Vorab: Ich habe den Wein 2019 aus der halben Flasche getrunken und war damals begeistert ob der Frische, Griffigkeit, Harmonie und insgesamt grandiosen Linksufer-Stilistik.
Auch heute wieder aus der halben Flasche.
In der Nase ist das grundsätzlich sehr verschlossen, fast grün, etwas ruppig. Es gibt trotzdem ein sehr komplexes Bild mit viel phenolischet Frische, Eukalyptus, grüner Paprika, etwas Paprika-Pulver, Leder, Tabak und auch etwas Rauch. Die Komponenten aus der 2019-Probe sind alle da, allerdings lange nicht so harmonisch und perfekt beisammen. (Edit: Erst im Nachhinein fällt mir auf, dass ich überhaupt nichts über Frucht geschrieben habe. Die findet sich natürlich auch, am ehesten in Form von etwas Pflaume und ein paar dunklen Beeren)
Am Gaumen hat das viel Griff, im Moment vielleicht etwas ruppiges Tannin, trotzdem guten Zug und auch hier viel Frische. Auch hier findet sich viel von der Komplexität aus der Nase wieder, das hat Biss und vor allem auch hier reichlich Potential.
Guter Abgang mit deutlicher Länge, auch hier eher etwas „muted“ als wirklich adstringierend.
Interessant und für mich sehr lehrreich, wie sich so eine Verschlussphase äußert. Ich bin sehr gespannt, das in vielleicht 10 Jahren nochmal zu probieren.
93++
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From 375. Even from the half bottle format, this felt like baby killing. Prominent, bold, grippy tannins. Primary fruit, graphite and wet granite. PnP, consumed over three hours, the last glass was definitely the best. Truly excellent now, but patience will definitely be rewarded. Paired with Flannery hanger steak, which helped with those tannins. Delicious.
I know I promised off wine for 90 days, but she beckoned me from the cellar and I caved as I always do.
As the golden elixir kissed my lips, a rush of nostalgia took hold, transporting me back to a time when life was simpler, more innocent, yet ripe with adventure and discovery. The 2009 Lynch Bages, a wine steeped in history and tradition, embodies the essence of an era long past, stirring memories of moonlit wanderings through the enchanting vineyards of France.
My first encounter with the 2009 Lynch Bages was akin to revisiting a cherished chapter from the book of my life—a chapter written in the verdant meadows of France, where as a young child, I roamed freely through sprawling vineyards, guided by the faint glow of starlight on moonless nights sneaking doing what kids do. There, amidst the whispers of the vines and the gentle rustle of leaves, I embarked on a lifelong affair with the enigmatic charm of wines, an affair that would shape my very existence.
Upon uncorking this opulent treasure, a sense of anticipation swirled within me, akin to the thrill of setting foot on unknown lands during my adventures across the globe. The initial encounter with the 2009 Lynch Bages was a revelation—an intense and spirited affair that mirrored the vibrant hues of youth, entwined with the complexities of a wine maiden's allure.
As the wine danced gracefully in the glass, its youthful exuberance was undeniable. Like a seasoned adventurer relishing the aroma of distant lands, my senses were greeted by a symphony of scents—an amalgamation of wet earth and crushed gravel, interwoven with an intriguing spiciness that teased the palate. It “could be” a pop n poor but it’s a bordeaux, I must wait……The bouquet, reminiscent of the rich, fertile soils of the vineyards, conjured vivid memories of those moonlit strolls amidst the vines, where every step seemed to echo the history and resilience of the terroir.
It was as if each sip of this illustrious vintage carried me back to those moonlit nights, surrounded by the fragrance of blossoming grapes and the whispers of the night wind. Each swirled sip revealed layers of flavor that spoke volumes of the wine's youth yet promised an evolution that only time and patience could unveil. The initial burst of spiciness, akin to the fervor of youthful passion, was tempered by the subtle embrace of dark fruits—a melange of blackcurrants and plums, their sweetness lingering like a stolen kiss on a summer's eve.
As I savored each sip, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this exquisite wine and the journey of a hopeless romantic. Much like the tender emotions of a youthful heart intertwined with the wisdom of experience, the 2009 Lynch Bages encapsulates the duality of life—youthful exuberance mingled with the depth and complexity of maturity.
In conclusion, the 2009 Lynch Bages, with its tantalizing blend of spiciness, wet earth, and crushed gravel, embodies the essence of an unforgettable journey—a journey through vine-clad landscapes, under the embrace of a star-studded sky, where every sip is a tribute to the past and a celebration of the enigmatic journey that lies ahead. Cheers to the enduring romance of wine, the embodiment of life's most treasured moments, and the timeless allure of Lynch Bages.
First of a dozen. Amazing!! It was a blissful Auckland summer night, one of the few, by the pool, my wife and my enjoying this after dinner. Some grip, deep and delicious, made you come back for more, playful but so confident. A tremendous wine firmly in its drinking window. Very good from pop and pour and Became more unctuous and oily at the one hour mark.
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I opened my only box of 2009 Lynch-Bages and wee had 3 bottles for our pPre-Christmas dinner yesterday. 4 h decanted in caraffe. Very elegant delicate fine wine, no signes of age , perfect integrated tannins, a lot of fruit and some wood, no leather here - a truly aristocartic wine, at it's peak in my humble opinion The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blueberry, red currant and black currant (cassis). It tastes like blackberry, black currant (cassis), red currant, raisin and lead pencil. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes very long.
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Pop and pour. On the nose blackcurrant and menthol appear first, then cherry and vanillin. Secondary aromas are already perceptible. Really like the nose. Palate is dominated by grippy tannins - too grippy for my personal taste. Hopefully those will resolve with time. Will wait to have our next bottle with proper decant before to score this one.
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Was about to choose wine for last night's venison treat, with all usual Swedish trimmings. Came across a review here that LB -09 was ready to be enjoyed after a couple of hours in the carafe. Carafed 6h, subsequently. Shows no signs of ageing, but alas, far too early; After another in carafe/glass it starts to begin to vaguely open up but is still very closed. A reasonably nice experience of course but won't open another one for years.
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Double decanted 5 hours before tasting; really well developed with expressive nose and a really nice soft silky creamy texture; was afraid it might have been too early, but drinking really well now and can for certain hold a long time
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Opened an hour or so before entrees. Nose showing wonderfully. Leather and cigarbox balanced against strong fruit. Beautiful. On the palate a bit more shutdown / tight. Acid ripping. A bit thin. I think this could have benefited from a lot more air at this age. Will hold my 750mls a while before enjoying
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Jean-Michel Cazes, great personality in the wine world, passed away. RIP. In his honour, I was tasting this wine icon that was improved greatly under his influence. In the 1855 classification, it was a 5th Cru. Today, it would merit being classified as a 2nd Cru Classé. 2009 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France. Ruby color. In the nose, aromas of cassis, blackberry, dark plum, touch of vanilla, sous-bois. On the palate, this is a powerful wine, with acidity medium -, tannins present but very well integrated. Great body. Very long finish. An excellent wine that is already great to drink, but still has really great potential - in 10 to 20 years, it will probably be even better. TBM 95 points.
Decidedly young upon opening with tart red fruit, clean territory notes, rock and some wood. Bright, acidic, crisp tannins, very structured on the palate. Consumed along side the 2000 Chateau Bernnon which offered an interesting comparison. The Lynch Bages was young and bright compared to the Brennan. While both lovely, it was apparent the Lynch Bages has decades of life ahead of it but is drinking nicely now in its youth.
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Surprised to find perhaps 1 Tbsp of sediment in the bottle, with a fragrance billowing out of the decanter as soon as I poured it in. This is a deep opaque red, no signs of bricking. Nose is fairly open an youthful, cherry, vanilla, rose petal. Tannin and acid predominate, fine edge of acid and drying tannins, though on the tongue it feels less primary than the nose suggested. With an hour of air the age begins to show: still tightly knit tannins but now chocolate, cola, dark cherry, mushroom and mint. This wine is not messing around: I enjoyed it today but there is absolutely not rush with this one, it has a long life ahead.
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Not even close to my expectation of a classified 2009 Pauillac. Maybe in a dumb phase？ Need a long decant but shows no satisfying aroma nor bouquet. Not enough complexity.
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Ripe and fruity on the nose, all glace cherry and ripe plum... it's not unattractive, but doesn't scream "Pauillac" to me. That said, the wine certainly doesn't drink like a hot vintage, as there's plenty of acidity, and some graphite (as well as some chocolate) towards the finish. There's good concentration, and I admire the fine, powdery tannins, but the wine was strangely lacking in excitement. Closed down?
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Vintage Wine Merchants Bordeaux Tasting 5/13. Nice pour and this is starting to show some of its future glory. This was decanted for an hour but would be better served with a full day of air. Or wait for 10 more years. Scoring for potential 95 - 98
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This is closed down at the moment. Slight aromas of dark cherry, pencil and sweet tobacco. Palate was medium bodied and balanced. A pleasurable wine, but too early to live up to its expectations.
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Took a bit to open up — was all pepper and tannins at first — but after that had big dark fruits and a great anise backbone that was fun and added interest. Loved it
For many, one of the stars of the super seconds on this 2009 horizontal. Ticked all the boxes. Pauillac nose, beautiful weight, balance and structure. Most surprising of all, considerable freshness, hinting at a long life. Great winemaking and a relative bargain. A joy amongst many over-worked and frankly, in some cases, over-ripe wines.
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Dinner at home with friends, the first such occasion for several months and a new chapter in my life. So what better than my favourite Bordeaux from the excellent 2009 vintage. Opened and decanted for 2 hours, it's starting to drink really well now. Lovely blackcurrant fruit and a rich, soft palate, plenty of earthiness and long, leathery finish. Excellent and I look forward to more bottles from the case over the coming years.
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👀 dark crimson, slight signs of age but still looking dark.
👃🏼 licorice, leather, tobacco black fruits, rich opulence, power!
👅 Blackberry, high acidity, high tannins, pepper and a bit of spice. Herbal notes maybe rosemary? Mint...! Smoke on the finish.
This is a wine built for the cellar, even after an hour in the glass it's only just starting to open up. Will be interesting to see how it develops over the next 10-30 years. It's tannic power and acidity are still quite overbearing, in all honesty it might still be too soon for this wine. I think it needs at least another 5 years in the cellar before trying again.
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We tasted as a vertical tonight the 2000, 2009 and the 2014. The 2009 opened with a funky nose and took a good 2.5 hours for the funk to blow off. My first instinct was there was an issue with this bottle against the other two. However after 3 hours this one came around and was beautiful and ended up the best of the three by hour 3. Those that are holding this needs 3-4 hours to get going.
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Vertical of Lynch-Bages 1989 to 2018. Initially dumb on the nose but opened up to show lots of good ripe fruit, cassis, some richness, good concentration and full of flavor. Still needs more years to realise its full potential but with time both 2009 and 2010 may come to rival the 1989 & 1990.
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Tasted blind, the 2009 Lynch Bages again shows a big, clean, lavishly-fruited nose, freshened by petrichor and mineral without heaviness. A great success.
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Surprisingly compact on day one with lots of dark zippy dry black fruits, but not showing much depth or layered elegance, much like the 2010 served along side. Getting a sense just beginning to wake form a long slumber. However, after a couple of days in bottle with air removed this came much more to life with a broader more impressive profile. I will say 91-93 range across these days. Will give a 92 overall. Potential is there, needs to open and double decant 2 hours before didn't do it.
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Deep purple-black. Blackberry liqueur, cassis, cedar, minerals and some dried meat on the nose. This was a big wine with a full, rich palate and some tannins still to work through on the long finish. While very enjoyable now, the excellent fruit is still quite primary. This wine is only hinting at its full potential and I expect to hold my remaining bottles for at least another 5 years for the wine to better harmonize and develop another layer of complexity.
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Very 2009-ish inasmuch as the fruit leans toward the red end of the spectrum and shows an airy intensity with soft textures. The redcurrant, griotte, raspberry compote profile is actually reminiscent of a modern-day version of the 1947 or 1949. Beautiful depth on the palate yet with a crystalline clarity, minerally-fresh, graphite-filled. This finishes very well.
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Medium to deep ruby colored. On the nose savory dark cherries, blackberries, and some dried leafs. On the palate the dark berries are dominant too - black currant, blackberries, ripe dark cherries, some sweet tobacco, soft forest floor and some interesting green herbs. Full bodied with a medium acidity. Velvety tannins, nicely integrated. Great complexity and depth. Structure feels a little imprecise. Good overall balance. Nice long and savory finish. After pulling the cork it felt a little tight so I double decanted it and let it breathe for another 30-60 minutes. After 60 minutes it was showing its best side. After 3 hours it already started too loose some tension, which was a big surprise for me. Conclusion, give it some air but don’t overdo it. Drink now until 2035. Not my favorite Lynch-Bages but a very good one. Around 380,000 bottles of this vintage were produced. (IG)
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Classic bouquet of shaved pencil, dark black fruit, smoke, cigar, and menthol. The body has some youthful tannins, lighter bodied and a light acidic profile. Likely improves with time but certainly lacks the bones of top vintage LBs.
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Surprisingly forward for Lynch Bages, as they are usually one of the last wines to open up. But 2009 already displays fabulous character with its layers of ripe, blackberries, black currants, lead pencil, cedar chest, and tobacco notes. Full-bodied, round, concentrated, and with a polish to its tannins, this is already starting to come around. Drink from 2023-2050.
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Deep, intense color. Powerful cassis, cedar wood on the nose. Still a good amount of tannin but not overwhelming. Densely layered, with good length. Only decanted for 45mins, and could have done with another hour or more. The last sip was the best.
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Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Solid left bank that’s hits all the marks. Very enjoyable and better as it opened, yet still somewhat muted and unremarkable compared to other 2009.
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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: Not super expressive nose at first but with time coffee, dark fruit notes emerge and it gets quite intense. On the palate there is a lot of substance right from the go with lots of quite ripe dark fruit, lots of minerality, some coffee notes and herbs. This has really depth and precision. But there is an angularity to its tannins, a high and not perfectly round acidity. But the length is quite nice.The balance is really not there, a touch too much extraction and the tannins don’t have the quality of the younger vintages.
Decanting: A short 1-2 hour decant should be sufficient.
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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: A red cherry fruit that came across markedly less extracted than the rest of the flight. Complexity pretty limited with only a few mineral and leather notes beyond the fruit. Fruit-forward and juicy palate in ok balance even if still very wild. Otherwise a nice, classic expression. This left me with the impression that there could be more potential here, but was hard to nail down in this quick pass-through tasting.
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Another half decanted and half in open bottle Both sat for about an hour Initially, the decanted half was musky and full of graphite Eventually black berry/cassis A hint of green pepper on the finish Only the decanted carafe offered much in the way of tannins
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The wine is gaining weight and much better than my last bottle a few years ago. There is ample tannin and fruit to age another 10 years. I suspect it will further develop in the bottle and I will have another try at this in two years. The Lynch Bages seems more like a 2009 than in previous years. It has been a slow maturing wine compared to many 2009’s that were sweet and open from the start. The wine was closed in past years and now that it is opening up the grape is sweet with light to medium Pauillac characteristics. Very smooth throughout and pleasant to drink. Still has time to develop, but if you have a case then opening up one now is a start. I double decanted it for an hour.
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Drinking well now. Opened several hours beforehand but not decanted. Plums and cassis. Tannins in evidence but not unruly. Paired well with seven-hour leg of lamb.
Tasted blind. Closed and compact, red and dark fruit, tannins still grippy. Ripe bakery elements as well. Very classic but boy this is at least 5 years away from a drinking window.
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13.5%abv. Deep and opague ruby. Rich aromas bursting out of glasses, juicy blackcurrant, sandalwood, tar, pencil shavings, roasted coffee beans, fresh vanilla, milk chocolate, toasty cedar wood, leathery and a bit gamey.
You could literally taste the extraction, in a good way - condensed lingering flavours, abundant sweet soft tannins balanced by refreshing acidity and a focused palate. A fleshy, firm classic Pauillac. The 2009 Lynch Bages is a long runner with top quality. Enjoyable now already, it will only hit its prime spot after a decade.
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Wine Spectator 40th Anniversary; 10/21/2021-10/23/2021 (Marriott Marquis): This wine was lovely on its own or with the pairing and for me it was the better wine with the food perhaps because it's also just the better wine. Goes nicely with the dish - perhaps the tannin with the meat? I get tobacco and maybe a bit of fruit. This is not really in drinking window for me but I suspect would be for quite a lot of folks. Drinking nicely at the moment.
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NYWE this wine is singing. deep rich expressive aromas of coffee, cedar, and rich red fruits. excellent fleshy dark fruits, black spice and perfect balance. young and sexy, like I use to be, lol. This is special. wow!
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Well reviewed by others, but I think there’s a lack of body / finish that will prevent it from being great. Not a particularly good value; would be curious to see how the next few years change it, not in a bad place though.
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Outstanding. Four hour decant. Fine bramble and granite palate. Smooth tannins, well balanced. Ideally should have a few more years in the cellar. ***(**)
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It keeps getting better. It’s been more than a year since I revisited this wine. It was a sleeper the last time I opened one. This evening, it suddenly transformed into a butterfly. Elegant, intense and the bitter finish is gone. Garnet red, cassis, plum, rounded tannins and stunning balance. It suddenly comes together. Good time to open more.
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Smoky, dark berry fruit with notes of cedar, licorice, forest floor and anise. Even after a two hour decant this wine still struggled to fully open. Despite a drinking window suggesting it’s readiness to drink, am not so sure. While very good...was expecting a bit more from this bottle.
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Am 2. Tag zwar deutlich besser, aber insgesamt könnte da mehr sein, noch etwas verschlossen. Sehr dunkle Nase, gewisse Kühle, herbfruchtig, schwarze Johannisbeere, Leder und Zigarrenkiste, leider nur mittlerer Abgang.
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, prune, raisin, forest floor and black olive. I do like it.
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Not rating the wine as it is still too young. It is already very enjoyable, but not at all close to its potential. Needs to rest at least 5 more years, better 10 years (sadly). Recommend not to open one now.
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A major step up from a bottle I had a year ago, one which I found tight as well as lacking in acidity. This one sung from the moment opened, with power and balance in full display. Signature L-B notes of black cherry and graphite along with some salinity. Sweet, round tannins finish things off nicely. The 09s seem to be open for business, based on my recent experience.
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Bubbles of blackberry with just a zephyr of celery and maybe a little pepper dancing on the waves. The nose is like Nixon's, the finish like Bethoven's 9th. Have something jammy with a crouton or Texas toast nearby to complement this bad boy.
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I have to agree with the note below. I opened a bottle of the 09 LB lat night, decanted for almost 4 hours, but there was just no “oomph”. Compared to an 03 LB I had a few weeks ago, this was nowhere on the same spectrum. Think this one needs at least another 5 years, if not more
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Double decanted for two hours. Like many young Lynch-Bages I have had, this wine is nowhere near its optimal drinking stage. After first opening, it had very prominent blackberry aromas, but two hours later, the nose was very reticent, with notes of subtle smoky dark red fruit and a touch of sage. It's texture was almost jammy, and it had an underlying base of classic cedar and earth. The tannins were fairly drying on the finish. Save any others you may have for at least another 5 years, or perhaps open it the night before drinking!
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Regular dinner group (@ PZ): Youthful bouquet with black berries, licorice and luxurious oak. On the palate a luxurious wine with dark berries, chocolate, sweet spices, good acidity and powerful, round tannin. Great wine with a great future.
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Very similar reaction to this wine as last time. Yes, it is good, but given the vintage, the name, the price and the reputation, I remain a tad underwhelmed.
Tobacco, cassis, graphite... Big tannins on the outset... Split between decanter and bottle airation. Over 6 hours the decanted half lost its fruit and tannins, came off flat
Layers of dried fig, anise, and black cherry. Wet earth with well integrated tannin & a very satisfying deep finish lasting 30 seconds. Open air double decant - tasted over 4 hours. Still has room to grow. Try again in 2022.
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Dinner at Imperial Treasure TP. Deep purple. Soft and round. Big presence. Concentrated, ripe dark fruits. Plummy. Decadent and hedonistic. Yet another fine example from a much heralded vintage.
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Wine is medium bodied and tight even after a four hour decant. It was not closed, but showed little character. The fruit was hiding behind the alcohol so the wine was somewhat subdued. I can’t believe a four hour decant would fade all the fruit away. There were signs of cedar, graphite, chalk and pony barn, but very subtle. The character is balanced without hard edges, but right now it is sort of Burgundian rather than Bordeaux style. The wine is young and I believe the next one should be opened in 2023.
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Decanted 4 hours. Amazing structure. Big and powerful with a long lingering finish. This is the real deal. It is silky smooth and elegant but it smacks you in the mouth with every sip. Grippy tannin that linger for minutes. Cassis, red berries with plumb, leather and herbs. Look out this is amazing. Drink 2025-2045.
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Tight and unyielding, though only given a 90-minute splash decant. The bones are there for sure: notes of graphite, smoke and black fruit. I think the CT drinking window is of here and would wait until 2025. The low acidity is a risk, though -- what if this just proves to be flabby?
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Drank alone to tip my toes into the a 2009's and was going to savor 1/2 bottle. Forget it, the bottle is gone and my first 2009 from my cellar is gone as well. This medium -bodied rich deep ruby red rooster is crowing and ready to walk the walk, or hang in the cellar until the right hen comes along. Depending on your desired timeline to open a ten year old wine, this raspberry, plum and blackberry delight, is ready and willing. Caress the cassis, inhale the incense and tintillate the texture of this 2009 delight. What a deal, I paid $90.00 a bottle for a case of this value beauty. The finish is glorious and I have another introduction to the the glorious 2009's.
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Still quite youthful, with a little effort in your swirling, you can find smoke, thyme, cigar box, tobacco, wet earth, spice and red fruits. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, sweet, powerful and yes, luscious. There is energy and density with length and freshness. Clearly not at its peak, for that you will need to wait. If you like young wines, this is worth popping a cork now. The wine is made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
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The nose was dark and earthy, with a mix of crushed red and black fruits, dusty florals, hints of sweet herbs, subtle pepper, menthol and savory spice. On the palate, I found soft-silky textures, giving way to dark fruits, earthy, meaty, mineral and almost smoky with hints of pencil lead and slow-mounting tannins. The finish was long, structured and powerful, showing echos of black fruits, minerals, hints of roasted red pepper, and fine tannins. There was so much power in reserve here, the 2009 will last decades in the cellar.
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Served to accompany beef. This is the third of my case. As last time, it needs to be decanted for at least 3 hours to be enjoyed at its best. Medium cherry colour. On the nose, leather shows along with blackcurrant and damson fruit. The tannins are very evident and it has a young feel overall. There's plenty of blackcurrant fruit, plummy, with a medium finish. Don't rush these bottles.
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Poured without decanting, this wine was clear and mid deep ruby red in colour and had a nose of cherries, dark berries and some smoke. When tasting this, I found flavours of blackberries mixed with some dark cherries and a ton of vanilla. There was a fairly low level of acidity and the tannins were at a good level. Finally, the finish on this wine was not exceptionally long.
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Drunk at home with friends to accompany chicken in marsala and mushroom sauce. This is the second of my case. (I'd taken the first bottle to Scotland to celebrate my birthday, it was good, but I think needed to rest after the journey and be open for longer.) So this time I decanted and let it breathe for 4 hours and it was fantastic. The moral here being that, if you're going to open a Lynch Bages 2009 at what is just the start of its drinking window, then you need to let it breathe for several hours, otherwise you will miss out on its complexities and character. Deep ruby colour. Dusty, cassis nose. The palate just gets better and better as it sits in the glass for another 2 hours. The earthiness which I so love about Bordeaux doesn't really show until it has long breathed. Blackcurrants, full bodied, rich. Very enjoyable, but I won't rush my remaining bottles.
Decanted 2hrs. Very youthful ruby purple and not giving much away on the nose - some dark fruit, a hint of graphite / pencil shavings. There's a good concentration of young fruit and overall this is packed full of juicy Pauillac goodness. This is drinking well now (with a decant) but clearly has years to run. Not as full, rich or sweet and the Grand Puy Lacoste and to be honest, not as good - at the moment.
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Opened 2 hours before drinking. The first of my case. I expected it to be young and it was. Deep garnet colour. The nose shows young blackcurrant and plummy fruit. The palate is smooth, velvety, menthol and jammy with chocolate on the finish. The wine is too young to be showing the earthiness I so like on a mature Bordeaux, I'm sure that will come in time. Overall, a good wine. No rush to drink, will be best in 10 to 15 years.
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A large-scaled and thickly-textured wine that clearly needs time. Although the dark fruit is very ripe, there are fresh tannins on the finish that keep it under control. Young and promising although it will always be a big, decadent wine. Tastes at Domaine Chevalier lunch during en premeur. 92+
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Bordeaux 2009 Grand Cru / 10-years on / tasted blind: Tasted next to the Ducru 10 and Montrose 09. A good Lynch for sure but could not reach the heights of the other two when juxtaposed. Ripe fruit, some torrefaction. Definitely feels young, oak not yet fully absorbed. As always with Lynch Bages, give this proper time to let the cigar box and pencil aromas emerge. Best after 2024.
This wine has all the elements to be a great wine, but alas was opened way too early. Slow-ox'd for the day and then decanted before dinner. Big nose of cassis, cedar and lead pencil. Big on the palate with firm tannins, great structure and solid acidity, but the fruit needs time to show as the tannins and acidity melt a little. Give this at least another 3 years.
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An interesting wine rather than a great one on this NYE showing paired with loin of Iberian acorn fed pork. The nose was amazing, especially as I had a bit of a cold. Cedar, pine, spices, tobacco and hints of blueberry suggested great things to come. On the mouth moderate tannins and a continuing level of complexity but, and here comes the but, a somewhat hollow sensation. Given the status of the vintage And my previous experience of this Chateau, where was the prime fruit core ? - answer somewhat lacking.
Wow... I just love this wine - maybe my favorite Bordeaux. Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking, but had an early sip to check. Really fruit-forward on opening, but mellowed out nicely. Not hot at all, but super deep red/black coloring and mouthfeel was full of blackberry, cherry, slight tobacco and hints of spice. Amazing to drink now or hold for another 10-15.
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Dinner with Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode Estate (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Served blind amongst 13 mainly Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons....actually double-blind with this wine. Translucent purple-red colour...clearly very young and confirmation that this was the young flight. Nose is restrained, taut, young and sophisticated. Palate is similar but clearly Merlot-driven compared to the preceding 10 wines (which were all pure Cabernet Sauvignon so this really stood out).
My note read "OK' so I was a bit surprised when this was revealed.... probably because I was swooning over the much older vintages.
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Still very young, but evolved after decanting for 4 hours. Dark fruit nose, graphite, smoke, plum, tremendous tannins due to its youth, but with a vision that its future is going to be awesome.
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Impressions upon opening the bottle pre-decant: Pretty closed. Some lovely scents in there - dark fruit and earth, behind some oak. Medium bodied, violet. Mouth-coating black and blue fruit. Little bit tannic at the closing bell.
Post a 5 hour decant: Still some wood, bittersweet chocolate, floral, earthy, vanilla. Big mouth filling palate and beautiful amazingly long finish. Medium to full in body. Dark fruit, chocolate. Palate right now is immense and pleasurable. Nose is a little bit shy. Not too tannic at all to enjoy after this 5 hour decant. 93 for me tonight but I can see the potential for more.
Edit: I saved a glass from NYE by pouring back into the bottle and stored it in the cellar vacuum sealed. 2 nights later I had that glass over the course of an hour. Quite interesting. Nose is more earthy and meaty and gamey than before, with pleasant violets and florals and sweet licorice and cigar box underneath. Palate is quite tannic. If I had patience I would guess that opening my other bottles in 5-10 years would pay off.
Just barely started coming around at about hour 4 in the decanter. Cherry chapstick, cigar tobacco, bitter dark chocolate, lead, and dusty red fruit. Very acidic and tannic needing 10 plus more years.
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This wine was opened for 10 hours and it was just barely starting to strut its stuff. Typical LB with pencil shavings, cigar box, earthy with lots of tannins still but tons of potential here. The fruit was a bit subdued but gain energy as it sat in your glass
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for me very Close in Rating and style, modern, broad, too alcoholic and mighty, a lot of fruit and oak, despite Long decanting still unround and too Young, I preferred the older vinatges as 89, 82 and 85. We will see if they are as great as These beauties in 20 years, 94+
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How to make a London Revival in Madrid (Lavinia - Madrid): By comparison with the bottle of 01 that I took last December, I have to say the claw and the masculinity of Pauilliac are reserved for vintages like this. This force may feel like an aggressive one but is already at the discretion of the aficionado. This is not an obstacle to speak of the elegance and of that higher class factor which is breathed here. Very ripe fruit (plums, pickles and even some blueberry) assembled in a slightly intrusive wood by the moment. In the mouth does not finish convincing me: it seems to be already made, ready for consumption when one, me, was waiting for a tannic beast. Restaurants will be happy or well this bottle was opened too long ago. Always mentholed, always elegant L-B is my choice in the area, except for the sacred cows of course.
Por comparación con la botella del 01 que me tomé en el diciembre pasado, la garra y la masculinidad de Pauilliac se reservan para añadas como esta. Que esa fuerza pueda sentirse un pelín agresiva ya queda a criterio del aficionado. Ello no es óbice para hablar de la elegancia y de ese factor de clase superior que se respira aquí. Fruta muy madura (ciruelas, picotas e incluso algo de arándano azul) ensamblada en una madera un poco intrusiva en estos momentos. En boca no termina de convencerme: parece estar ya hecho, listo para el consumo cuando uno esperaba a una bestia tánica. Los restaurantes estarán contentos o bien está botella lleva abierta demasiado tiempo. Siempre mentolado, siempre elegante es mi elección en la zona, exceptuando a las vacas sagradas por supuesto.
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One year since last try. My fault for late decision to open and only had time for 90-minute decant. In spite of this, very enjoyable... Thick mouthfeel and great dark fruit, with an interesting nose since last visiting this wine: violet! While this was wonderful, I still say, "Wait!" I'll never be able to wait as long as I should, though, and will continue to evaluate these once a year or so. Wish I had more...
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Decanted for 3 hrs, crimson, creamy black cherry & vanilla, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious but still young, drinkable with this decant but still fairly primary. Blind, I would have guessed top shelf California. Long life ahead!
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Drunk in tandem with the 2010 During a lunch with two friends thus the comparison couldn't be more obvious . The '09 Was more ripe and a bit more open so that makes this wine more accessible right now. It was a bit unblanced with a good acidity but a low tannins level. It clearly lacks the depth and complexity you research in a 150+ dollar bottle of wine.
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Really nice. I think starting to enter a drinking window. Needs decanter for hours...but we didn't. Slow oxed a magnum for 2 hours which probably helped zero. Nice rich nose, very dense syrup berries and fruit, violets, some oak. Drinking much tighter, tannic, black tea, a bit oak, nice fruit but in my opinion still way to young. Loooong finish. To drink it is to sacrifice a young one that I know will turn into a great wine. Would wait 3-5 years then probably drinking well for another 20+ after that.
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Tasted blind. Very dark in colour, no discolouration. A bit of oak on the nose, ripe fruit, creamy. On the palate backward, grippy and towards the finish drying tannins, tight, spicy, ripe and concentrated. Good length. Needs time. 92-93+
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Tasted next to the 2012 and 2010. My first tasting sample had a quite unpleasant metallic note on the nose; not much else was noticeable. On the palate very tight and for a 2009 surprisingly backward and lacking generosity. Luckily I had a chance to taste a second sample from a different bottle. This was much better and while still pretty tight, it was showing much more depth, ripe dark fruit, spices, tobacco, smoke. More generous than the 2010, still tannic and grippy with fine length. Very good, but I preferred the 2010 even at this young stage. Keep. 92-93+
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HDH Bordeaux Auction; 10/30/2015-10/31/2015 (Chicago, IL): Ripe, big, and pruney nose. Why is this so damn big? But whoa, this is surprisingly not ridiculously over-the-top. A slight bit of pencil on the nose. There's a whole hell of a lot of leather on the palate, and very coarse tannins. Sweet fruit, and the oak isn't too obvious. Black-fruited and concentrated, with moderate acidity. Again, as I said, this is a real surprise.
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A year-and-a-half since last try. Four hour Vinturi decant helped open this up a bit, but it's so young and a touch primary right now that I need to s-p-a-c-e out their consumption to see the beautiful future that is most certainly ahead of this wine. Beautiful deep purple color & reticent nose of dark fruit/plum with a touch of pencil shavings and a light oakiness. Palate centered on cassis with a lovely touch of cherries in the mix. Medium++ finish will certainly lengthen with rest.
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What a fantastic wine. Dark purple colour. Plummy nose with liquorice, blackberry, luxurious oak, sweet spice and hints of cedar. Full-bodied, rich and generous, velvety-textured with textbook tannins, medium acidity and a long aftertaste. Still youthful, yet extremely pleasent with huge aging potential.
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Deep purple. Nose is rather monolithic as expected and needs time to open up. Smoky vanilla oak, dark cherries, cassis and cedar. Tight on the palate with impeccable, perfectly ripe tannins, fluid texture, and aromas of licorice, dark berry fruit and subtle oak. Does not yield much as far as aromas are concerned but it has such a great balance and concentration that it makes a wonderful drink even now though at a fraction of the enjoyment it could give when fully mature (say ten to fifteen years from now).
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Drank sitting outside a restaurant in Fontainebleau with cheese and charcuterie. A bit monolithic and uninspiring which I put down to its youth. That said, it was fresh, harmonious with smooth tannins. I generally find this chateaux to improve more than most with age - I am still enjoying the 1970! - so will revisit in 5-10 years and would not be surprised to be blown away by it. If drinking now though, would suggest serious time in a decanter
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Deep, purply color. Potent nose of blackberry liqueur, graphite and eucalyptus. Very ripe blackberry and cassis fruit in a big, thick package with lots of intensity and power. With a little coaxing, I can get the great lead pencil, graphite flavors of this classic Pauillac that are hidden underneath. The texture is very fine and the finish is saturated but there are big, fresh tannins circling with good acids which the wine needs to balance the strong fruit. This shocked me at first with its ripeness and I was wondering if I could pick this out from a Napa cab in a blind tasting but, there is that Bordeaux freshness and grip on the finish that gives me long-term faith in this wine. But the question remains in my mind, how ripe is too ripe even in Bordeaux? This wine is certainly pushing the envelope on that concept. It was drinkable tonight with a bbq'd steak to help ameliorate the tannins but clearly needs time. Trust me, the '82 Lynch Bages was never this ripe in its youth. 93?
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Four hour decant, rebottle for transit to restaurant, one hour slow-ox. This is clearly at Robert Parker's 94 right now and is certainly destined for Wine Spectator's 96 or better rating! Almost a year since last try, but I know I should be s p a c i n g these out so that I make it to the more complex and delicious times ahead for this juice. Striking me as a bit feminine for a Pauillac, bit there is a tannic backbone here that will undoubtedly allow this to go the distance. Young, dark fruit, great structure, smoky florals, and a medium finish that's getting more complex over time.
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1h decanted. Dark ruby. Decent but nice nose. Strong tannins, but still young fruit. Dense and great structure. Will keep it out of reach for 2-5 years.
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No decant; 45 mins in the glass to air out just a little, though... Soft and rather feminine for a Pauillac. Dark fruit, light floral and smoky tea. The tannin backbone is there, but much more subtle than I was prepared for. Very nice, but still a bit primary.
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Youthful fruit, light and delicate. Tannins in evidence but velvety. Plums, cassis, figs, cedar, and smoke. Very approachable. Poured after one hour in carafe. Seems like a wine to be consumed in years, not decades, down the road.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tasting- SF April 24; 4/29/2013-5/1/2013: Aromas of smoky earth, crushed floral, cassis and black tea. Polished and rich on the palate with good balance. More notes of tea, leather, tobacco and currant. Ripe velvety tannins and big rich finish. Excellent.
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scarlet red in color. blackberry, earth, leather, pepper, on the nose. oak, blackberry, pepper, leather, spice, on the palate. medium acid, high tannins, on the finish.
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Battle between Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. 11 TOP Vintages from 1982 - 2009 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Very youthful and intense bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits and luxurious elements like smoke, cedar and cigar box. On the palate intense as well with dark as well as red ripe fruits. A firm amount of sweetness and alcohol and also good acidity, soft and round, but sticky tannin and beautiful oak. A complex and clean wine with an extreme future, but a great pleasure as well in this infant stage.
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Lots of cassis and lingonberries on the nose. I've never encountered lingonberries like this in a wine, but they are really the most prominent feature here. Some chocolate and kirsch as well. Oaky and big on the palate with cassis and lingonberries again. Very acidic and tannic. This wine will survive forever. It is very awkward at the moment, but I'm sure it will become really great, but not for another two decades. If you have this wine in your cellar, bury it deep. I would give it 92 points right now, but it is very hard to tell how many more time will merit it.
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Mythic. Decanted for three hours, twice. A sanguine-black colour, with a faint crimson rim. Blackberry, tobacco leaf, pebble, licorice, incense and pencil lead. Soooo Pauillac, so invigoratingly enticing. Layer, upon layer of velvety tannins that have black cherry intertwined. Pattonesque In how it boldly charges in and does the most magnificent job. Egalitarian in the perfect distribution of so many crucial components. Long, long, long.... Wait at least eight more years and watch for a very long time. Drink 2020 -.
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2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Rated 79 points, but as I god some agressive comments, I took away the note. I still feel that it is the wine, as I have not had a good bottle of this wine yet, but apparently, everyone else seems to diagree. I love Lynch Bages, but this one is not good in my opinion.
Original Note: This reminds me of the 1993 Montrose when it was younger, bitter and nearly aggressive elderberry flavor. This is weird and I don't think that time will heal the wounds.
2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Originally rated 73 points, but as I god some agressive comments, I took away the note. I still feel that it is the wine, as I have not had a good bottle of this wine yet, but apparently, everyone else seems to diagree. I love Lynch Bages, but this one is not good in my opinion.
Original Note: This was open for a day but stored cold with the cork put on, this was not very good, irish candy, green bell peppers. We couldn't believe that this was so bad so we opened another one, which was a bit better but was only 79 points, weird...
Fantastic nose of spicy smoky dark fruits, very deep! Substantial amount of darks fruits on the palate and the tannins's been coated beautifully! Real class! I love the size, the scale of the wine!
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Goedhius Bordeaux Cru Classe Tasting (Saatchi Gallery): Nose of cassis, tar, smoke, liquorice and vanilla. Very tannic in the mouth and hard to describe the other tastes but there is a lot of complexity there, quite different to the other '09s. Long Finish. Leave for 10 years and try again.
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Blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon with 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, produced a powerful, concentrated Pauillac with great depth of flavor. Layers of fresh blackberry, coffee, tobacco, cassis, pepper, black cherry and gravel made up the inviting perfume. Fresh, ripe, exuberant and lusty, this stylish wine has it all going on. This vintage competes with any Lynch Bages produced following the dynamic duo of 1989 and 1990.
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2009 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Toronto 27-Jan-2012): Nose is muted, closed. Palate is a different story. Dense fruit, high tannins, full-bodied and great balance of flavors. Excellent complexity and long finish. Needs time but excellent today and probably won't peak for decades to come with drinking window of decades more. My WOTN of all the 2009 Bordeaux I tasted that night.
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UGC Bordeaux (Sheraton Hotel - Chicago IL): I have previously found it challenging to enjoy young Lynch Bages, but the 2009 is an exception. Good floral start with aromas of cassis and black currant. Lots of sweet black fruit, sweet tannins and great acidity. Long and powerful. Wonderful today, I expect this will keep picking op weight and complexity.
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Has considerably more heft than the Pichon Lalande tasted just before it. Notes of exotic Asian spice and mossy earth show on the nose. Classic Pauillac with real power to it, but characterized more by floral beauty than spicy power like some other wines today. Plummy tart acidity here, like many of the Pauillacs today, which seem to have controlled the ripeness of the vintage very well. Excellent wine. 93-95.
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UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): A regal wine, undoubtedly and a style Lynch Bages seems to project vintage in and out. A millionaire’s (not billionaire’s) Mouton so to speak. Rounded, supple nose with rhubarb and wonderful cassis. The cassis is the name of the game. A bit of vegetal/burnt rubber that blows off with some more swirling. The palate is clean, pure and in superb balance. Will it be the next 90 LB? Time will tell (94-97)
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Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (New York, NY): Nose: Restrained showing some red fruit and herbs. Palate: Thin in the mouth with red berry, lead pencil, truffle and tart acidity. Finish: Tart finish with berries and herbs. This wine was surprisingly unappealing to me, but I am going to withhold a rating because I know others were much more impressed.
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Shows an incredible nose already, rockin' fruit and nut basket with a floral lift. Very nice mix of old world and new, with intense fruit and freshness. The texture has a nice weight and the tannins are well polished...finishes long. Has a great present and better future. Was probably the wine of the evening at the UGC in Los Angeles. 95+
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Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Fantastic nose displaying aromas of barnyard, dark dried fruits, black plums, red cherries, and graphite. Luscious on the palate, giving off lots of lead pencil, saddle leather, barnyard, tart red currants, rounded out by some black pepper spice. Sandy tannins, with a medium+ finish ending with notes of lead pencil and cassis. A beautiful wine that blows the '08 clear out of the water. Seductive, this was my favorite wine on the evening. Outstanding.
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Bordeaux-Mostly 2009 Reds (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Very deep center. Lighter style, herbal flavors (Merlot?). The most mineral of all the wines today. Elegant package, high acidity for this vintage. Not the most generous wine, in fact, this really needs time to flesh out. Will it prove over time that it has enough stuffing? One of the most difficult wines to read at this point. The Bartons seem to be more reliable bets.
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Fete de Bordeaux (Centro, Toronto): A little hard but there is a fruit core present. Some mint and eucalyptus notes. Tastes a bit closed. Super fine tannin and some bitterness on the finish. Generous acid.
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Deeply coloured; Very deep, brooding, spicy nose - very different to Pichon Baron alongside. Quite closed; a little green note on the entry. Lots of extract, tannin. Fruit seems better balanced. Breed comes through on superb peacock tail finish. 94-97.
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Deep ruby in color with a spicy cassis, tobacco and blackberry jam perfume. This rich, powerful, sweet, opulent wine is palate staining and fresh ending with a long finish that lingers on your palate for over 45 seconds! This is my favorite vintage of Lynch Bages since the dynamic duo of 1989 and 1990!
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2009 Lynch Bages is deep ruby. Powerful aromatics of dark raspberry, cassis, cedar, smoke, and jammy berries emerge. This exciting style of Lynch Bages shows round tannins and an ample concentration of flavor. The wine ends with a juicy mouth full of licorice and dark berries. 95/97 Pts
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4/17/2024 - MaJeKu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Vorab: Ich habe den Wein 2019 aus der halben Flasche getrunken und war damals begeistert ob der Frische, Griffigkeit, Harmonie und insgesamt grandiosen Linksufer-Stilistik.
Auch heute wieder aus der halben Flasche.
In der Nase ist das grundsätzlich sehr verschlossen, fast grün, etwas ruppig. Es gibt trotzdem ein sehr komplexes Bild mit viel phenolischet Frische, Eukalyptus, grüner Paprika, etwas Paprika-Pulver, Leder, Tabak und auch etwas Rauch. Die Komponenten aus der 2019-Probe sind alle da, allerdings lange nicht so harmonisch und perfekt beisammen. (Edit: Erst im Nachhinein fällt mir auf, dass ich überhaupt nichts über Frucht geschrieben habe. Die findet sich natürlich auch, am ehesten in Form von etwas Pflaume und ein paar dunklen Beeren)
Am Gaumen hat das viel Griff, im Moment vielleicht etwas ruppiges Tannin, trotzdem guten Zug und auch hier viel Frische. Auch hier findet sich viel von der Komplexität aus der Nase wieder, das hat Biss und vor allem auch hier reichlich Potential.
Guter Abgang mit deutlicher Länge, auch hier eher etwas „muted“ als wirklich adstringierend.
Interessant und für mich sehr lehrreich, wie sich so eine Verschlussphase äußert. Ich bin sehr gespannt, das in vielleicht 10 Jahren nochmal zu probieren.
93++
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4/14/2024 - wqseow wrote: 90 Points
Infanticide. Shows promise for another 5-10 years.
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4/1/2024 - curtr Likes this wine: 95 Points
At the early end of the drinking plateau, though showing better than expected at this stage. Deep, full body, well balanced. Drink 2024 to 2040.
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3/22/2024 - k H i L o wrote: 91 Points
91,5.
Je l'ai trouvé... "fermé""
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3/22/2024 - k H i L o wrote: 91 Points
91,5. Je l'ai trouvé... "fermé*
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3/21/2024 - Bordeaux 2013 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Has improved a lot since my last bottle in 2020. Has continuously improved while open. Was decanted. Last glass was the best after 3.5 hours.
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1/13/2024 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
From 375. Even from the half bottle format, this felt like baby killing. Prominent, bold, grippy tannins. Primary fruit, graphite and wet granite. PnP, consumed over three hours, the last glass was definitely the best. Truly excellent now, but patience will definitely be rewarded. Paired with Flannery hanger steak, which helped with those tannins. Delicious.
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1/5/2024 - BellevuePhil Likes this wine: 95 Points
I know I promised off wine for 90 days, but she beckoned me from the cellar and I caved as I always do.
As the golden elixir kissed my lips, a rush of nostalgia took hold, transporting me back to a time when life was simpler, more innocent, yet ripe with adventure and discovery. The 2009 Lynch Bages, a wine steeped in history and tradition, embodies the essence of an era long past, stirring memories of moonlit wanderings through the enchanting vineyards of France.
My first encounter with the 2009 Lynch Bages was akin to revisiting a cherished chapter from the book of my life—a chapter written in the verdant meadows of France, where as a young child, I roamed freely through sprawling vineyards, guided by the faint glow of starlight on moonless nights sneaking doing what kids do. There, amidst the whispers of the vines and the gentle rustle of leaves, I embarked on a lifelong affair with the enigmatic charm of wines, an affair that would shape my very existence.
Upon uncorking this opulent treasure, a sense of anticipation swirled within me, akin to the thrill of setting foot on unknown lands during my adventures across the globe. The initial encounter with the 2009 Lynch Bages was a revelation—an intense and spirited affair that mirrored the vibrant hues of youth, entwined with the complexities of a wine maiden's allure.
As the wine danced gracefully in the glass, its youthful exuberance was undeniable. Like a seasoned adventurer relishing the aroma of distant lands, my senses were greeted by a symphony of scents—an amalgamation of wet earth and crushed gravel, interwoven with an intriguing spiciness that teased the palate. It “could be” a pop n poor but it’s a bordeaux, I must wait……The bouquet, reminiscent of the rich, fertile soils of the vineyards, conjured vivid memories of those moonlit strolls amidst the vines, where every step seemed to echo the history and resilience of the terroir.
It was as if each sip of this illustrious vintage carried me back to those moonlit nights, surrounded by the fragrance of blossoming grapes and the whispers of the night wind. Each swirled sip revealed layers of flavor that spoke volumes of the wine's youth yet promised an evolution that only time and patience could unveil. The initial burst of spiciness, akin to the fervor of youthful passion, was tempered by the subtle embrace of dark fruits—a melange of blackcurrants and plums, their sweetness lingering like a stolen kiss on a summer's eve.
As I savored each sip, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this exquisite wine and the journey of a hopeless romantic. Much like the tender emotions of a youthful heart intertwined with the wisdom of experience, the 2009 Lynch Bages encapsulates the duality of life—youthful exuberance mingled with the depth and complexity of maturity.
In conclusion, the 2009 Lynch Bages, with its tantalizing blend of spiciness, wet earth, and crushed gravel, embodies the essence of an unforgettable journey—a journey through vine-clad landscapes, under the embrace of a star-studded sky, where every sip is a tribute to the past and a celebration of the enigmatic journey that lies ahead. Cheers to the enduring romance of wine, the embodiment of life's most treasured moments, and the timeless allure of Lynch Bages.
NOTE TO SELF: DECANT ONE HOUR, GLASS BY GLASS…….
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1/3/2024 - Venkar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dusty tannins with early fruit leading to pencil shavings and earth.
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12/30/2023 - jmoon Likes this wine: 97 Points
First of a dozen. Amazing!!
It was a blissful Auckland summer night, one of the few, by the pool, my wife and my enjoying this after dinner. Some grip, deep and delicious, made you come back for more, playful but so confident. A tremendous wine firmly in its drinking window. Very good from pop and pour and Became more unctuous and oily at the one hour mark.
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12/17/2023 - cliffkol wrote: 94 Points
Coravin only. Still deep tannins, settling. Sweet and deep layered red fruits. Let it sleep.
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12/16/2023 - Gourmet Christian Likes this wine: 94 Points
I opened my only box of 2009 Lynch-Bages and wee had 3 bottles for our pPre-Christmas dinner yesterday. 4 h decanted in caraffe.
Very elegant delicate fine wine, no signes of age , perfect integrated tannins, a lot of fruit and some wood, no leather here - a truly aristocartic wine, at it's peak in my humble opinion
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blueberry, red currant and black currant (cassis). It tastes like blackberry, black currant (cassis), red currant, raisin and lead pencil. The body is full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes very long.
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12/12/2023 - LDA ZH CH wrote:
Pop and pour. On the nose blackcurrant and menthol appear first, then cherry and vanillin. Secondary aromas are already perceptible. Really like the nose. Palate is dominated by grippy tannins - too grippy for my personal taste. Hopefully those will resolve with time. Will wait to have our next bottle with proper decant before to score this one.
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12/3/2023 - JonasH65 wrote: 90 Points
Was about to choose wine for last night's venison treat, with all usual Swedish trimmings. Came across a review here that LB -09 was ready to be enjoyed after a couple of hours in the carafe. Carafed 6h, subsequently. Shows no signs of ageing, but alas, far too early; After another in carafe/glass it starts to begin to vaguely open up but is still very closed. A reasonably nice experience of course but won't open another one for years.
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11/28/2023 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted 5 hours before tasting; really well developed with expressive nose and a really nice soft silky creamy texture; was afraid it might have been too early, but drinking really well now and can for certain hold a long time
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11/16/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened an hour or so before entrees. Nose showing wonderfully. Leather and cigarbox balanced against strong fruit. Beautiful.
On the palate a bit more shutdown / tight. Acid ripping. A bit thin. I think this could have benefited from a lot more air at this age. Will hold my 750mls a while before enjoying
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6/28/2023 - michael@tastingsbymichael.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Jean-Michel Cazes, great personality in the wine world, passed away. RIP. In his honour, I was tasting this wine icon that was improved greatly under his influence. In the 1855 classification, it was a 5th Cru. Today, it would merit being classified as a 2nd Cru Classé.
2009 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France. Ruby color. In the nose, aromas of cassis, blackberry, dark plum, touch of vanilla, sous-bois. On the palate, this is a powerful wine, with acidity medium -, tannins present but very well integrated. Great body. Very long finish. An excellent wine that is already great to drink, but still has really great potential - in 10 to 20 years, it will probably be even better. TBM 95 points.
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6/19/2023 - npettit wrote: 91 Points
Not ready yet, needs a few more years.
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6/11/2023 - Handy1 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted about two hours. Modern bordeaux. Not much earthiness. Fruit forward some tannins. Could go many years further. 3/4 cab
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6/3/2023 - The Wine Monkeys Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decidedly young upon opening with tart red fruit, clean territory notes, rock and some wood. Bright, acidic, crisp tannins, very structured on the palate. Consumed along side the 2000 Chateau Bernnon which offered an interesting comparison. The Lynch Bages was young and bright compared to the Brennan. While both lovely, it was apparent the Lynch Bages has decades of life ahead of it but is drinking nicely now in its youth.
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5/29/2023 - dhwesley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprised to find perhaps 1 Tbsp of sediment in the bottle, with a fragrance billowing out of the decanter as soon as I poured it in. This is a deep opaque red, no signs of bricking. Nose is fairly open an youthful, cherry, vanilla, rose petal. Tannin and acid predominate, fine edge of acid and drying tannins, though on the tongue it feels less primary than the nose suggested. With an hour of air the age begins to show: still tightly knit tannins but now chocolate, cola, dark cherry, mushroom and mint. This wine is not messing around: I enjoyed it today but there is absolutely not rush with this one, it has a long life ahead.
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5/28/2023 - Ohlawuly wrote: 90 Points
Not even close to my expectation of a classified 2009 Pauillac. Maybe in a dumb phase？ Need a long decant but shows no satisfying aroma nor bouquet. Not enough complexity.
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5/23/2023 - alamoave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Will get much better Needs long decant. Better on Day 2
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5/19/2023 - Andronicus wrote:
0,375 Noch sehr verschlossen, schwarze beeren, gute Säure, brauch noch viel Zeit oder langen dekant
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5/19/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ripe and fruity on the nose, all glace cherry and ripe plum... it's not unattractive, but doesn't scream "Pauillac" to me. That said, the wine certainly doesn't drink like a hot vintage, as there's plenty of acidity, and some graphite (as well as some chocolate) towards the finish. There's good concentration, and I admire the fine, powdery tannins, but the wine was strangely lacking in excitement. Closed down?
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5/13/2023 - signotim Likes this wine: 95 Points
Vintage Wine Merchants Bordeaux Tasting 5/13. Nice pour and this is starting to show some of its future glory. This was decanted for an hour but would be better served with a full day of air. Or wait for 10 more years.
Scoring for potential 95 - 98
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4/15/2023 - SunnyD Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is closed down at the moment. Slight aromas of dark cherry, pencil and sweet tobacco. Palate was medium bodied and balanced. A pleasurable wine, but too early to live up to its expectations.
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4/8/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 96 Points
Took a bit to open up — was all pepper and tannins at first — but after that had big dark fruits and a great anise backbone that was fun and added interest. Loved it
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3/5/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Académie des Cinquante Tasting and Dinner with the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux (Restaurant Entrepot, Amsterdam, NL): Walkaround tasting, brief note. Fruit is rich and ripe but fresh, there is a lot of phenolic extraction but the balance and fruit are there. Needs time.
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3/2/2023 - Oddbod wrote: 96 Points
For many, one of the stars of the super seconds on this 2009 horizontal. Ticked all the boxes. Pauillac nose, beautiful weight, balance and structure. Most surprising of all, considerable freshness, hinting at a long life. Great winemaking and a relative bargain. A joy amongst many over-worked and frankly, in some cases, over-ripe wines.
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2/18/2023 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at home with friends, the first such occasion for several months and a new chapter in my life. So what better than my favourite Bordeaux from the excellent 2009 vintage. Opened and decanted for 2 hours, it's starting to drink really well now. Lovely blackcurrant fruit and a rich, soft palate, plenty of earthiness and long, leathery finish. Excellent and I look forward to more bottles from the case over the coming years.
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2/11/2023 - Berk_The_Caretaker Likes this wine: 93 Points
2009 vintage.
👀 dark crimson, slight signs of age but still looking dark.
👃🏼 licorice, leather, tobacco black fruits, rich opulence, power!
👅 Blackberry, high acidity, high tannins, pepper and a bit of spice. Herbal notes maybe rosemary? Mint...! Smoke on the finish.
This is a wine built for the cellar, even after an hour in the glass it's only just starting to open up. Will be interesting to see how it develops over the next 10-30 years. It's tannic power and acidity are still quite overbearing, in all honesty it might still be too soon for this wine. I think it needs at least another 5 years in the cellar before trying again.
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2/7/2023 - Jhalpern27 Likes this wine: 94 Points
We tasted as a vertical tonight the 2000, 2009 and the 2014. The 2009 opened with a funky nose and took a good 2.5 hours for the funk to blow off. My first instinct was there was an issue with this bottle against the other two. However after 3 hours this one came around and was beautiful and ended up the best of the three by hour 3. Those that are holding this needs 3-4 hours to get going.
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1/28/2023 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:
double decanted but really slow to come around
starting to show a concentrated richness5+ hours later
for me this just isn't ready
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1/18/2023 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Vertical of Lynch-Bages 1989 to 2018. Initially dumb on the nose but opened up to show lots of good ripe fruit, cassis, some richness, good concentration and full of flavor. Still needs more years to realise its full potential but with time both 2009 and 2010 may come to rival the 1989 & 1990.
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1/16/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, the 2009 Lynch Bages again shows a big, clean, lavishly-fruited nose, freshened by petrichor and mineral without heaviness. A great success.
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1/12/2023 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprisingly compact on day one with lots of dark zippy dry black fruits, but not showing much depth or layered elegance, much like the 2010 served along side. Getting a sense just beginning to wake form a long slumber. However, after a couple of days in bottle with air removed this came much more to life with a broader more impressive profile. I will say 91-93 range across these days. Will give a 92 overall. Potential is there, needs to open and double decant 2 hours before didn't do it.
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1/7/2023 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black cassis, spices, incense, toast. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin.
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1/6/2023 - JohannesGlugla Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice Bordeaux Blend. Extremely straight black berries, wonderfully framed by soft tannins. Slight trace of iron at the end.
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12/25/2022 - hkbob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep purple-black. Blackberry liqueur, cassis, cedar, minerals and some dried meat on the nose. This was a big wine with a full, rich palate and some tannins still to work through on the long finish. While very enjoyable now, the excellent fruit is still quite primary. This wine is only hinting at its full potential and I expect to hold my remaining bottles for at least another 5 years for the wine to better harmonize and develop another layer of complexity.
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12/24/2022 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dekantert. Stort behag fra start. Smal, tilgjengelig, men ung. Vent.
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12/16/2022 - Plabella Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is a beautiful wine that has gripe and fruit with a hint of chocolate.
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10/24/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Very 2009-ish inasmuch as the fruit leans toward the red end of the spectrum and shows an airy intensity with soft textures. The redcurrant, griotte, raspberry compote profile is actually reminiscent of a modern-day version of the 1947 or 1949. Beautiful depth on the palate yet with a crystalline clarity, minerally-fresh, graphite-filled. This finishes very well.
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10/20/2022 - MikePemulis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Soft cork that almost came apart but was delicious.
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10/14/2022 - npettit wrote: 92 Points
Needs more time
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8/27/2022 - DrZett wrote: 93 Points
Medium to deep ruby colored. On the nose savory dark cherries, blackberries, and some dried leafs. On the palate the dark berries are dominant too - black currant, blackberries, ripe dark cherries, some sweet tobacco, soft forest floor and some interesting green herbs. Full bodied with a medium acidity. Velvety tannins, nicely integrated. Great complexity and depth. Structure feels a little imprecise. Good overall balance. Nice long and savory finish.
After pulling the cork it felt a little tight so I double decanted it and let it breathe for another 30-60 minutes. After 60 minutes it was showing its best side. After 3 hours it already started too loose some tension, which was a big surprise for me. Conclusion, give it some air but don’t overdo it. Drink now until 2035. Not my favorite Lynch-Bages but a very good one.
Around 380,000 bottles of this vintage were produced. (IG)
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8/7/2022 - miadelt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Great wine all around. Will last for another decade but is very enjoyable now.
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7/28/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 92 Points
2 hour decant
Classic bouquet of shaved pencil, dark black fruit, smoke, cigar, and menthol. The body has some youthful tannins, lighter bodied and a light acidic profile. Likely improves with time but certainly lacks the bones of top vintage LBs.
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7/9/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly forward for Lynch Bages, as they are usually one of the last wines to open up. But 2009 already displays fabulous character with its layers of ripe, blackberries, black currants, lead pencil, cedar chest, and tobacco notes. Full-bodied, round, concentrated, and with a polish to its tannins, this is already starting to come around. Drink from 2023-2050.
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5/31/2022 - otto60 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decant into the cleaned bottle for 2hrs
Dark saturated ruby
Dark fruit
Very very good balance
Little wood
Great, quite 89 like
I like
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5/25/2022 - adorns Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep, intense color.
Powerful cassis, cedar wood on the nose.
Still a good amount of tannin but not overwhelming. Densely layered, with good length.
Only decanted for 45mins, and could have done with another hour or more. The last sip was the best.
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5/20/2022 - chbent1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Solid left bank that’s hits all the marks. Very enjoyable and better as it opened, yet still somewhat muted and unremarkable compared to other 2009.
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4/23/2022 - 67366 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed it but austere and possibly needs more time.
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3/22/2022 - Cailles wrote: 92 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: Not super expressive nose at first but with time coffee, dark fruit notes emerge and it gets quite intense. On the palate there is a lot of substance right from the go with lots of quite ripe dark fruit, lots of minerality, some coffee notes and herbs. This has really depth and precision. But there is an angularity to its tannins, a high and not perfectly round acidity. But the length is quite nice.The balance is really not there, a touch too much extraction and the tannins don’t have the quality of the younger vintages.
Decanting: A short 1-2 hour decant should be sufficient.
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3/14/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points
Lynch Bages vertical (1986-2017): Lynch Bages vertical spanning 20 vintage (1986-2017) hosted by a private collector. My key observations were: 1/ The “twin peaks” of 1989 and 1990 continue to perform well, 3/ among the younger vintages 2017 and 2016 stood out, 3/ mid- to late-90ies were unimpressive as a group, rustic with harsh tannins, 4/ 2000-2008 showed extracted fruit profiles, but with juicier palates, 5/ After 2009 the fruit turned brighter and more red in nature, less extracted and fruit-forward palates. Note the wines were not decanted and served blind in flights of 4.
Tasting note:
A red cherry fruit that came across markedly less extracted than the rest of the flight. Complexity pretty limited with only a few mineral and leather notes beyond the fruit. Fruit-forward and juicy palate in ok balance even if still very wild. Otherwise a nice, classic expression. This left me with the impression that there could be more potential here, but was hard to nail down in this quick pass-through tasting.
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2/13/2022 - flah00 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another half decanted and half in open bottle
Both sat for about an hour
Initially, the decanted half was musky and full of graphite
Eventually black berry/cassis
A hint of green pepper on the finish
Only the decanted carafe offered much in the way of tannins
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1/28/2022 - Hanibal wrote: 91 Points
So much concentration but closed completely at this stage. A shame to open now. Wait 5 or 10 years.
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1/9/2022 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine is gaining weight and much better than my last bottle a few years ago. There is ample tannin and fruit to age another 10 years. I suspect it will further develop in the bottle and I will have another try at this in two years. The Lynch Bages seems more like a 2009 than in previous years. It has been a slow maturing wine compared to many 2009’s that were sweet and open from the start. The wine was closed in past years and now that it is opening up the grape is sweet with light to medium Pauillac characteristics. Very smooth throughout and pleasant to drink. Still has time to develop, but if you have a case then opening up one now is a start. I double decanted it for an hour.
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1/3/2022 - ELH wrote: 94 Points
Drinking well now. Opened several hours beforehand but not decanted. Plums and cassis. Tannins in evidence but not unruly. Paired well with seven-hour leg of lamb.
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12/30/2021 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted to serve. The wine is lush and ripe with plenty of mid-palate stuffing. Long finish. Very enjoyable already.
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12/23/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind. Closed and compact, red and dark fruit, tannins still grippy. Ripe bakery elements as well. Very classic but boy this is at least 5 years away from a drinking window.
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12/17/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
13.5%abv. Deep and opague ruby. Rich aromas bursting out of glasses, juicy blackcurrant, sandalwood, tar, pencil shavings, roasted coffee beans, fresh vanilla, milk chocolate, toasty cedar wood, leathery and a bit gamey.
You could literally taste the extraction, in a good way - condensed lingering flavours, abundant sweet soft tannins balanced by refreshing acidity and a focused palate. A fleshy, firm classic Pauillac. The 2009 Lynch Bages is a long runner with top quality. Enjoyable now already, it will only hit its prime spot after a decade.
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10/23/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator 40th Anniversary; 10/21/2021-10/23/2021 (Marriott Marquis): This wine was lovely on its own or with the pairing and for me it was the better wine with the food perhaps because it's also just the better wine. Goes nicely with the dish - perhaps the tannin with the meat? I get tobacco and maybe a bit of fruit. This is not really in drinking window for me but I suspect would be for quite a lot of folks. Drinking nicely at the moment.
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10/23/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
NYWE this wine is singing. deep rich expressive aromas of coffee, cedar, and rich red fruits. excellent fleshy dark fruits, black spice and perfect balance. young and sexy, like I use to be, lol. This is special. wow!
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8/7/2021 - Esmags7 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Well reviewed by others, but I think there’s a lack of body / finish that will prevent it from being great. Not a particularly good value; would be curious to see how the next few years change it, not in a bad place though.
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5/16/2021 - TheFoodieTraveler wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 6 hours. Approachable and lively, but maybe wait another year to try again.
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4/17/2021 - baxter67 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding. Four hour decant. Fine bramble and granite palate. Smooth tannins, well balanced. Ideally should have a few more years in the cellar. ***(**)
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4/1/2021 - Solidgold Likes this wine: 93 Points
It keeps getting better. It’s been more than a year since I revisited this wine. It was a sleeper the last time I opened one. This evening, it suddenly transformed into a butterfly. Elegant, intense and the bitter finish is gone. Garnet red, cassis, plum, rounded tannins and stunning balance. It suddenly comes together. Good time to open more.
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3/28/2021 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smoky, dark berry fruit with notes of cedar, licorice, forest floor and anise. Even after a two hour decant this wine still struggled to fully open. Despite a drinking window suggesting it’s readiness to drink, am not so sure. While very good...was expecting a bit more from this bottle.
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2/6/2021 - Philipp Biermann Likes this wine: 89 Points
Am 2. Tag zwar deutlich besser, aber insgesamt könnte da mehr sein, noch etwas verschlossen. Sehr dunkle Nase, gewisse Kühle, herbfruchtig, schwarze Johannisbeere, Leder und Zigarrenkiste, leider nur mittlerer Abgang.
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1/27/2021 - Pike_Fisherman Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, prune, raisin, forest floor and black olive. I do like it.
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12/8/2020 - havana4 🍾🍇 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nubile. Needed 2 full hours to crack the tightness. Very structured at this stage. black fruits. mushrooms and fungus.
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10/31/2020 - Bordeaux 2013 Likes this wine:
Not rating the wine as it is still too young. It is already very enjoyable, but not at all close to its potential. Needs to rest at least 5 more years, better 10 years (sadly). Recommend not to open one now.
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9/21/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
A major step up from a bottle I had a year ago, one which I found tight as well as lacking in acidity. This one sung from the moment opened, with power and balance in full display. Signature L-B notes of black cherry and graphite along with some salinity. Sweet, round tannins finish things off nicely. The 09s seem to be open for business, based on my recent experience.
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9/20/2020 - Dave Mac Likes this wine:
Bubbles of blackberry with just a zephyr of celery and maybe a little pepper dancing on the waves. The nose is like Nixon's, the finish like Bethoven's 9th. Have something jammy with a crouton or Texas toast nearby to complement this bad boy.
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9/17/2020 - raj1606 wrote: 90 Points
I have to agree with the note below. I opened a bottle of the 09 LB lat night, decanted for almost 4 hours, but there was just no “oomph”. Compared to an 03 LB I had a few weeks ago, this was nowhere on the same spectrum. Think this one needs at least another 5 years, if not more
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8/15/2020 - DickMull Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted for two hours. Like many young Lynch-Bages I have had, this wine is nowhere near its optimal drinking stage. After first opening, it had very prominent blackberry aromas, but two hours later, the nose was very reticent, with notes of subtle smoky dark red fruit and a touch of sage. It's texture was almost jammy, and it had an underlying base of classic cedar and earth. The tannins were fairly drying on the finish. Save any others you may have for at least another 5 years, or perhaps open it the night before drinking!
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6/27/2020 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Regular dinner group (@ PZ): Youthful bouquet with black berries, licorice and luxurious oak. On the palate a luxurious wine with dark berries, chocolate, sweet spices, good acidity and powerful, round tannin. Great wine with a great future.
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4/17/2020 - belfast taxman wrote: 90 Points
Very similar reaction to this wine as last time. Yes, it is good, but given the vintage, the name, the price and the reputation, I remain a tad underwhelmed.
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3/22/2020 - roaddogtrading wrote:
Day 8 of lockdown and we decided to go to France. This is a superb wine, makes being stuck at home a whole lot better.
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2/16/2020 - flah00 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tobacco, cassis, graphite... Big tannins on the outset...
Split between decanter and bottle airation. Over 6 hours the decanted half lost its fruit and tannins, came off flat
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2/7/2020 - R.Jos.Valent Likes this wine: 96 Points
Layers of dried fig, anise, and black cherry. Wet earth with well integrated tannin & a very satisfying deep finish lasting 30 seconds. Open air double decant - tasted over 4 hours. Still has room to grow. Try again in 2022.
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2/1/2020 - SGoenophile Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at Imperial Treasure TP. Deep purple. Soft and round. Big presence. Concentrated, ripe dark fruits. Plummy. Decadent and hedonistic. Yet another fine example from a much heralded vintage.
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1/12/2020 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine is medium bodied and tight even after a four hour decant. It was not closed, but showed little character. The fruit was hiding behind the alcohol so the wine was somewhat subdued. I can’t believe a four hour decant would fade all the fruit away. There were signs of cedar, graphite, chalk and pony barn, but very subtle. The character is balanced without hard edges, but right now it is sort of Burgundian rather than Bordeaux style. The wine is young and I believe the next one should be opened in 2023.
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12/26/2019 - Poisey wrote: 97 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Amazing structure. Big and powerful with a long lingering finish. This is the real deal. It is silky smooth and elegant but it smacks you in the mouth with every sip. Grippy tannin that linger for minutes. Cassis, red berries with plumb, leather and herbs. Look out this is amazing. Drink 2025-2045.
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12/4/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tight and unyielding, though only given a 90-minute splash decant. The bones are there for sure: notes of graphite, smoke and black fruit. I think the CT drinking window is of here and would wait until 2025. The low acidity is a risk, though -- what if this just proves to be flabby?
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11/14/2019 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank alone to tip my toes into the a 2009's and was going to savor 1/2 bottle. Forget it, the bottle is gone and my first 2009 from my cellar is gone as well. This medium -bodied rich deep ruby red rooster is crowing and ready to walk the walk, or hang in the cellar until the right hen comes along. Depending on your desired timeline to open a ten year old wine, this raspberry, plum and blackberry delight, is ready and willing. Caress the cassis, inhale the incense and tintillate the texture of this 2009 delight. What a deal, I paid $90.00 a bottle for a case of this value beauty. The finish is glorious and I have another introduction to the the glorious 2009's.
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10/22/2019 - yeti575rider wrote: 93 Points
75 Years of Zachys (DC) (LongView Gallery Washington DC): A bit darker fruited and bolder which I generally prefer. Towards the end of my tasting window but one of the ones that stood out. Call it 93 now.
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9/20/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Still quite youthful, with a little effort in your swirling, you can find smoke, thyme, cigar box, tobacco, wet earth, spice and red fruits. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, sweet, powerful and yes, luscious. There is energy and density with length and freshness. Clearly not at its peak, for that you will need to wait. If you like young wines, this is worth popping a cork now. The wine is made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
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8/20/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
The nose was dark and earthy, with a mix of crushed red and black fruits, dusty florals, hints of sweet herbs, subtle pepper, menthol and savory spice. On the palate, I found soft-silky textures, giving way to dark fruits, earthy, meaty, mineral and almost smoky with hints of pencil lead and slow-mounting tannins. The finish was long, structured and powerful, showing echos of black fruits, minerals, hints of roasted red pepper, and fine tannins. There was so much power in reserve here, the 2009 will last decades in the cellar.
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8/13/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served to accompany beef. This is the third of my case. As last time, it needs to be decanted for at least 3 hours to be enjoyed at its best. Medium cherry colour. On the nose, leather shows along with blackcurrant and damson fruit. The tannins are very evident and it has a young feel overall. There's plenty of blackcurrant fruit, plummy, with a medium finish. Don't rush these bottles.
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7/23/2019 - Rosengoo wrote: 90 Points
Poured without decanting, this wine was clear and mid deep ruby red in colour and had a nose of cherries, dark berries and some smoke. When tasting this, I found flavours of blackberries mixed with some dark cherries and a ton of vanilla. There was a fairly low level of acidity and the tannins were at a good level. Finally, the finish on this wine was not exceptionally long.
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7/20/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drunk at home with friends to accompany chicken in marsala and mushroom sauce. This is the second of my case. (I'd taken the first bottle to Scotland to celebrate my birthday, it was good, but I think needed to rest after the journey and be open for longer.) So this time I decanted and let it breathe for 4 hours and it was fantastic. The moral here being that, if you're going to open a Lynch Bages 2009 at what is just the start of its drinking window, then you need to let it breathe for several hours, otherwise you will miss out on its complexities and character. Deep ruby colour. Dusty, cassis nose. The palate just gets better and better as it sits in the glass for another 2 hours. The earthiness which I so love about Bordeaux doesn't really show until it has long breathed. Blackcurrants, full bodied, rich. Very enjoyable, but I won't rush my remaining bottles.
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5/28/2019 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2hrs. Very youthful ruby purple and not giving much away on the nose - some dark fruit, a hint of graphite / pencil shavings. There's a good concentration of young fruit and overall this is packed full of juicy Pauillac goodness. This is drinking well now (with a decant) but clearly has years to run. Not as full, rich or sweet and the Grand Puy Lacoste and to be honest, not as good - at the moment.
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5/15/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened 2 hours before drinking. The first of my case. I expected it to be young and it was. Deep garnet colour. The nose shows young blackcurrant and plummy fruit. The palate is smooth, velvety, menthol and jammy with chocolate on the finish. The wine is too young to be showing the earthiness I so like on a mature Bordeaux, I'm sure that will come in time. Overall, a good wine. No rush to drink, will be best in 10 to 15 years.
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4/6/2019 - dream wrote: 92 Points
A large-scaled and thickly-textured wine that clearly needs time. Although the dark fruit is very ripe, there are fresh tannins on the finish that keep it under control. Young and promising although it will always be a big, decadent wine. Tastes at Domaine Chevalier lunch during en premeur. 92+
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4/1/2019 - curtr Likes this wine:
Showing as a young wine at present. Still needs years to release the potential. I agree with the 2024 date to try again.
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3/24/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2009 Grand Cru / 10-years on / tasted blind: Tasted next to the Ducru 10 and Montrose 09. A good Lynch for sure but could not reach the heights of the other two when juxtaposed. Ripe fruit, some torrefaction. Definitely feels young, oak not yet fully absorbed. As always with Lynch Bages, give this proper time to let the cigar box and pencil aromas emerge. Best after 2024.
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3/2/2019 - la turque wrote: 92 Points
This wine has all the elements to be a great wine, but alas was opened way too early. Slow-ox'd for the day and then decanted before dinner. Big nose of cassis, cedar and lead pencil. Big on the palate with firm tannins, great structure and solid acidity, but the fruit needs time to show as the tannins and acidity melt a little. Give this at least another 3 years.
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1/3/2019 - belfast taxman wrote: 90 Points
An interesting wine rather than a great one on this NYE showing paired with loin of Iberian acorn fed pork. The nose was amazing, especially as I had a bit of a cold. Cedar, pine, spices, tobacco and hints of blueberry suggested great things to come. On the mouth moderate tannins and a continuing level of complexity but, and here comes the but, a somewhat hollow sensation. Given the status of the vintage And my previous experience of this Chateau, where was the prime fruit core ? - answer somewhat lacking.
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10/14/2018 - andymcmahon1 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow... I just love this wine - maybe my favorite Bordeaux. Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking, but had an early sip to check. Really fruit-forward on opening, but mellowed out nicely. Not hot at all, but super deep red/black coloring and mouthfeel was full of blackberry, cherry, slight tobacco and hints of spice. Amazing to drink now or hold for another 10-15.
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9/29/2018 - Goldstone wrote: 88 Points
Dinner with Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode Estate (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Served blind amongst 13 mainly Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons....actually double-blind with this wine. Translucent purple-red colour...clearly very young and confirmation that this was the young flight. Nose is restrained, taut, young and sophisticated. Palate is similar but clearly Merlot-driven compared to the preceding 10 wines (which were all pure Cabernet Sauvignon so this really stood out).
My note read "OK' so I was a bit surprised when this was revealed.... probably because I was swooning over the much older vintages.
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7/1/2018 - Doctor Koulodare Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still very young, but evolved after decanting for 4 hours. Dark fruit nose, graphite, smoke, plum, tremendous tannins due to its youth, but with a vision that its future is going to be awesome.
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12/31/2017 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 93 Points
Impressions upon opening the bottle pre-decant: Pretty closed. Some lovely scents in there - dark fruit and earth, behind some oak. Medium bodied, violet. Mouth-coating black and blue fruit. Little bit tannic at the closing bell.
Post a 5 hour decant: Still some wood, bittersweet chocolate, floral, earthy, vanilla. Big mouth filling palate and beautiful amazingly long finish. Medium to full in body. Dark fruit, chocolate. Palate right now is immense and pleasurable. Nose is a little bit shy. Not too tannic at all to enjoy after this 5 hour decant. 93 for me tonight but I can see the potential for more.
Edit: I saved a glass from NYE by pouring back into the bottle and stored it in the cellar vacuum sealed. 2 nights later I had that glass over the course of an hour. Quite interesting. Nose is more earthy and meaty and gamey than before, with pleasant violets and florals and sweet licorice and cigar box underneath. Palate is quite tannic. If I had patience I would guess that opening my other bottles in 5-10 years would pay off.
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11/24/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 95 Points
Just barely started coming around at about hour 4 in the decanter. Cherry chapstick, cigar tobacco, bitter dark chocolate, lead, and dusty red fruit. Very acidic and tannic needing 10 plus more years.
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9/17/2017 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine was opened for 10 hours and it was just barely starting to strut its stuff. Typical LB with pencil shavings, cigar box, earthy with lots of tannins still but tons of potential here. The fruit was a bit subdued but gain energy as it sat in your glass
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7/22/2017 - jraskul Likes this wine:
Wait at least 2 years. Just opening up after a 3 hour decant. Very closed up until then.
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4/30/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 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
side by side with 2010
for me very Close in Rating and style, modern, broad, too alcoholic and mighty, a lot of fruit and oak, despite Long decanting still unround and too Young, I preferred the older vinatges as 89, 82 and 85. We will see if they are as great as These beauties in 20 years, 94+
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2/18/2017 - Harley1199 Likes this wine:
How to make a London Revival in Madrid (Lavinia - Madrid): By comparison with the bottle of 01 that I took last December, I have to say the claw and the masculinity of Pauilliac are reserved for vintages like this.
This force may feel like an aggressive one but is already at the discretion of the aficionado. This is not an obstacle to speak of the elegance and of that higher class factor which is breathed here. Very ripe fruit (plums, pickles and even some blueberry) assembled in a slightly intrusive wood by the moment.
In the mouth does not finish convincing me: it seems to be already made, ready for consumption when one, me, was waiting for a tannic beast. Restaurants will be happy or well this bottle was opened too long ago.
Always mentholed, always elegant L-B is my choice in the area, except for the sacred cows of course.
Por comparación con la botella del 01 que me tomé en el diciembre pasado, la garra y la masculinidad de Pauilliac se reservan para añadas como esta.
Que esa fuerza pueda sentirse un pelín agresiva ya queda a criterio del aficionado. Ello no es óbice para hablar de la elegancia y de ese factor de clase superior que se respira aquí. Fruta muy madura (ciruelas, picotas e incluso algo de arándano azul) ensamblada en una madera un poco intrusiva en estos momentos.
En boca no termina de convencerme: parece estar ya hecho, listo para el consumo cuando uno esperaba a una bestia tánica. Los restaurantes estarán contentos o bien está botella lleva abierta demasiado tiempo.
Siempre mentolado, siempre elegante es mi elección en la zona, exceptuando a las vacas sagradas por supuesto.
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9/18/2016 - robertdtwo Likes this wine: 94 Points
One year since last try. My fault for late decision to open and only had time for 90-minute decant. In spite of this, very enjoyable...
Thick mouthfeel and great dark fruit, with an interesting nose since last visiting this wine: violet!
While this was wonderful, I still say, "Wait!" I'll never be able to wait as long as I should, though, and will continue to evaluate these once a year or so. Wish I had more...
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7/23/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 3 hrs, crimson, creamy black cherry & vanilla, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious but still young, drinkable with this decant but still fairly primary. Blind, I would have guessed top shelf California. Long life ahead!
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5/28/2016 - Gilles Ledesma wrote: 93 Points
Drunk in tandem with the 2010 During a lunch with two friends thus the comparison couldn't be more obvious . The '09 Was more ripe and a bit more open so that makes this wine more accessible right now. It was a bit unblanced with a good acidity but a low tannins level. It clearly lacks the depth and complexity you research in a 150+ dollar bottle of wine.
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5/21/2016 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really nice. I think starting to enter a drinking window. Needs decanter for hours...but we didn't. Slow oxed a magnum for 2 hours which probably helped zero. Nice rich nose, very dense syrup berries and fruit, violets, some oak. Drinking much tighter, tannic, black tea, a bit oak, nice fruit but in my opinion still way to young. Loooong finish. To drink it is to sacrifice a young one that I know will turn into a great wine. Would wait 3-5 years then probably drinking well for another 20+ after that.
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5/19/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind. Very dark in colour, no discolouration. A bit of oak on the nose, ripe fruit, creamy. On the palate backward, grippy and towards the finish drying tannins, tight, spicy, ripe and concentrated. Good length. Needs time. 92-93+
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2/15/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted next to the 2012 and 2010. My first tasting sample had a quite unpleasant metallic note on the nose; not much else was noticeable. On the palate very tight and for a 2009 surprisingly backward and lacking generosity. Luckily I had a chance to taste a second sample from a different bottle. This was much better and while still pretty tight, it was showing much more depth, ripe dark fruit, spices, tobacco, smoke. More generous than the 2010, still tannic and grippy with fine length. Very good, but I preferred the 2010 even at this young stage. Keep. 92-93+
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1/12/2016 - James Macpherson wrote: 93 Points
open first bottle in 2024
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10/31/2015 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 10/30/2015-10/31/2015 (Chicago, IL): Ripe, big, and pruney nose. Why is this so damn big? But whoa, this is surprisingly not ridiculously over-the-top. A slight bit of pencil on the nose. There's a whole hell of a lot of leather on the palate, and very coarse tannins. Sweet fruit, and the oak isn't too obvious. Black-fruited and concentrated, with moderate acidity. Again, as I said, this is a real surprise.
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8/3/2015 - robertdtwo Likes this wine: 94 Points
A year-and-a-half since last try. Four hour Vinturi decant helped open this up a bit, but it's so young and a touch primary right now that I need to s-p-a-c-e out their consumption to see the beautiful future that is most certainly ahead of this wine. Beautiful deep purple color & reticent nose of dark fruit/plum with a touch of pencil shavings and a light oakiness. Palate centered on cassis with a lovely touch of cherries in the mix. Medium++ finish will certainly lengthen with rest.
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6/20/2015 - bruinboozer wrote: 92 Points
Very enjoyable. Excellent potential for future
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3/10/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 97 Points
What a fantastic wine. Dark purple colour. Plummy nose with liquorice, blackberry, luxurious oak, sweet spice and hints of cedar. Full-bodied, rich and generous, velvety-textured with textbook tannins, medium acidity and a long aftertaste. Still youthful, yet extremely pleasent with huge aging potential.
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3/9/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep purple.
Nose is rather monolithic as expected and needs time to open up.
Smoky vanilla oak, dark cherries, cassis and cedar.
Tight on the palate with impeccable, perfectly ripe tannins, fluid texture,
and aromas of licorice, dark berry fruit and subtle oak.
Does not yield much as far as aromas are concerned but it has such a great balance and concentration that it makes a wonderful drink even now though at a fraction of the enjoyment it could give when fully mature (say ten to fifteen years from now).
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12/7/2014 - Calum Dewar wrote: 98 Points
2012 to 2042
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10/15/2014 - phynes wrote: 90 Points
Drank sitting outside a restaurant in Fontainebleau with cheese and charcuterie. A bit monolithic and uninspiring which I put down to its youth. That said, it was fresh, harmonious with smooth tannins. I generally find this chateaux to improve more than most with age - I am still enjoying the 1970! - so will revisit in 5-10 years and would not be surprised to be blown away by it. If drinking now though, would suggest serious time in a decanter
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9/27/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, purply color. Potent nose of blackberry liqueur, graphite and eucalyptus. Very ripe blackberry and cassis fruit in a big, thick package with lots of intensity and power. With a little coaxing, I can get the great lead pencil, graphite flavors of this classic Pauillac that are hidden underneath. The texture is very fine and the finish is saturated but there are big, fresh tannins circling with good acids which the wine needs to balance the strong fruit. This shocked me at first with its ripeness and I was wondering if I could pick this out from a Napa cab in a blind tasting but, there is that Bordeaux freshness and grip on the finish that gives me long-term faith in this wine. But the question remains in my mind, how ripe is too ripe even in Bordeaux? This wine is certainly pushing the envelope on that concept. It was drinkable tonight with a bbq'd steak to help ameliorate the tannins but clearly needs time. Trust me, the '82 Lynch Bages was never this ripe in its youth. 93?
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3/29/2014 - robertdtwo wrote: 94 Points
Four hour decant, rebottle for transit to restaurant, one hour slow-ox. This is clearly at Robert Parker's 94 right now and is certainly destined for Wine Spectator's 96 or better rating! Almost a year since last try, but I know I should be s p a c i n g these out so that I make it to the more complex and delicious times ahead for this juice. Striking me as a bit feminine for a Pauillac, bit there is a tannic backbone here that will undoubtedly allow this to go the distance. Young, dark fruit, great structure, smoky florals, and a medium finish that's getting more complex over time.
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3/16/2014 - mike l. wrote: 87 Points
open 3 hours
N: campfire, strawberries, fairly closed.
P: tight. nice structure, a touch bitter. interesting, but id pass for the price.
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3/7/2014 - andyf wrote: 95 Points
1h decanted. Dark ruby. Decent but nice nose. Strong tannins, but still young fruit. Dense and great structure. Will keep it out of reach for 2-5 years.
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11/1/2013 - Poisey wrote: 91 Points
Not wowing me yet. Tight, tannic massive and rich. Structured. Balanced. Lets see what happens.
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7/1/2013 - JSOL wrote: 94 Points
Much denser than the 2009 Ormes de Pez which preceded it. Very polished with big tannins and a long plummy slightly bitter finish.
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5/18/2013 - robertdtwo Likes this wine: 93 Points
No decant; 45 mins in the glass to air out just a little, though... Soft and rather feminine for a Pauillac. Dark fruit, light floral and smoky tea. The tannin backbone is there, but much more subtle than I was prepared for. Very nice, but still a bit primary.
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5/4/2013 - ELH wrote: 93 Points
Youthful fruit, light and delicate. Tannins in evidence but velvety. Plums, cassis, figs, cedar, and smoke. Very approachable. Poured after one hour in carafe. Seems like a wine to be consumed in years, not decades, down the road.
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5/1/2013 - MattMauldin wrote: 94 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tasting- SF April 24; 4/29/2013-5/1/2013: Aromas of smoky earth, crushed floral, cassis and black tea. Polished and rich on the palate with good balance. More notes of tea, leather, tobacco and currant. Ripe velvety tannins and big rich finish. Excellent.
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3/18/2013 - alanr wrote: 93 Points
Rich, good depth, great acidity, medium slightly coarse tannins. Powerful but classy.
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3/16/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 90 Points
scarlet red in color. blackberry, earth, leather, pepper, on the nose. oak, blackberry, pepper, leather, spice, on the palate. medium acid, high tannins, on the finish.
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3/16/2013 - NathanT wrote: 92 Points
K&L #6
Nose- dark, spice, some floral, no greens.
Palate- lightest palate out of 6 tasted. Bitter note at the end. Medium acidity. Medium tannins. Medium finish. The 2010 showed much, much better.
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12/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Battle between Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. 11 TOP Vintages from 1982 - 2009 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Very youthful and intense bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits and luxurious elements like smoke, cedar and cigar box. On the palate intense as well with dark as well as red ripe fruits. A firm amount of sweetness and alcohol and also good acidity, soft and round, but sticky tannin and beautiful oak. A complex and clean wine with an extreme future, but a great pleasure as well in this infant stage.
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11/11/2012 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Marries excellent ripeness of fruit to quite a bold tannic structure, young and unformed but full of promise. Drink 2017-2034.
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9/29/2012 - mmh wrote:
Lots of cassis and lingonberries on the nose. I've never encountered lingonberries like this in a wine, but they are really the most prominent feature here. Some chocolate and kirsch as well. Oaky and big on the palate with cassis and lingonberries again. Very acidic and tannic. This wine will survive forever. It is very awkward at the moment, but I'm sure it will become really great, but not for another two decades. If you have this wine in your cellar, bury it deep. I would give it 92 points right now, but it is very hard to tell how many more time will merit it.
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7/28/2012 - Matt Scott wrote: 98 Points
Mythic. Decanted for three hours, twice. A sanguine-black colour, with a faint crimson rim. Blackberry, tobacco leaf, pebble, licorice, incense and pencil lead. Soooo Pauillac, so invigoratingly enticing. Layer, upon layer of velvety tannins that have black cherry intertwined. Pattonesque In how it boldly charges in and does the most magnificent job. Egalitarian in the perfect distribution of so many crucial components. Long, long, long.... Wait at least eight more years and watch for a very long time. Drink 2020 -.
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6/2/2012 - G_H Does not like this wine:
2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Rated 79 points, but as I god some agressive comments, I took away the note. I still feel that it is the wine, as I have not had a good bottle of this wine yet, but apparently, everyone else seems to diagree. I love Lynch Bages, but this one is not good in my opinion.
Original Note: This reminds me of the 1993 Montrose when it was younger, bitter and nearly aggressive elderberry flavor. This is weird and I don't think that time will heal the wounds.
Not a fan of this wine!!
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6/2/2012 - G_H Does not like this wine:
2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Originally rated 73 points, but as I god some agressive comments, I took away the note. I still feel that it is the wine, as I have not had a good bottle of this wine yet, but apparently, everyone else seems to diagree. I love Lynch Bages, but this one is not good in my opinion.
Original Note: This was open for a day but stored cold with the cork put on, this was not very good, irish candy, green bell peppers. We couldn't believe that this was so bad so we opened another one, which was a bit better but was only 79 points, weird...
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5/29/2012 - Tao wrote: 98 Points
Tasted at Vinexpo Asia 2012
Fantastic nose of spicy smoky dark fruits, very deep! Substantial amount of darks fruits on the palate and the tannins's been coated beautifully! Real class! I love the size, the scale of the wine!
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5/12/2012 - Bisty Likes this wine: 94 Points
Le Week-end des Grands Crus (Bordeaux): Very dark.
Dark fruit and quite warm aromas. Some sweet tobacco!
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5/10/2012 - pdwinter wrote:
Gazzar Bordeaux Primeur 2011 Degustation (Zurich, Switzerland): reduction; nice and balanced on the palate; good finish, more subtle than the 2008.
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5/5/2012 - cab blends wrote: 95 Points
AHA - 2009 Bordeaux Wine Tasting with Bernard Burtschy (Washington DC): Heavy tannins and far too young but my style of wine. A heavyweight that could be a 96 or 97 with some time. A slight clinical nose ??
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4/26/2012 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Goedhius Bordeaux Cru Classe Tasting (Saatchi Gallery): Nose of cassis, tar, smoke, liquorice and vanilla. Very tannic in the mouth and hard to describe the other tastes but there is a lot of complexity there, quite different to the other '09s. Long Finish. Leave for 10 years and try again.
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2/8/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon with 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, produced a powerful, concentrated Pauillac with great depth of flavor. Layers of fresh blackberry, coffee, tobacco, cassis, pepper, black cherry and gravel made up the inviting perfume. Fresh, ripe, exuberant and lusty, this stylish wine has it all going on. This vintage competes with any Lynch Bages produced following the dynamic duo of 1989 and 1990.
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2/7/2012 - Stevey wrote: 97 Points
2009 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Toronto 27-Jan-2012): Nose is muted, closed. Palate is a different story. Dense fruit, high tannins, full-bodied and great balance of flavors. Excellent complexity and long finish. Needs time but excellent today and probably won't peak for decades to come with drinking window of decades more. My WOTN of all the 2009 Bordeaux I tasted that night.
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1/31/2012 - Vino Me wrote: 95 Points
2009 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting; 1/27/2012-1/31/2012 (Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Illinois): 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This was my favorite St. Julien wine at the tasting. The 2nd best Lynch Bages made in the last 10 years (after the 2000). Pretty floral nose. Round texture. Notes of licorice and plum. Silky tannins. Long finish. 95-96+ points.
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1/29/2012 - mike410 wrote: 96 Points
Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (MONTREAL). Very dark. Red fruit nose. Black berries. Outstanding.
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1/27/2012 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2009 (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON): Was really impressed this compared to 3 moths ago. Notes of anise, vanilla and honey. Needs time.
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1/26/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
UGC Bordeaux (Sheraton Hotel - Chicago IL): I have previously found it challenging to enjoy young Lynch Bages, but the 2009 is an exception. Good floral start with aromas of cassis and black currant. Lots of sweet black fruit, sweet tannins and great acidity. Long and powerful. Wonderful today, I expect this will keep picking op weight and complexity.
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1/26/2012 - Wine Sparty wrote: 93 Points
UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers): A bit ligher fruit with heavier tannins. I wonder about how the tannins vs. fruit will last over the years.
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1/26/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
2009 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (San Francisco): Great red fruit with nose of cranberry; palate has great acidity. Lovely overall. 92-93
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1/25/2012 - amateurwino wrote: 94 Points
Has considerably more heft than the Pichon Lalande tasted just before it. Notes of exotic Asian spice and mossy earth show on the nose. Classic Pauillac with real power to it, but characterized more by floral beauty than spicy power like some other wines today. Plummy tart acidity here, like many of the Pauillacs today, which seem to have controlled the ripeness of the vintage very well. Excellent wine. 93-95.
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1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:
UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): A regal wine, undoubtedly and a style Lynch Bages seems to project vintage in and out. A millionaire’s (not billionaire’s) Mouton so to speak. Rounded, supple nose with rhubarb and wonderful cassis. The cassis is the name of the game. A bit of vegetal/burnt rubber that blows off with some more swirling. The palate is clean, pure and in superb balance. Will it be the next 90 LB? Time will tell (94-97)
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1/24/2012 - RockinCabs wrote:
Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (New York, NY): Nose: Restrained showing some red fruit and herbs. Palate: Thin in the mouth with red berry, lead pencil, truffle and tart acidity. Finish: Tart finish with berries and herbs. This wine was surprisingly unappealing to me, but I am going to withhold a rating because I know others were much more impressed.
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1/23/2012 - vinole wrote: 94 Points
2009 Bordeaux Union des Grands Crus Tasting (The Doral Resort & Spa, Miami, FL): High toned bright red fruit with considerable tannins that give it lots of structure and agability with further upside potential.
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1/23/2012 - alanr wrote: 92 Points
UGC 2009 Bordeaux tasting San Francisco: Rich, deep, lush, medium tannins, touch sweetness through the finish. Good but modern.
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1/21/2012 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 95 Points
Shows an incredible nose already, rockin' fruit and nut basket with a floral lift. Very nice mix of old world and new, with intense fruit and freshness. The texture has a nice weight and the tannins are well polished...finishes long. Has a great present and better future. Was probably the wine of the evening at the UGC in Los Angeles. 95+
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1/20/2012 - MattTM wrote:
Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Fantastic nose displaying aromas of barnyard, dark dried fruits, black plums, red cherries, and graphite. Luscious on the palate, giving off lots of lead pencil, saddle leather, barnyard, tart red currants, rounded out by some black pepper spice. Sandy tannins, with a medium+ finish ending with notes of lead pencil and cassis. A beautiful wine that blows the '08 clear out of the water. Seductive, this was my favorite wine on the evening. Outstanding.
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1/14/2012 - psmith wrote: 90 Points
Stern, masculine style, with black fruits and tobacco notes. Raw, abundant tannins stand out. Needs lots of time.
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1/14/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Bordeaux-Mostly 2009 Reds (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Very deep center. Lighter style, herbal flavors (Merlot?). The most mineral of all the wines today. Elegant package, high acidity for this vintage. Not the most generous wine, in fact, this really needs time to flesh out. Will it prove over time that it has enough stuffing? One of the most difficult wines to read at this point. The Bartons seem to be more reliable bets.
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10/24/2011 - lumpyelbow wrote: 93 Points
Fete de Bordeaux (Centro, Toronto): A little hard but there is a fruit core present. Some mint and eucalyptus notes. Tastes a bit closed. Super fine tannin and some bitterness on the finish. Generous acid.
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10/18/2011 - vespasian wrote: 95 Points
Deeply coloured; Very deep, brooding, spicy nose - very different to Pichon Baron alongside. Quite closed; a little green note on the entry. Lots of extract, tannin. Fruit seems better balanced. Breed comes through on superb peacock tail finish. 94-97.
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7/15/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Deep ruby in color with a spicy cassis, tobacco and blackberry jam perfume. This rich, powerful, sweet, opulent wine is palate staining and fresh ending with a long finish that lingers on your palate for over 45 seconds! This is my favorite vintage of Lynch Bages since the dynamic duo of 1989 and 1990!
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8/26/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
2009 Lynch Bages is deep ruby. Powerful aromatics of dark raspberry, cassis, cedar, smoke, and jammy berries emerge. This exciting style of Lynch Bages shows round tannins and an ample concentration of flavor. The wine ends with a juicy mouth full of licorice and dark berries. 95/97 Pts
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