External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| | Vintage | 2004 |  Label 1 of 2274 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Château Lynch-Bages (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Médoc | | Appellation | Pauillac | | UPC Code(s) | 000008738028, 014100076629, 0400005643774, 041224152502, 071570019365, 072180692740, 078742374604, 087000330115, 204022504342, 206331002649, 3364420076920, 3760020131418, 3760020131661, 3760020133979, 400006639899, 649185961043, 649185961968 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 267 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by chatters on 5/2/2024: Coravin fun - Bordeaux (My place, Burwood): From Coravin. Black over red currant, plums, touch of pyrazine, sweet spice, cedar, forest floor with time a little jubey red berries, a little sweaty horse. Juicy, fleshy, similar fruit profile, tannins are talc textured, rasps against the tongue and mid palate, Non-intrusive alcohol warmth carries the finish. Nice. (589 views) | | | Tasted by PSPatrick on 2/7/2024 & rated 92 points: Decanted for two hours, and followed over the following three hours. Dark ruby colour. Black currant, dark cherry, plum, some chocolate, cedar, cigar box, graphite, and spices, with medium-level acidity, firm, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, medium complex, with average to good concentration and good balance. In the classic mold. Kept improving as time passed, and was in the zone after three hours in the decanter. A glass saved for day two was consistent with day one. Drink now with aeration, and over the next 10+ years. (1437 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 10/31/2023: Coravin fun - Lynch Bages (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Brambly, leathery, a little fruit tea and red liquorice, cigar box. Juicy, fleshy, very slightly sour brambly fruit, plentiful grippy and woody tannins are aa little coarse, tertiary notes joins on the finish. Hmm, not sure where this is going. It's nice but the tannins are a little bit on the big side for the flavours. (2051 views) | | | Tasted by msauer on 10/8/2023: großer Wein aus „Kl“ Jahr
Cabernet -S- betont. Gute Struktur und Länge
hält bestimmt noch 6-8 Jahre (2127 views) | | | Tasted by NY Wino on 9/23/2023 & rated 95 points: Double decanted and drank after 3 hours…purple color, big beautiful nose of dark and blue fruit and cedar smokiness. This wine is in prime drinking window. Very smooth, excellent fruit, silky tannins and delicious finish. Big upside surprise after the last bottle and huge crowd pleaser. (2053 views) | | | Tasted by Rugan on 4/11/2023 & rated 88 points: Clearly past peak. Some structure left but most of the fruit and tannins are gone. (3117 views) | | | Tasted by Rugan on 3/28/2023 & rated 89 points: A bit over the top. First impression was thin and underwhelming. Opened up with a lovely range of impressions after a while in the glass but later in the evening it lost the complexity again. (2716 views) | | | Tasted by Juliansi on 2/1/2023 & rated 89 points: Blend of 84% Cab Sauv, 9% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 2% PV. Not as opulent as I would have expected and first impressions were that this was slightly thin.
Blackberry and black pepper on the restrained nose. After more bottle airing time, graphite nuances showed and the finish remained 30s medium length at best. Blackcurrant and cedar mid palate.
Little did I know when I picked up this bottle.. 2004 was a difficult Bordeaux vintage. At a price point of close to USD 200 it wasn't cheap too! But alas that's the price we pay for when one tries to get a back vintage here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Grape ripening was very uneven, often within the same, generally copious, bunch. Much-needed concentration was achieved during a warm fortnight in early September which effectively saved the vintage, and an exceptionally late harvest took place in showery rainy weather.
Lynch Bages is known as one of the most underrated chateaux when it comes to the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines, punching far above its fifth growth status. Under the Cazes family, first Jean-Michel and now his son Jean-Charles, the estate has seen massive investment - and great quality improvements!
Bottle 7 of 8 at my home's CNY luncheon with TC, MJ, RL, LYL and Col. Grateful for the chats, wine sharing which we did blinded, and fun mini Texas Hold'em session after!
1 Feb 2023
Kuala Lumpur (2858 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 1/29/2023 & rated 93 points: This is very nice classic Bordeaux from a weak vintage. Good red and black fruit. Underbrush, some leather and hints of spice. Medium weight, nicely balanced fruit and structure. Medium length and good complexity. Doubt this will improve, drink now. (2564 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 1/16/2023 & rated 93 points: WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of potpourri, berries and cherries. Flavors of cherries, berries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now with air or hold. (2737 views) | | | Tasted by thejaffer on 1/2/2023 & rated 95 points: Drinking perfectly now (2095 views) | | | Tasted by no leashes on 12/31/2022 & rated 91 points: Cassis, tobacco, and smoky dark cherry flavors. Smooth and elegant. Drinking perfectly with half hour decant. (1841 views) | | | Tasted by melvinyeowq on 12/18/2022 & rated 93 points: World Cup final BBQ: Cooler and more understated than the '05 Poyferre and '06 Clerc Milon, I liked the classicism on this. Took time for it to open up but this had greater depth and layers to the dark fruit than the other two wines. (2199 views) | | | Tasted by aerosol on 12/9/2022 & rated 93 points: Okay, this is my new rant; decant, decant, and decant some more. We popped open a bottle at the WW and drank it down way too fast and that's just stupid! The nose within the first 30 minutes was broccoli (Pyrazines) and another person confirmed this, too. Good youthful color. The wine was quaffed down before it even had a chance to open, but after 30 minutes it was starting to taste better and even smell better. There was some floral and leather on the nose and even some dark berries on the palate along with some green notes. Don't make the same mistake we did and decant, decant, decant! It feels stupid even trying to write a TN under these conditions except to offer a cautionary warning. Oh, and yes, it still has some age left in it because these guys know how to make a textbook Bordeaux, but you can approach it now, if and only if, you decant it. (1744 views) | | | Tasted by wineforth on 11/19/2022 & rated 95 points: 10th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Similar to the last bottle. Sandalwood, chocolate, leather and blackcurrant nose. Well balanced on the palate with plenty of beautifully soft fruit and tannins. Lynch Bages did particularly well in this average vintage. Drinking perfectly now and will decline slowly over a decade. (2109 views) | | | Tasted by oenanthe on 7/10/2022 & rated 95 points: Over a year since my last bottle and this continues to be superb. Dark ruby red in the glass, classic aromas of lead, pencil shavings, cedar, tobacco and pure cassis - so beautifully fragrant despite being drunk outdoors. It it just one of those wines where you nod to yourself that this is the very definition of the Pauillac terroir and exactly what you were hoping for when you pulled the trigger all those years ago. Quite savoury on the palate, with that austere dustiness that I want but with the excellent fruit fully continuing into the taste in a really fresh way for an 18 year old bottle. The mouthfeel is smooth, but nonetheless if you hold it there is still some tannic intensity that resolves into a long and quite drying finish. Superb. (2973 views) | | | Tasted by Renevin on 5/26/2022 & rated 93 points: Nez avec beaucoup de finesse, cuir, mûr. En bouche ampleur moyenne, tout est bien fondu, encore une fois beaucoup de finesse. Belle longueur. Excellent (2814 views) | | | Tasted by winot on 3/31/2022 & rated 92 points: Very much like the 2018 tasting note, this was very enjoyable, on the dark side, but still light and enjoyable. Really quite liked this, got better as it opened, I'd say this has another 1-5 years to run, easily. (2714 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewWill on 3/19/2022 & rated 94 points: Nearing the two-decade mark, this wine doesn’t look a day over 5. Still a beautiful dark ruby color.
Wonderful nose of stewed plum, black cherry pie, “dusty” blackberry, menthol, cigar box, cedar. A hint of cinnamon. Like Christmas in a glass.
Palate is in a fantastic spot. Primary black fruit melding into leather. Smooth, velvet tannins and a healthy acidity giving this some great life.
94 points. Everything Pauillac should be. (2842 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 3/6/2022: Bob A's. Everything we love about LB: mint, cedar, tobacco and graphite with punchy dark red and black fruit. Much more developed (in all the right ways) than the strictly red-fruited bottle we had back in 2019. (2793 views) | | | Tasted by TexasBob on 2/24/2022 & rated 93 points: Gorgeous dark garnet. Unbelievably delicious nose of fruit punch, ripe sweet raspberries, and an edge of fresh-cut grass. Delicious fruit punch, raspberries, vanilla, and a touch of wood. 100 point nose. Drinking very young - don’t be in a hurry to drink it. (2372 views) | | | Tasted by ThMeyer on 2/20/2022 & rated 95 points: Loved it loved it loved it! This wine really sang tonight. Wonderful secondary and tertiary notes of tobacco, pencil shavings and cedar box. Great match with quail and duck liver. Decanted for ~1h (2022 views) | | | Tasted by ANWW89 on 12/30/2021 & rated 92 points: drinking well now (2114 views) | | | Tasted by Andice on 12/30/2021 & rated 90 points: Still quite closed and tannic. Unbalanced. Improved somewhat with air but not yet resolved. Try in 3 years? (2415 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 12/23/2021: Coravin fun - Angelus & Lynch Bages (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of a little toast, blackcurrant cordial, sweet and savoury spice, touch of chalkiness, cedar, earth. With time in the glass gets more savoury, touch of meatiness, very slight acetone and leather. In the mouth it has medium plus intensity acidity, muted black fruits, medium minus intensity chalky textured slightly drying tannins, a little spice on the finish. Hmm. (2547 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Passing the Baton: Lynch-Bages 1945-2018 (Jul 2023) (7/1/2023)
(Lynch-Bages Lynch-Bages Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, March 2014 (3/1/2014)
(Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/25/2014)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/30/2010)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/17/2009)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, December 2008, Issue #22
(Château Lynch-Bages 5ème Cru) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2008
(Chateau Lynch-Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2008
(Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2007, IWC Issue #132
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/16/2006)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, October 2006
(Chateau Lynch-Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2006, IWC Issue #126
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2005, IWC Issue #120
(Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/7/2005)
(Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Winedoctor and JancisRobinson.com and The World of Fine Wine. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Lynch-Bages Producer website - Read more about Chateau Lynch Bages
Vineyard map
BACKGROUND: The wine of Château Lynch-Bages is part of the lineage of the great Pauillac wines. Blended mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon, it combines structure and finesse, elegance and longevity. It is further distinguished by its opulence. Generous right from its youth, it develops more flavours and greater complexity as it matures.
The affirmation of the Lynch-Bages style came with the arrival of Jean-Charles Cazes to head the estate in 1934. An innovative winemaker, emblematic of a new generation of owners willing to break with tradition and taking risks to ensure truly ripe harvests, he was known for often being the last to harvest in Pauillac. From 1945 onwards, the fame of the château emerged thanks to a series of great vintages. Some, despite being considered difficult to grow in Bordeaux, are particularly successful at Lynch-Bages. His wines are characterized by their deep colour, their tannic structure, their controlled concentration and elegant sensuality. The vintages vinified by André Cazes, and after him Jean-Michel Cazes, confirm this trend.
The style of the wines has refined over the years, gaining suppleness and softness, whilst their consistency has been established over time. Then as now, Château Lynch-Bages has been characterised by its extraordinary qualitative homogeneity. Powerful, elegant and open, vintage after vintage, the wine has acquired greater accuracy, adding distinction to the hedonistic character that made its reputation.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Pauillac Read more detailed information about Pauillac Looking full onto the river from the earliest days, with an important port activity, traces of which go back to ancient times (shipment of bronze as long ago as 2000 B.C.), Pauillac's life has always been intimately linked to the history of wine. Although port activities were at the root of its prosperity, Pauillac had to wait until the eighteenth century when Bordeaux ceased to hold its privileged position to become a wine port. The town then became the natural outlet for the wine production of neighbouring cantons before reaching its zenith in a period when the vineyards were exceptionally prosperous.
The characteristic of the Pauillac terroir is its exceptional relief: the many undulating ridges make it unique morphologically speaking. Highly favourable conditions facilitate the dissection of the layer of gravel. This thin, Garonne gravel from whose very poverty springs great richness, has an extremely effective natural drainage.
With their velvet red colour with a hint of amber, the wines from the Pauillac appellation, full-bodied and rich in tannin, are vigorous. Powerful when young, their aromas of red fruits (black-currant, raspberry) or flowers (violets, roses, irises) melt with the passing of time into a bouquet which is long in the mouth.
Rich and complex, the wines of Pauillac deserve to be laid down for a little longer.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Pauillac appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Pauillac and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cissac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Sauveur, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
|
