobacco on the palate with hints of darker berries. Lots of weight and a bit hard on the finish, but clearly more from youth than any fault. Clearly a very good wine, but would benefit from a long decant at this point.
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7/19/2006 - win wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux Tasting, Dallas, Texas (IL Sole Restaurant & Wine Bar): Medium ruby maroon red that smelled young and coated the glass with nice legs. Wonderful scent of red currants and raspberries, which was followed by a hint of green bell pepper and very subtle oak with a great finish. Needs more time. 92-94
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5/15/2006 - rilog wrote: 92 Points
Intense, formidable, brooding with powerful tannins and a super-long finish. It still seems young and capable of improvement, though you search in vain for fruit flavors that could make this an extraordinary wine.
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5/3/2006 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Wow, this is young, almost painfully. The aromatics are barely evolved, just black cherry, graphite, rocks and a gorgeous floral note. The palate, mmmmmm, what a palate. Huge, weighty, fantastic grip, loads of ripe fruit, red moving to black, just drenched in minerals, tobacco, graphite. A real thrill ride. This needs lots of time, but it is always a pleasure.
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3/29/2006 - Alpine wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding nose with pencil lead, cassis and cedar rocking out of the glass. Tacky tannins on the finish but not drying. A real mouth full of wine.
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2/27/2006 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94,~WA90-94,~WS88-95
Tasted February 27, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Closed nose, tight as a drum. Swirled a little leather notes out of it after a while. Some flavors of black and Bing cherries. This wine is still not open for business in my opinion. I’ll be rescheduling my first bottle for tasting in 2010.
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2/27/2006 - Biglama wrote: 93 Points
Mooie volle rode kleur. In de neus mooie rijpe fruitigheid. Cassis, kersen met ook wat kruidigheid, laurier en tabak. Veel indrukken maar alles mooi op z'n plaats. In de smaak weer dat rode fruit en rijpe tonen. wijn is elegant maar je proeft dat er nog veel leven en kracht in de wijn zit. alles weer mooi in balans, goede structuur. Finesse. lange zachte afdronk. Mooie ronde tannines zijn aanwezig.
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1/14/2006 - magnord wrote:
Cabernets from around the world (Kungsholmen, Stockholm): This bottle had not survived 13 years in a too hot and dry closet, therefore not rated. Under a veil of wet cellar scent there was some coffe, leather, barnyard and cedarwood. Spicy, with a grassy diminished Bordeaux-taste, unfortunately also some used tea-bags. What a pity...
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1/3/2006 - MikeZ wrote:
It has been years since I have had the '90. It is brooding and massive. Classic bordeax scents are immediately present: leather, hint of funk, pencil shavings and cigar box. Extremely dark with no signs of fading this decade. (or probably the next) Rich and lush across the palate with black cherry and earthiness, slightly tannic with some spice on the finish. The wine is screaming for a steak...The palate adds richness and layers with about an hour of air.
After 4 hours, this is just exquisite and has added a ton of weight...great stuff.
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12/20/2005 - amred wrote: 94 Points
Classic Bordeaux nose with lead pencil, fruit and as noted elsewhere, a bit of that barnyard, gamey aromas as well. We were surprised, in that this was extremely smooth, soft tannins, good dark fruit, relatively low acid. Seemed very much ready to drink. The wine will last, but won't really improve. After open ~1 hr, it had, however, smoothed out, some of the barnyard nose was clearly volatile and gone, and it was even more satisfying as a classic, mature bordeaux. A wonderful wine.
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12/16/2005 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 96 Points
Consumed at Frank Noble's annual Christmas luncheon (at Gemelli restaurant). Bottle provided from my personal cellar. Although a formal tasting note was not made, it can be said that the wine was absolutely delicious, well-structured and early in its drinking window. For me (and many others) it was the wine of the afternoon (among several outstanding bottles).
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11/14/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1990 Bordeaux Horizontal (Tribeca Grill): Nice rich smooth fruit, a bit soft, nice minty herb.
B+
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11/1/2005 - Fatty Cat wrote: 90 Points
Early Sep 2005, birthday dinner at "Buffy's steakhouse": pale brownish red color; intense cassis nose; surprisingly faint on the palate.
Underachiever: guess this bottle was not well stored for quite some time.
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9/26/2005 - PaulH wrote: 94 Points
Heady cigar box and spicy nose. Lush, ripe, mouth-filling, with long sweet tannic finish. A great mouthful of wine. Absolutely ready to drink with great pleasure right now.
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5/13/2005 - 1800kidney wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux looking out on Lake Michigan (Winnetka): Todd tried this last two years ago and said it wasn't ready, try again in two year so we did! This is a monster Lynch Bages with teeth gripping tannins prominent in the mouthfeel. Nevertheless, it is coming around..fruits include plums and cassis, cedar, and a bit of green pepper, and a touch of anise in the finish that goes on and on..lovely balance; 1 hour later in glass it was even better! Great future prospect, 92 is my current score but this has upside potential
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5/8/2005 - jfroklage wrote:
The Event: We gathered our wives, headed to our local C Club. We opened a 2001 Etude so they would keep their hands off the LB, which we decanted for two hours. Both noses were unmistakably Bordeaux and great. The 1990 in particular, was more "barnyard" but not off-putting in the least. Both were purple, the 1990 maybe a bit more heading to a slight bricking. The 1989 mid-palate was pronounced, full of flavor, the tannins are still there. This wine is awesome but still has years to go. The finish was there and was very good. A great wine.
The 1990 was more velvety and darker, perhaps brooding. The midpalate wasn't as pronounced but there were no complaints. Cedar, spice, cassis, all there, just not as mouth filling as the 89. Then the finish. IF you tried to run, it would come and tackle you from behind. Unbelievable. After swallowing, I tasted as much flavor and length as when the wine was in my mouth. The biggest Bordeaux finish I think I have ever had.
The 1990 is more approachable now but certainly has some years ahead too.
These are different wines but both are very representative of LB. I rate each 96 pts and re- confirm why I love good Bordeaux so much.
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5/4/2005 - rao38 wrote:
Good but not great. Open one hour before serving.
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4/28/2005 - KenK wrote: 93 Points
Lynch Bage vs Pichon Lalande 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995 plus 3 Ringers: Groups 4th place and my 2nd place vote out of 11 Bordeaux served blind.
Nose: Complex classy Bordeaux earth tones with minerals, cherries and cedar
Palate: Toasty and rich. Good mouthfeel. Ripe dry cherry, minerals and some smoke. Well rounded and smooth rich lingering finish.
Solid and classy. Drinking well.
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4/22/2005 - syrahlvr wrote: 95 Points
I am a big fan of Lynch Bages so I was very glad to try this wine and it did not disappoint. Packed and stacked throughout. This is a big/rich and still complete/complex bottle of wine. Seamless integration of fruit/oak/acid. My #1 wine over the '90 Pichon Baron and '90 Angelus tonight.
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4/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Tasted 12/99 - still too young. Nice fruit, but still quite forward and lacks complexity and integration. 90pts.
Group #4, My #7 - Opaque red/crimson with some lightening. Forward aroma of spicy briar red fruit and sweetness. Tight structured black fruits with cofee finish. Some pepper too. Drinking sooner than the 89. 92 pts. 4/05
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3/15/2005 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Harvest Vine (Seattle, WA, USA): This was a pristine bottle with a high fill and a spotless cork. The moment we opened it the nose reeked of tobacco and cigar box. With more air the aromatics yielded up an amazing note of cocoa powder followed by spicy cedar and then a return to tobacco with a hint of brett and leather. The palate was approachable from the get-go with initial notes of graphite and smokey minerals that were quickly swallowed by masses of black fruit. The mouthfeel was impeccable, lush and rich as any good 1990 should be, yet very well balanced and with good focus. The finish initially showed some drying tannins, but with air this smoothed and lengthened considerably. Mmm, this is such a fun, pleasurable young wine with loads of life ahead, fantastic claret!
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3/2/2005 - jfroklage wrote:
1990 Lynch Bages Pauillac
I rank this as #3 of the night. It would take #1 from many tastings. Outstanding! Went from flavor to flavor. From Dark blackberries and currants to dried herbs, to bell pepper…. VERY aromatic. Mouth filling to a fault, with great texture and flavor. One of the best bottles of Lynch I’ve ever had.
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2/14/2005 - MRichman wrote:
Brilliant deep clear red. Full bodied nose, hot, clear.
Clean, pure, full. Very powerful. A little too hot. Tangy oaky tannins. Integrated, but not fully. Really pure. Sweet cherry. Nice complexity, well built. Bold and big with toasted oak. Mature but will definitely get better. Hints of tar, lead, berry. Wide expanse of flavors. Some espresso. Long with med heavy weight. Pretty silky. Dark finish. Forward, pure, Very nice.
B+/A-
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1/3/2005 - mnh wrote:
Good color, nice fruit driven nose. Very good fruit and soft tannins. Not as expressive now as it will be.
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12/21/2004 - la turque wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic!
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12/15/2004 - JasonD wrote: 96 Points
STG - woopin it up at Roys (Roys Crib): This is a monster of a wine, big and dark. It seemed like a baby compared to many of the other wines even the 89. I guessed LB on this (I guessed LB on many of the other wines too) because of the cedar on the nose. In addition to cedar there were massive black fruits, leather and some oak hiding in the background. The finish was very long.
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12/11/2004 - Jason wrote: 96 Points
Year end SG Dinner #2 (House of Hersh): This was far more open and approachable then the 89. The nose was sweet and smoky. The palate was well balanced but young and explosive. If you like fruit forward wines that are still pure Bordeaux, this is for you.
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12/11/2004 - Eric wrote: 97 Points
Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' #2 (Sammamish, WA, USA): Most tasters preferred the prior wine, but for me the 1990 curled my toes a bit more. Even more ripe than the 1989 with sheer masses of black fruit, graphite, and some younger notes of caramel and vanilla. Eventually a really cool tarry element appeared. The palate was dense and extracted, absolutely stunning with so much minerality and then, oh that finish, it just keeps going for a minute! For me this was just so hedonistic and rich that I forgave the fact that it was less well defined and less complex than the 1989. What a great showing from this pair!
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10/25/2004 - lridgway wrote: 93 Points
starts with dark fruit, leather and tobacco. Firm tannin that became smoother as the wine spent more time in the glass. Nice wine paired with lamb chops
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9/24/2004 - Alpine wrote: 90 Points
The 1990 Lynch Bages was very nice, not off but not as silky as I recall previous bottles. There was the classic bordeaux nose and fruits, but this bottle lack the 1990 elegant mouth feel that I have become to expect. Somewhat of a let down but the resturant was wonderful and I expect to return soon.
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9/17/2004 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Sending off the in-laws (Seattle, WA, USA): The nose starts with charcoal and sweet, almost caramel infused fruit. With air the tobacco starts to come out and then black cherry. At first, the palate was black and medicinal, bruising, an absolute kick in the teeth, slightly astringent, just drenched with salty minerals. However, with 3 hours of air this became sweeter and much more giving. Eventually this had a total reversal, showing an amazingly plush texture with not a hard edge to be found, screaming of tobacco and sweet fruit, drenched in mineral. With roasted lamb-loin and then some harder cheese this was a heavenly match!
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2/5/2004 - Rani wrote: 87 Points
Tasted at Handford's, in same flight with 1990 Palmer and 1990 LLC. Quite opaque ruby, with brick tinge around the edges. Nose was a bit off - cooked vegetables, clay - perhaps heat damage? The palate is disappointing - quite harsh and surprisingly austere. Should wait another 5-10 years, but I'm not sure it would ever be great.
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11/11/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 94 Points
Tasted at '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle provided by Marshall Banker. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of kirsch, brier, leather and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate, with big sweet tannins, low acidity, silky mouth texture and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. Nicely paired with the braised veal cheek (with savoy cabbage and serrano prosciutto in orange juniper berry sauce).
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10/15/2003 - 4oaksbluff wrote: 90 Points
Still too young, wait 2 years
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4/26/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
Medium red. Scents of vitamin-pills. Also some dough. Strong in the mouth. Hard and rejective. Difficult to taste and evaluate. Somewhat diffuse in my opinion. It was really hard to decipher the elements here. I kept trying to analyze the structure and characteristics, but to no avail. The nose was intrigueing and I actually found myself smelling the wine more than wanting to consume it.
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1/18/2003 - Eric wrote:
Tasted at Patrick & Naoko's. Inky black in the glass (gee that SHOULD have been a giveaway). Loads of oak, somewhat medicinal, black fruit, coffee. I found this one to be acidic, tannic and rather astringent with a tight finish. This was consistently my least favorite WOTN. I guessed '89 Lynch Bages, but in fact this was '90 Lynch Bages.
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7/12/2002 - peternelson wrote: 97 Points
Red Carpet: Dark opaque-purple w/rust; Mushrooms, wet forest, truffles, olives, tannic & big finish.
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8/12/2001 - amred wrote: 93 Points
8/01 (tasting): Was great. Varietal, rich, still young, but, as RP notes: supple. Score will go up with age.
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8/12/2001 - amred wrote:
8/01 (tasting): Was great. Varietal, rich, still young, but, as RP notes: supple.
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6/2/2001 - dbg wrote:
outstanding nose, richness, nice complexity, good-great finish, got
sweeter, more open and more complex with time but retained an intense
concentrated pure fruit streak right down the middle, even fuller
bodied than the '82 Talbot brought by Jim & Shari,
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7/29/2000 - dbg wrote:
outstanding nose, richness, nice complexity, good-great finish
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3/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 87 Points
Expressive spicy oaky nose. Fragrant. Balanced but lacks persistence. Not a blockbuster style of Lynch Bages.
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7/20/1997 - dbg wrote:
still dark purple, rich gamey nose with meat, leather, bit of linden
that blew off in 15 minutes, rich deep fruit, good finish
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4/12/1996 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at wine bar at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Opaque mulberry with violet rim. Intense currants, oak, plum and characteristic Lynch Bages "paper paste" on nose. Palate follows. Full body, medium soft tannins. Medium, slightly hot finish. Nice, but needs time.
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5/21/1993 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
1989 Opus One and 1990 Chateau Lynch-bages (Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, Ca.): Open, forward, raw power cabernet on the nose, more polished and rich in the mouth than the Opus, intens soft tannins, good acid, well balanced, needs 3-4 years to peak, licorice on the rich, long finish.
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