Great bottle of wine. Not the best ever claret or lynch but just so solidly great. Interesting on n and p, cool on the p. Graphite. Dark, blue, red fruit. Shame lynch is as expensive as it is.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful translucency! Deep ruby colour! Super clean and fresh black fruits attacking the palate, silky smooth texture and a little spicy finish! Nose, a little shy I have to say!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium-bodied Lynch-Bages. Nothing extreme or overripe in this wine. Blind one could mistake it for a wine coming from a Northern clime or an otherwise specifically cool terroir. The nose does not scream Pauillac with the lead pencil and graphite not very obvious. It is an elegant middle-weight left bank package right at peak. Not a hair out of place. I posit there is no obvious benefit in cellaring those decades out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fantastic. You will have to decant this wine at least 30 to 40 minutes before drinking. But then it becomes floral and fragrant. Very easy on the palate, and quite silky. rather good. 92 points. love it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted for 1 hour, taking cue from reviews here (love this community), wine in good shape, absolutely delicious & what a pairing with wagyu beef from Miyazaki! The palate is so well balanced & the tannins were velvety, I would say at its peak with some years left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner with the wine group (La Bohème, Palo Alto): Nearly a decade since my last bottle. Medium-deep ruby color, bricking appropriate for its age; medium intensity aromatics with mature black fruit, capsicum, some leaves and herbal, underlying blackberry and blackcurrant, a touch of cedar smoke; palate is medium-full bodied, mature black fruit, integrated medium tannin, medium alcohol, fruit fades a bit through the midpalate without as much tertiary complexity to replace it; medium length finish. A lovely Pauillac at maturity, still with some fruit but fading a bit, at peak with good balance and nice depth. This was $34 on release, a far cry from the $150+ now. 90 Double decanted 2 hours: aromatic, showing a bit more tertiary character and complexity. 91 Another hour, even more expressive and well knit together. Lovely now. 91-92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Was told not to decant or do it quickly so I decanted and gave it 30 mins and was rewarded with distant spray of ocean with forest floor but it changed of course as the night went on and it became a dance through the garden....eventually beginning to sweeten into a sunset of chocolate and damp pad of babies foot....and the legs on this Bordeaux were amazing...after am hour of decant and another 15 mins swirling the glass.
The intricate layers of the 1999 Château Lynch-Bages unfolded with each passing moment, revealing a depth that echoed the richness of the tannins that played a haunting melody on my tongue, ensuring a lingering finish that left me yearning for more. Yes the 2000 is great, but this vintage is too, if you finesse it one glass at a time.
As the wine gracefully unfolded, it revealed hints of dark chocolate, earthy spices, and a touch of graphite—a masterful composition that echoed the complexity of a well-crafted blues ballad.
Decant 1 hour, finesse glass by glass aftwards...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Final bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2007. Pristine condition. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Delicate, fragrant and fresh. Cool minerality, crisp blackcurrants and meaty warmth. Whiff of flowers. Such an elegant and transparent Lynch-Bages, bright and juicy, with just the level of tannic grip. Good length. Completely ready.
I agreee with SWHighlander and others. Color was a youthful maroon color with a sheen if there such a thing. Black currant, cedar, and forest floor on the nose with an easy going, velvety texture on the palate. Fresh not flabby. May not be from a blockbuster vintage but you don’t have to wait 30 years for it either.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Contrary to the comments seen, we found this to be a very enjoyable bottle. Nose was strong and unmistakably Pauillac. Not overly fruity, but definitely a long satisfying finish. On vacation, so we were unable to decant, but gave it 30 minutes of air prior to drinking over two hours. Flavor did not change appreciably during the window. Finished it several days later and it was marvellous. Fully opened with fantastic flavor. Based on that, I would allow 4-6 hours after decant to enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PNP. Drinking in its prime. Well integrated structure, with its blackcurrant fruit balanced with acidity, tannin and minerality. Tannins have mellowed enough that this is enjoyable by itself without food. Had a glass a large charity wine event, alongside a few dozen cabs from New and Old World. This was one of my top three for the night. Loved it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux masterclass at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): No competition for the preceding wines from vintage 2000. Less density, a shorter finish and a slightly unclean quality to the fruit. On a positive note the wine seemed less developed and tertiary than a recently consumed Gruaud Larose 1999; and others tasters liked it better than I did. Nonetheless, better drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
20 Vintages of Lynch Bages (1986-2017): All wines tasted blind. Not decanted. A few conclusions: 1) The overall quality of the wines surpassed my (and the groups) expectations slightly. There were good wines in all decades. 2) The style is very Cabernet, very Pauillac, quite classic, with a good grip, pleasantly high acidity and a good, not too ripe fruit core. 3) Most vintages don‘t have the depth of its neighbours and, until more recently, there are some quite angular tannins. 4) Lynch these days doesn’t reach the same elegance and complexity as both Pichons but plays in the same league as Pontet Canet, which, is less classically built. 5) Highest rating of 95 pts for 3 crowd favorites: of course for the 1990 and 2016, but rather surprising also for the 2017.
TN: Medium intense nose with ripe dark berries, minerality, some stems. Nothing spectacular here, but plesant. On the palate, this is a touch more open with fine dark fruit, some red hints, minerality, some herbal aromas. Medium precision. The tannins have nicely rounded out, the acidity is high but well integrated and the wine has a nice creamy texture bringing it all together. While this has certainly not the depth of better years, it is a positive surprise in my book for this mediocre vintage (the other such surprise was the 1997). Easily worth 91/92 pts tonight.
Decanting: A short 1 hour should be enough.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
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 backdrop of aging notes, rather ripe and dark fruit profile of dark cherry and bramble berry but also some red currant in the distance. Floral layer and a pinch of dried herbs and lavender round off the picture. The palate is juicy, sweet and even sexy. Grippy tannin, but in good balance with the fresh acidity. Intensity was rather muted, however, and the overall impression was a bit boring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The first 30 minutes after opening are delightful: ripe Bing cherry, black plum, exotic wood and oak in the background. But then things start to fade a bit...time to drink these or just this bottle, hard to say
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
[Tasted Blind] This wine pours medium garnet, with light bricking. The nose is expressive and complex showing sweet cedar, celery, green bell pepper, tobacco, plum, red cherry, and light amounts of sawdusty new oak that is not totally integrated. The palate enters on the sweet red fruit augmented by tannin that is medium plus and really turns quite bitter and new oaky. The finish is quite nice showing a lovely sweet cedar character the lingers nicely. I wish this wine had been hit with a little less new oak, but otherwise it is lovely. I guessed 1998 Right Bank Bordeaux due to the plush plummy fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of tobacco leaf, cigar box, and sun-drenched earth. Dark plum and currant on the palate, adding lilac, peppery earth, and lot of subtle touches that seem hard to pin down. Finish of anise, dark soil, and layers of dense minerals and graphite driven with lively acidity, finishing with cherry and leather
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Upon consuming immediately after opening, it had a strong flavor of Choward’s violet mints, with a finish of pencil shavings. Powdery dried violet with a clean, not too sharp metallic edge. After sitting in my glass for a little while, the metallic aspect morphed into a very camphorous menthol. A vague numbing feel reminiscent of Szechuanese pepper. Not my favorite, but not atrocious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and poured about 15 minutes later (2nd bottle poured about 45-50 min. after opened) Very dark coloring when poured with no hint of bricking. Very muted on the nose. Lots of black fruit -- blackberry and cassis along with some leather and mint. Very smooth with tannins integrated. Wine around it's peak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Quite a bit of bricking, on the pale side. Nose: very pretty, sweetly floral (dried and fresh), lightly medicinal (fresh), slightly unripe banana peel, dark fresh and caramelized fruits, fully mature. Tannins nicely smoothing out, still medium in intensity though, medium acid, very good integration. Great balance, light and pretty. Others would say "lacking in concentration". Guessed left-bank from the 90s. On the reveal, I noted that this is less concentrated than the other vintages of Lynch-Bages I have had from that decade - certainly 1990 and 2000; maybe closer to 1997. Lovely wine, if not deeply profound, and happy to have a bottle in very good shape. $153.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needs air...thin and closed at first, then shows nice Bord subtleties of leather, cigar box spice, damp earth, tobacco leaf, cherry, plum, currents...silky elegance, yet drying out. The last of my bottles from release, and none have shown much improvement with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Rich, ripe, plum, cake, on the nose. Is this right bank? The palate then was precise with Medoc tannins, so more classic left bank. A surprise when this was revealed. Did not think a 1999 Medoc could have such lovely ripeness. A good showing. 94+
I enjoyed these tasting notes to see the evolution of this wine. I agree with those who suggest this wine will not improve and agree you should drink it now as the fruit is fading. I have always found that older well preserved Bordeaux even from mediocre vintages are a delight. I think MIKEATL who wrote in 2017 said it best: "Just a lovely classic Pauillac, well balanced fruit and tannin, a bit of cedar, if you don't like this you probably don't like Bordeaux." Very well said and succinct.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted. Light sediment. Ruby red color. Nose of pencil shavings and dried fruit, perhaps some red clay. After 30+ minutes, clear taste of prunes, which mellowed over the next 2+ hours to a more indefinite dried fruit. Tannins softened but still there. Very smooth, silky, with a long finish. Drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
30 minute decant. Leather, dark berry, cassis on the nose an palette. Good firm tannins and balanced acid. Probably could have aged another 10 years easily but was drinkable now. Long cloyingly sweet finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I liked this bottle so much better than one I reviewed in 2019. The cork was in very good shape and came out intact. The appearance was still ruby garnet with only a small amount of orange on rim. On the nose cedar and tobacco much more than the previous. Started making nice big legs almost immediately. This wine started to open up after airing and developed more complexity over time. The dark fruit notes were prevalent on night one and it was a good match for a burger. By night three the fruit was balanced with soft okay vanilla and herbal and tobacco notes with all flavors integrated. The wines evolution over three days suggests it is in an early stage of maturity and should be enjoyable for at least 5 years. This wine is making me look forward to the bigger vintages of 89-90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I taste Saffron. He tastes Mint. I say tomato(long o), he says tomato. But what matters what we say...it is what we experience. I spent four hours making paella, so Saffron was on the tip of my tongue. But honestly, I do taste the mint, too. So, so far this wine makes no sense - but these days what does? What can be agreed on is that it is delicious. On a long day, when the sun is just setting and it is surprisingly cool - all seems at peace. And free. And with that why not just enjoy all that is good in this world. An hour later we taste quite not ripe blueberries. Maybe they would be ripe in a minute..but then the birds would get them first. Maybe having an aerial view would be more advantageous. And just like everything else this wine is slipping away so quickly. Time is short, life is fragile...so better to drink a precious gem like this right now. Because right now it is magical. How do you get grapes to taste like an after dinner cigar in Monte Carlo? So elegant, refined...yet he wants to stick his entire face in the glass...I may just let him.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
13%. PnP. Medium red no bricking. Initial mushroom and soy sauce notes. Muted red berry fruit. With air time the fruit flavors deepen taking on a more plummy / blueberry aspect. Good acid and still firm tannins. 15sec finish. Nice. Has held up well, but definitely tastes like aged wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really at its peak! Fully mature Pauillac with a wonderful nose of moist earth, black fruit, and cassis. Tastes of blackberries, cherries, plums, tobacco, and cedar. Medium bodied, moderate acidity, with a silky mouthfeel. Tannins are very smooth. 1999 may not be a wonderful Bordeaux vintage, but this wine is great.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped & poured for xmas day. Wonderful freshness on the nose. Some earth, some barnyard on the nose, along with cherries. Earthy, mushroom notes on the palate, still some tannins, good length. Lead pencil, cedar and cassis. Drinking nicely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum. My reaction is similar to the three previous notes. Nice and mature now, and a classic mature Bordeaux experience. Liked all around the table.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cassis, black fruits, cherries, herbs, spices, old textbook with some earth notes. Classic Bordeaux. Vibrant. Similar to other Bordeaux ‘99s tasted this year, this is in a good place now. Enjoyed this tonight. Open sooner rather than later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I think this wine is past its prime. It didn't rock my world. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant, black currant (cassis), blackberry and raisin. It tastes like blackberry, blueberry and black currant (cassis). The body is medium. The wine has angular texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A good wine and worth drinking now but not a favorite vintage of Lynch. Great nose, little weaker on the palate and finish than expected. Missing some complexity. 90-91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine much better 2nd night open. Typical Bordeaux nose of cedar and maybe a whiff of damp forest floor. On the palate the tannins are soft and fully resolved but not much of a finish. Fruit is almost overripe mostly dark like black cherries and maybe blackberries. But did not seem well integrated with the underlying structure and maybe lacking a bit of acidity. Provenance of the wine may not be all that good since purchased from a store going out of business in 2005. But overall just ok since paid only $25 for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No detailed notes. I recall the wine being deeply colored with little fading. The nose was classic, mature Lynch-Bages with pencil shavings, cedar, plums, and tobacco, among other aromas. On the palate the wine was graceful, balanced, and still full of fruit with all tannins resolved. This was the best showing yet for me for this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine has medium acidity. It smells like strawberry, apricot and tobacco. The body is medium. The wine finishes long. It tastes like prune, red currant, black currant (cassis) and cherry. The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. The wine has bright texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
90's Bordeaux and Their Second Labels: Initially was full of fruits and dark flowers: Plums, currants, guava, mango, and violets. Quite soft and wonderfully textured.
As the evening went on the wine became far more savory. Roasted coffee, charred wood, and smoked tea.
Near the end of the evening it began to become metallic. Pennies and iron.
A show-stopper Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served. Nice mature Pauillac, well interested with bright acid, medium plus body, medium finish. Great nose of leather and hay. Lacks the earthiness of my favorite Pauillacs but enjoyable nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened, decanted for an hour and drank over the next three. Purchased a case EP and this is the second to last bottle. A real pleasant surprise. Color showing a brown tinge. nose has leather and earth. Tannins still there but well integrated. palate dark cherry, leather, earth a bit of barnyard. Really nice. I do not think these are going to get a lot better. Recommend to drink over the next 5 years. Really good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very Classic old style bordeaux. Neede some time to open up, but all the Classic Components is there, lead pencil, cassis, forest floor, leather. At the same time a rather sleek personality, good acidity but could do with a loittle more fruit. Best with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
delicious wine but not much of a stand out. At this stage relatively soft with a dark streak of black fruit but the flavors are clearly lacking the precision this producer typically has for their better vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic mature bordeaux in the best sense. Well balanced, supple tannins and Xavier Auerbach's note from September completely mirrors my impressions. Certainly won't improve and I would drink in the next few years for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours, and consumed with a seafood stew — saffron & striped bass and clams. First sip seemed slightly sour but almost immediately the wine opened in the glass and proved amazing— nicer than a 1989 vintage of Lynch Bages we’d opened 2 weeks ago. Tobacco notes in the finish and turkish cherry bouquet. Legs, too!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Saturday Bordeaux: Just a lovely classic Pauillac, well balanced fruit and tannin, a bit of cedar, if you don't like this you probably don't like Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pristine bottle, fourth from a half case, level into neck. Sombre colour, medium deep, mature but lively appearance; harmonious, mature left bank nose, crushed red berries, spices, hint of cheese rind, good depth; light but charming palate, supple tannins, flowing and relaxed style, well-balanced, lovely ripe 1999 fruit, acidity sticks out a bit on the back palate; smooth finish, hint of black tea, good length. Completely ready, just past its peak in fact.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Showing a bit of age. Tart black cherry, tobacco, black pepper. A bit light on the palate. Tannins are there but this lacks some depth. Might pick up a bit more but I can't see this aging well more than 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served. Showed well after a few minutes. Classic broad-shouldered Pauillac with cigar-box nose, dried fruit, forest floor, tobacco, and coffee. Long finish. I'm not sure it will get better than this although the sommelier thought it was still five years from peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A tradition of the Friday group, the host provides one last bottle for the evening, wine X. Served from a decanter, I am not sure if it was simply decanted off its sediment or had any time in the decanter before service.
Double blind. Relatively dark garnet color though judging by the meniscus this has some age to it. An immediately appealing iodine aroma emerges from the glass and Rich and I nearly simultaneously announce that this must be Graves. Our host told us we were incorrect- "farther north"- and thus we went back to the glass. There's a melange of red and black fruit and then it appeared- graphite- followed by floral and tobacco notes. On the full side of medium-bodied with some tannins yet to shed, but clearly it has aged enough to soften some. Flavors of currant and cherry with a leafy forest floor quality and also a bit of cedar and graphite/mineral. Our host confirmed this was a Pauillac. It's "beefy" and concentrated- there's some power and weight here. It didn't have the herbal greenness of PLL or the rustic dark edges of Pichon Baron, and it was much too powerful to be the likes of d'Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Duhart, etc., so I settled on Lynch Bages. It had age, but didn't seem as tight as some 2000s we've had recently, and didn't have the more generous qualities of 2003s. Someone suggested 2005 or 2009 but it wasn't tannic nor young enough for either of those vintages so my guess ended up being 2001 Lynch Bages so I felt pretty good when this was unveiled. Anyway...this is a very impressive '99 that is drinking very nicely now though should hold for a few years. 93+ pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
An abundance of notes shows how widely available this wine is but that doesn't mean it's not well made. By reading the relatively positive reviews of the previous postings, I'd say it ranks a touch higher than the mostly 90s and 91s that people score this bottle. My well-stored bottle had a nice bright, medium purple with just ever so slight amber on the rim. Nose is more on the fruity/oaky side reflecting a more modernist approach for this underrated vintage. Notes of leather, stewed plums and mahogany give it a very pleasant length that drank well over 2+ hours undecanted. Tannins are very smooth but a nice earthy finish gives it a slight element of complexity that rounds it out nicely. Definitely at peak now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was my one and only bottle of this wine. Pop and pour to drink before and during a pot roast dinner. The wine definitely had a brownish tinge to it. On the nose very light floral notes. The wine was nicely balanced with maybe a bit more acid than I prefer. On the palate graphite with muted fruit. This was a very pleasant bottle but certainly not a wow bottle. I would say it is time to drink these up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Paired with beef tenderloin and grilled vegetables; served with a 2001 Rauzan-Segla. Our dinner guests preferred the LB unanimously, as the Lynch-Bages retained more fruit and presented greater complexity on the nose and on the finish. Given the brown notes in the wine, I would suggest drinking up soon
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
11th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, much older than last clean bottle 2 years ago, notably browner on rim, broader flavour profile, more bramble less cassis, decent core and length, not much grip or real concentration, still nice but not a long term hold! VGI (17).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, fig, prune, cherry and black pepper. It tastes like blackberry, prune, cherry and vanilla. The body is light/medium. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has low acidity.
I was concerned this wine might be past its prime, but found it to have aged well. I would drink soon though as it seems to be waning.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted next to 2001. Unfortunately corked. Woody, barnyardy on the nose which blew off to some extent with time in the glass. On the palate not much fruit, drying and angular.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking beautifully now. Certain critics pigeon-holed 1999 as a light fruity year for early drinking when first released, but this wine (and there are others, like Leoville Barton) which are absolutely at their peak now; and will continue to drink a long while yet. Classic Pauillac: dry blackcurrant, pencil-lead, green peppers, old mahogany furniture, a long finish. Excellent traditional claret.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This pristinely cellared bottle was decanted, with serial tasting commencing after three hours in decanter. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it is a deep garnet, highly aromatic wine. Medium-bodied, freshly acidic, softly tannic and seamlessly alcoholic (13%), it delivers an attractive payload of plum, spice cake, leather and pipe tobacco. Dense and layered on the mid-palate, it goes on to close with a smooth, medium-length finish. This is a "feminine" version of Lynch-Bages from a vintage that is now drinking beautifully. Enjoy it over the next 3-4 years. Drink now-2021.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A lovely mature rounded wine with aromas of ripe cherry and cassis. On the palate the tannins are soft and silky. Everything is perfectly balanced but is not as complex as some of the great Lynch Bages vintages and it is slightly marred by finishing abruptly and leaving an acidic note in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied, lighter style of Lynch Bages, with a fruity, soft, vibrant, cassis, cherry and cranberry character. There is a really nice, spicy note, that adds even more freshness to the red berry finish. Drink this now, while waiting for the far better, 2000 vintage to develop. The wine was made from a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is seriously good, and I believe a little better than recent critical reviews would imply. Very rich fruit and some hints of spice, that started with a little tartness to catch your attention as it moved into a round mid-palate, and came together with an even, long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've been drinking a lot of old Claret lately and that is such a great pleasure in life, but every once in a while it's nice to drink a young, healthy wine full of fruit and life. This is really delicious and a real tribute to what Jean-Michel Cazes can do in a vintage like 1999. Typical Lynch but with the finer silhouette of the vintage; cherries, blackcurrant, a little bit of mint, leather, and vanilla. After a long day of work, it takes a little restraint not to finish the half bottle it in 3 gulps!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cellared since release.....open in bottle for an hour.......Brett is wearing his leather jacket here! Fruit is starting to thin and dry out....BUT...I'm still liking this! Has the good brett...funky fresh....classic Bordeaux leather, pencil lead, damp earth, cedar spice.....blackberry, currant, cherry, plum fruit...little thin, tart, dry....but "smooth";) I actually like a drier style wine....more savory than sweet...this has that, and nice Pauillac spice and herbs...cigar ash, licorice, creme de cassis......has a great silk feel...little tart and spicy dry on the finish. Not super great...but with a big fat juicy steak....it satisfies!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet colored with medium legs. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. Decanted 1 hour before dinner. It smells like eucalyptus, cedar and lead pencil which carries over into the taste. Body is on the light side of medium. The wine has narrow texture and finishes short. The tannic backbone of this wine has given way to an almost unpleasant tartness. Drink-up its not going to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby with tawny edges. Modest aromatic complexity. Quite shy, but showing old saddle leather, dried cassis fruits, some sweet spice. Better on the palate, where it is soft and plush, revealing a good fruit core, med acidity and med/long finish. This has probably hit its plateau.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
La robe est tuilée. Il y a un peu de lie au fond de la bouteille. Le nez est d’abord légèrement fermier mais ça disparaît rapidement. Ensuite, au nez et en bouche, on est sur les pruneaux séchés. Un peu de cuir et de mine de crayon. Les tannins sont discrets mais encore présents, la longueur est belle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Agree with most of the tasting notes here. Certainly time to drink up as this will likely not get any better. Red/black cherry with a predominance of earth, licorice, and tar notes. As the night went on, the fruit seemed to disappear and the finish was rather short. Not much tannin here anymore. Good not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened a magnum of the 1999 for Thanksgiving. The wine has held up very well yet it's clear it's time to drink this wine as it - I would not hold it much longer if it all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm still waiting to "get" Lynch Bages. I know I'm an outlier on this but it always taste a little simple to me and has a prominent blackberry profile I'm not keen on. For most people this is a likely a 91pt+ wine. For me its an 89pt wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 3 plus hours. Cork not pristine, nose a real mixture, palate of black but slightly exhausted fruit plus a number of other touches. Medium bodied, suitably dry finish with pleasant tannin. I will finish my remaining bottles in near future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last and very good bottle. The fruit is on downhill here but fortunately many other good things remain. Quite dark with earth, chocolate, pepper, prunes and black berries. Fat texture and still good tannins present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ready to drink immediately upon opening. Nose had raspberries, cherries, oak and tiny bit of green pepper. The fruit was a bit underripe due to the vintage but its drinking totally fine on the palate. Not very complex but its soft and easy-drinking. This should be consumed now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice classic LB nose of dark fruits and graphite minerals. Medium-bodied and lean with tasty flavors of smoky black fruits, graphite and green beans. Still tannic on the finish and the tannins are slightly green suggesting this might not have reached optimum ripeness. But it's delicious and filled with the vineyard characteristics so I can see past it but this is a good rather than great vintage of this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ouvert 6 heures d’avance et épaulé Au nez, on parle autour de la table de pierre à fusil, de graphite, de cuir, de fruits noirs. En bouche, le tout est enrobé de tannins modérés mais harmonieux. C’est minéral, c’est long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dégusté avec mon amis Yves et a famille.Aprés 3 heures de carafe,quelle belle révélation.Un nez explosif ,aromes de café expresso,tabac et de fruits murs.Une bouche avec une belle attaque,tannins assouplis non rugeux.Finallle de longueur moyenne.vin séducteur.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow. This was in a perfect spot. The fruit was still quite present, but with all of the depth expected with 15-16 years of age. Great balance. Delicious.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Elegant and floral wine, drinking exceptionally well now. Came of as restrained yet classy, balanced, with plenty of nuanced floral aromatics. Tasted a matured bordeaux bouquet of cedar, sweet dark cherry, closing with an unusual hints of lilacs. Fully integrated tannins give depth and complexity. The only thing better than this wine was the company.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A medium bodied wine with a pleasant if light bouquet of red fruit, brown around the edges, well made but light in structure, very soft tannins. It had a lot of cherry flavor and reminded me of a Burgundy more than anything else. Probably should have drunk this before now, it's a bit beyond its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A private tasting and dinner (Bilthoven): Rounded and supple, open nose, ripe fruit but light structure, not a lot of weight but lots of charm, good Cabernet typicity and length.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still going strong but not going to get any better so I would drink soon. Light rusty red color almost Pinot like. Nice smooth fruit with supple tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet to clear rim. Getting a bit tired. Dried red fruits, dried cranberries, graphite, saddle leather, tobacco, and forest floor. After about 45 minutes decant, a streak of sweet red fruit became evident, but things dried out shortlt thereafter. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tight as a tick! Was surprised at how this tight this wine was last night. Fruit is starting to show but still very tannic. I would not open for another 5 years if I owned this wine. Once it evolves it should be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I quite liked this wine. It was opened with other 1999 Bordeaux and was one of my favorites. It drinks as an aged Bordeaux, and I do not see any further improvement though. Drink in the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened the bottle 2 hours before drinking. Still closed with tannins, however after a little time in the glass opened up with tannins becoming mores soft. Fruit and a hint of tobacco. To be enjoyed over the next 3-4 year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red Blackcurrant, sweet tannin, minted Average mid-palate and finishing Considered still young as the elements of the wine has not fully integrated yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic tobacco, cigar box, underbrush, smoke and sweet dark cassis, blackberry sweet-tarts; silky medium weight, good acidity/lift; fine dusty tannins. Very nice, showing well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby-purple color; dark cassis notes, iron, black plum, shrooms and leather notes; nice brooding character, but medium weight with good acidity, almost a nuance of green pepper. This is in a good place now and should be consumed now to 5 years. Not a ton of structure, a bit sour in the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Home (Fremont, CA): Coravin 7/11/14: Nose of dense deep black fruits, blackberry, balanced, some graphite and pencil lead; palate is full bodied, smooth, well integrated tannin, black fruit, lots of depth, some early secondary characteristics but still mostly youthful; finish is medium-long, lots of black fruit. Very nice Bordeaux, traditional style but with fleshy riper fruits (not overripe), very youthful, deep and balanced but needs time to develop complexity. Has at least a decade ahead of it with a lot of potential for more complexity, and I will wait at least 5 years before my next bottle. 91-92+ 7/12/14: consistent with note above. Just a wonderfully enjoyable complete wine. 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this against the 99 Gruaud Larose and slightly preferred the St. Julian. Slight bret smell upon opening that blew off--opened both 3 hours before drinking and bottles had just warmed up from cellar temps for me 50 degrees.
Nose had leather and tobacco notes, pencil lead, flavors carried through to the taste, along with cassis and licorice. Tannins still firm.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
7th of 24, good fill, hour decant, lovely, classy, well balanced, mature luncheon claret, just lacking dimension and grip of top vintage and a tad behind the ends of a bottle of Pontet Canet 99 opened two days earlier, should still improve. Very good plus (16.5/20).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brown edges to the wine. Nose a bit surpressed. Decanted for about 2 hours. Lack of fruit in the nose. This wine is alomst over its life span. Have tasted much better Lynch of other vintages. Not a long finish either. Time to drink up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Tasted blind) Brown edges in the glas, clearly some age to this wine; quite fresh on the palate, some cassis and licorice, spicy flavors, medium body, not overly complex, not very tannic either, a very good, but not very interesting wine; like most Bordeaux, this needs food; some guessed Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon. - 88 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Charming, relatively easy lynch. Textbook claret. Liked it alot for its balance , lacks structure and power to be truly great. This is drinking great now, don t see much upside for the future here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle seemed quite a bit better than the first one I had. Good fruit, and very smooth with no alcohol taste and nicely intergrated tannins that didn't overpower. Drinking very well right now. Went great with the steak we had
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful nose right at opening...nice balance but fruit is a little muted... opened nicely but I would say this is ready to drink and will drink well for next couple years then fade away
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pristine bottle, not decanted. Nose opens up beautifully, crushed blackcurrants and raspberries, cedar, smoke and earth, hints of mint and spice; on the palate medium weight, ripe fruit, lovely balance, velvety tannins, good extract; very good length. A charming Lynch.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
No decant. This has a mature nose of purple flowers, smoked cigar, purple Spree candy, Ranier cherry, and dry blackberry. With some air in the glass there's secondary cilantro/herbal mint, white pepper, and woodspice. Lean palate, medium-bodied, metallic notes—like tasting pieces of silver—mature dry red currant, old leather, dusty clay in midpalate, softly transitioning into a graphite-edged finish with subtle, relaxed tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very ready to drink and quite open...decanted for 2 hours...I'd probably not give it that much next time. Medium bodied. Nice silky palate..not the complexity I would have liked. Very enjoyable however.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle, the first we've opened, went down surprisingly fast. Pure and rich, black and purple fruits, touch of crème de cassis, a delicious "young" wine. I am wondering if complexity will come later; nevertheless, for now, an easy drinking, very enjoyable bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not as much pop as the 2000 drank before. The nose has nice lift with lead pencil shavings and game notes. Body not as full or lush as the 2000 but still a great Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smoky tones, light fruit and smooth. This wine finished 5th in a 5 person blind tasting of 5 other aged Bordeaux. 1st 2003 Croix de Labrie, 2nd 2004 Ponte Canet, 3rd 2000 Branaire Ducru, 4th 2000 Haut Bailly, 5th 1999 Lynch Bages and 6th 2000 Gazin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Five Decades of Lynch Bages with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Quite a bit of colour on it still and shows just the beginning of age on the rim. Open on the nose, and pushing to secondary, with good herby, cedary notes light earth. Very classical in style. Decent fruit on the palate from start to finish, good acidity, length but not a huge amount of structure here. Maybe this will follow in the footsteps of the great 85? A beautiful wine to have now and with good life ahead hopefully. 92+ . Quite consistent with our note 2 yrs ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Traditional Bordeaux with smell of wet rag and barnyard on the nose. Earthy and pen lead on the palate. A decent vintage that is in the right drinking window
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet to the rim. Cedar, tobacco, black cherry, and saddle leather. Tannins are soft and resolved. Again, this reinforces my impression of significant bottle variability, asthis was less evolved than previous bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely wine with the bone in ribeye with truffles. The black currant, licorice and spice were the perfect companions. Supple, rich and rounded with perfect balance. Drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beefy, cassis fruit nose. Not a lot of distinction. Medium weight, ok flavor penetration but really nothing special. Decent glass of red wine - nothing more. (83)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Garnet color with fast forming legs and aromas of blackberry. Leathery texture with a medium finish - Very elegant on the nose not very long finish though. Leathery and well balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mature Bordeaux with the SWO wineclub (Christian's House): This is perfectly ready to drink now. Lots of fruit, balanced with a nice length, even a bit of eucalyptus giving it a hint of Heitz! Good but outclassed by the Haut Brion
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
When corona forces you to work at home (March 28, 2020) than you go cleaning, so I found this tasting note. A stylish bouquet, very juicy, not very deep, but the aftertaste stays in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
really nice. decanted 2 hours before dinner (as per my previous note). paired with really slow cooked braised Jamison lamb shanks. wine showed lovely against the lamb and the reduced sauce. nose was not as nuanced as I would expect for LB, but taste was full of fruit, a little cassis - with balanced tannins. Finish was lacking. Based upon previous posts starting to wonder how much gas left in tank - it's still years, but how many? Will come back in one for a review!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On top form. Very together, smooth tannins, long finish. Plenty of fruit and liquorice to finish. This was tasted after a 99 Evangile and the LB was far ahead on the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Belle couleur, au nez peu de fruits mais une présence intense ; bonne longueur en bouche, mais une impression de sécheresse. Légère déception au premier abord, mais après avoir gouté le MR 92, je le trouve meilleur...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1.5 L bottle at the Lynch Bages tasting (12 different vintages), Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2012: rubin red color; vanilla and cherries; medium body; smooth, round texture.
I bet at the moment a blind taster would guess this is a California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is already good approachable and I don't think he will greatly improve in terms of rating points. However, I would love to encounter him again in about 5 years to taste if his character has shifted towards the old world.
Vintages flight III: 1989 - 1992 - 1999 - 2000
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Having drunk 3 of these in the last six weeks it is clear that there is a lot of bottle variation. This bottle had a bit more stuffing than an earlier bottle, with red fruits, cinnamon, and licorice notes. Medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mid red going to orange at the rim. Sour cherry, tobacco, cedar and graphite notes. The finish is short and thin. This isn't aging all that gracefully and I don't think there is much point to aging this further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2-hour decant. Classic bordeaux nose giving mostly saddle leather, graphite, and a touch af cassis. On the palate, earthy, dark fruit with a soft, lush mouth feel. A rather short finish is what kept me from rating it higher. Nice pair with wine-braised short ribs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
11/29/2011 Blind vertical tasting of 1982, 1986, 1998 & 1999 Lynch Bages with braised lamb & accompaniments. The 2 younger wines were decanted an hour before and the 2 older poured directly to the glasses. All 4 dark plum colored & medium bodied with the 2 older wines showing a ruby ring. 1982 was the clear favorite, but only identified correctly by half the group. Smooth with completely resolved tannins, but with a fresh berry, red and black current fruit that led the 1982 to be mistaken for the 1999 which had filled the room with fruit aromas when opened, but was more reserved on tasting. The 1986 was still tannic and somewhat closed (more air time might have helped) and reserved, but with a dense core of dark fruit with the potential to open up with a little more time. The 1998 was characterized by pleasant but slightly diluted red and black fruit flavors, but the finish dropped off quickly in slightly vegetal and abrupt ending, while long slowly decaying finishes characterized the other three wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice wine - typical bordeaux nose. Something about the finish left me wanting more. Next bottle I will decant an hour or two and report back accordingly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very nice dark nose. A bit primary still in the mouth. Initially this has a strange chemical aroma, but that blows off with time in the glass. Very nice in the end, but one of the more modest vintages of this wine. Still probably at least 5 years from its peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Largely consistent with prior note. paired with grilled leg of lamb. Nice complement. The wine is very well integrated and drinking pleasantly. Next to a '98 beau-sejour becot, the LB received 50% of the first first place votes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not decanted. At first some primary berry fruit but more mellow aromas developed quickly in the glass. Relatively light, smooth and elegant with good balance and soft tannins and slightly vegetal on the finish. Paired with steak and went well. Very good (86-89)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
big jammy fruit, not a lot of structure. drinking well and seems unlikely to improve significantly with time. 30 mins in bottle plus 1 hour in decanter. poured next to a '99 Cos D'Estournel and the LB came up well short on a unanimous vote.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied. Smooth. Flavours of black currant and very slight hints of cola and smoke. A bit lacking in acidity. Well integrated. Nice wine but lacks some of the depth and complexity I have found in earlier vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Less than an hour decanted but could have used more. Narrower palate than the 1989 we drank first. Nicer nose, but less complex than the great, older vintage. Vanilla hints and currant, but also a touch of green tomato or vine ( also present in the nose with time). Matched with a rich bluefish soup.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful, attractive nose, très Pauillac, très Lynch-Bages, a wealth of blackberry fruit; elegant and pleasant on the palate, well-balanced but rather light, reasonable length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice nose, but lacking somewhat in the taste. Lacks tannins and accidity. But the fruit got better and better during the evening. Blackberry, tobacco and chocolate. Very dark in the mouth. This has seen its best days, but like it never the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was like a young Anne Hathaway, sweet, a little frail and definitely pretty. Decanted for a couple hours before drinking. Nose was strong point with wood, berries and a little other stuff going on (not much earth for a bordeaux). Lighter mouthfeel, with a lot of sweet notes like creme, blackberries, a little vanilla and even some milk chocolate Smooth tannins and light acidity make the finish weightless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium red-purple with a hint of bricking at rim Decanted one hour. Cassis, cigar box, and saddle leather in a mid-weight package. Smooth tannins with a medium finish. Nice, but not in the mold of some previous vintages that had much more weight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured into large Bordeaux stems. A bit reticent on the nose. Light red berry, some camphor, and a bit of salty sea air. Medium purple color with a faint bit of bricking on the rim. Red fruits, leather, tobacco, and a hint of eucalyptus on the palate. Medium body. The tannins are smooth and polished. Pleasant finish that turns a bit austere on the end. A very good bottle of wine, but not outstanding. Drink short to medium term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One of the best '99 Bordeaux, this is a friendly, mediumweight+ wine with a perfect colour, a polished nose and a taste without edges, although with a lot of pauillac character. Perfect for dinner, but I advice decanting. Don't worry about the future of this wine for the next five to seven years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened this with not much to look fwd to. Our first 1999 bordeaux too so not sure what to expect. Opened, decanted and served. Dont think long decanting will help at this stage. Mild yet open nose, very bordeaux nose mild sweet cherry. The tannins are very much there but not harsh, no rough edges, but feels a bit weak, flat on the palate with little finish. Still a very enjoyable wine at the moment, goes well with food. Very well made and solid wine and for sure time will benefit it further.At the moment it not singing and in all fairness this will never be a great singer of a wine but a great showing from an uninspiring 99 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has a 93 pt nose and the initial palate is right up there. Unfortunately it falls apart on the backend and finishes rather thin. It was my only bottle and don't see myself seeking out any more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hmm, a bit of a weak and weedy showing. Certainly a very nice wine with the requisite tobacco, cherry and chocolate. That said, there is a lean, green, ungenerous edge to this wine. The question is whether it is fading or just needs time to blossom?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): This wine started off slow and got better over the evening. Charming nose of toasty oak and minerals. In the mouth, was a little tired but showed some nice fruit. For me, this wine showed the most improvement over the evening. For what it’s worth, the capsule would not spin on this bottle and the cork showed some seepage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent quality for the price. aroma is medium strength, with earth, some floral, and tobacco or lead pencil. medium weight in the mouth. very balanced and drinking well now. only minor criticism is the rather short finish, typical of the vintage. wine is not green at all, however
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very elegant. Opened up slowly in the glass. Smoky aromas and good concentration. Mature now, but could probably improve further for a couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sherry-Lehmann Advanced Wine Class (Bordeaux) (Sherry-Lehmann Gallery): Red garnet color. Nose of leather, dark fruits, plum, blackberries, earth and mineral. Some nice dark fruit on the palate. It's well balanced, but more than that, this displays an attractive roundness. With that said, I wouldn't wait any longer to drink this wine.
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #044; Bordeaux 1999 (By me): Beautiful bouquet with cassis, liquorice, eucalyptus and well integrated oak. A mouth full of wine. Black cassis, good sweetness, pepper, soft tannin, good acidity. Beautiful ripe fruits and very well balanced. A great wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is drinking nicely, solid dark center lighting toward the edges, not a big nose but the mouth just fills with various flavors, some tannins - thus indicating this has good life to it linger on the palate for 30 seconds, crushed jammy berries , strawberries, Alcohol is well balanced.......not a big wine but big enough
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours. Highly opaque, garnet color, with a lot of rim variation and no sediment. No flaws. High fruit and earth intensity. Aroma of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and plum. Dry, with low acid and tannin. Long finish. Served with prime rib roast. Perfect pairing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
NO. I bought a case of this and drank it quite quickly, with a lot of discontent about it as I motored through it in the mid 2000s. This is one of my last bottles and it has not really gotten any better. I tastes like bordeaux, there is still some tannins there (is it still young), but it just lacks something (adequate fruit?). Would not recommend it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
NSMFOW November 2009--Mini Verticals (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Dark ruby, almost purple with slight bricking at the rim. Big nose of blackberries, cassis, tobacco with slight herbaceousness. Similar palate. Still somewhat tannic. Nice wine but still needs some time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wayne's 70th Birthday Dinner (Paley's Place, Portland, OR): Opened about 2 hours before drinking. Not decanted. Deep, not quite opaque garnet-red color. Soaring nose of intense cabernet fruit and coffee. Nicely rich and ripe on the palate with resolved tannin and nice acidity. Moderate finish of coffee and red fruits. Still a lovely, mature Bordeaux that lacks a bit of complexity but makes up for it with balance and power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 9 hours. Dark red color with aromas of truffle, earth. Beautiful integration of alcohol, fruit, tannin, acid. Finish that goes on for days of red fruits. Although a little light bodied I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Probably has another 10 years in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a pretty mature and very delicious bordeaux - really drinking well, with soft tannins and still decent acidity. Slight hints of earth over blackberry and blackcurrant fruit - nose is complex and slightly mature. Palate is really well balanced with soft dry currant fruit and juicy cherry acidity. Excellent smoothness and length of finish. I think this is about peak - definitely dirnking very well - not reason to hold on to these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aging well. Drank with a 1985 and 2001. The '85 is holding up better than I suspect this will. The 1999 seems ready to drink to me, although I'm sure it will last many more years. This is not the best year for a LB, but is still a lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
nice color, very much a lynch, did not deliver as much as i had hoped, medium weight , a little tannin, some fruit, a bit of veggie taste, finish not that long, but I still liked ...expect a lot from Lynch..5 more bottles left will let sit some more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Textbook Lynch Bages, textbook Bordeaux. Ample fruit yet not overdone. Moderate finish. This is just climbing into the "drink" phase of the drinkability curve. This was a pop-n-pour for us however I'd recommend a 2 hour decant. Great now, better in 5 years, will last several beyond that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2006 Red Bordeaux and a Few Others (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Medium center with a mature, tawny edge. Beautiful secondary aromatics, which were shocking after tasting all of the younger reds which were so primary. Lean and light with some cedar and good retention of fruit. As you get through it, though, each phase is less and less impressive, since it shows some mid-palate dilution and a fading finish. Better to smell than to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Maybe it was the beautiful weather, or maybe it was that we drank it in The Berks house, opened two weeks ahead of schedule, but this was just great, by far the best of around 20 bottles of the LB '99 we have had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby red with a firm purple backing and looking youthful. Very inviting nose of resolved dark berries with a nod towards currants and showing just a tad of tartness and very light wood notes. Walked the line between easy and firm, nicely evolved but still showing some depth of character...this was ready to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
ditto prior review ... classic bordeaux aromatics and flavors. Medium bodied. Nice finish. Drinking very well now. This is proof to me that buying off vintage wines a futures prices from chateaux that are "known quantities" can work out very well. I can't think of a better wine vs the futures price of 30$.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice nose of cedar and cassis, color is dark and shiny with no clearing. The entry is a bit dusty but gets smoother after a while. No mid palate and the finish is watery. A decent showing for the vintage but a little disappointing considering the pedigree.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From the cellar of a Cambridge college, in an inappropriate glass. Intense colour, no sign of maturity. Slightly closed scent, and restrained but very soft on palate. Inense but very thin and linear blackcurrant aftertaste. Satisfying 88P, would have liked to have drunk this from a proper glass at home and suspect I might have given it a higher mark.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really opening up: showing easy mellow tannins and sweet fruit with a core of currant and spice. I note a little balsa wood and will enjoy another glass with meatloaf in a few minutes. Two hours later, this has developed into a swelte glass--really dynamite! Drink now thru 2010 as I cannot expect the wine to get better than present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This seemed to be shut down. Not giving up much, although it seemed like there was still fruit hiding beneath the tannin. Given the vintage and previous experiences with this wine, I was pretty surprised. If this hadn't been my last bottle I'd wait another two or three years before opening another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Watching 'Bama and the Gators. Lynch Bages and Ch. Montrose ('95). Lynch Bages is showing v. well. Dark ruby. Notes of cedar and coffee. The palate is smooth and round. Integrated fine-grained tannins. Mid palate is silky, almost like Pinot. Blue fruit. Great balance of acidity, tannic structure and juicy fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clearly younger tasting than the 98 Fontenil from last night. More like a classic left bank bordeaux in the nose and on the palate, which I like, but from a weaker vintage. Still has some aggressive tannin, maybe they tried for too much extraction in this vintage. A bit weak on the finish. Wait at least a year to try again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep garnet – no purple – just beginning to show hints of maturity. Pretty classic cool Bordeaux nose: cassis, wet leaves and some pebbles. Refined palate leaning towards the austere but enough flesh to balance things out – wet leaves shows up again. Distinctly classic with no hints to modern style, this still shows some typical LB chunkiness. A good mouthful of wine that would benefit from a bit more ripeness (not for texture, but for complexity). Good. (88)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good wine with classic, if somewhat light, bordeaux nose and flavors. Definitely let this breathe for about an hour before pouring, as it gains weight and complexity. Nose and flavors were of cassis, cedar with other notes as well. Like this one alot, especially given the relative value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A solid Bordeaux. Good nose, fruit forward with notable balance. The tannins have integrated quite well and I would think that this is close to peaking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drunk outside with roast beef sandwiches and cheese on cool late summer night listening to jazz. Classic Pauillac nose of cassis, lead pencil, tobacco, cedar and damp earth. Elegant, with medium body and a clean lingering finish of red cherries. Wonderful end to the summer season. Drinking great now, but at least a few more years of life at the summit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and consumed at a boisterous dinner party, so no notes taken. Compared four Bordeaux or Bordeaux-style wines: '99 Lynch-Bages, '95 Lagrange, '97 Clos du Bois Marlstone and '99 Andrew Will Sorella. All were terrific.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Elegant, exquisite balance, medium concentration, great length. Cedar, cassis, pencil lead, tobacco, sweet earth and stones... perfect expression and typicity, very enjoyable drink, just not the biggest / most powerful bottle ever, which I am totally ok with!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I splash decanted this last night and boy was it pleasing! Crisp, full of fruit and a graceful tannic bite that rendered balance and depth. So far, my 99's have surpassed the vaunted 95 vintage... I will be enjoying a few more of these over the autumn--try to give the wine 90+ minutes of airtime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank with another 1999, a Pavillon Rouge, the second label from Ch. Margaux. The Lych Bages was much lighter on the nose and the palate, and also perhaps less well balanced. My sense is that perhaps the tannin will outlast the fruit as this wine ages. The differences may be due to the different styles of the two appellations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened not decanted. Served at LH's house with lamb and risotto; cherries on the nose with touches of barnyard and mushrooms; dry cherry fruit with some smoke. Seems restrained yet open. Good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind tasted against '99 Leoville Barton and Pinchon Longueville. This was rated 2nd of the three. Nice wine, medium bodied with good black fruit. Good pairing with the filet and lobster. A little disappointing compared with other Lynch Bages we've enjoyed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Creme, vanilla and cassis meld with fine tannins to present a lovely holiday drink. More of a classic style--not ebullient nor stuffed with too much tannin; this early to mid-range drinker will continue to provide pleasure for another decade--if you can stay away from your stash!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has aged well and is ready to drink. This vinatge was light, and the wine tastes older to me than it is. But the balance is good and it is drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First bottle of second case. Attractive dark ruby. Cassis, cedar, meat on the nose. Red cherries on the palate. Slightly harsh, and P. agreed that it could probably benefit from another year or so in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No formal notes, but had along with a 1999 Chat. Monbousquet, and the Lynch Bages was certainly a very different effort. Much more tart red cherries and red fruit with some still fairly tight tannins. Although it was drinking well, it seemed lacking in the mid-palate and as far as complexity was concerned. May benefit from another 3-8 years in bottle. Could be a 90+ wine in time, but for now just fell a little short for me but still very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. A very solid Lynch Bages with the typical profile of this chateau. Medium-bodied with nice black fruit and cherry flavors. Lead pencil and tobacco secondary notes with well integrated oak. The wine opened up rather quickly and then did not change very much over the evening. Ready to go now and it will certainly hold on for 5-10 more years, though I don't think it will improve. Consumed side-by-side with the 1995, which outclassed this wine with its purity and structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Presented in double-blind fashion to the Friday tasting group at Vintage Wines, Ltd. I provided the wine from my personal cellar, so my tasting was therefore unblinded. Bright disc. Medium-to-deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of red currants, vanilla, clove and other assorted spices. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium supple tannins and flavors which mirror the nose. Mediium, fairly smooth finish. This is a wine which is quite enjoyable now and should continue to please for at least another half-decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted about two hours. Very quiet nose at the beginning but then it opened up. Tannins are soft, but still present. Black fruits. Not a big rich powerhouse, but very nice with food.Enjoyable to drink now, but it will still keep for several more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and served un-decanted. Seemed very tight and tannic at first. Began to open towards the end of the bottle. This one needs to be decanted to unlock the fruit, which I am surprised by given the vintage ...
All in all, very nice bottle with good structure and mouthfeel. Would rate in the 88-90 range, perhaps at the higher end if properly decanted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking great but if you're looking for power this is not it. Elegant and refined and for a Pauillac I was a bit surprised but for the vintage it makes sense. Needs a little air but I didn't decant, just took my time. Great aroma and a great food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Enjoyed with our weekly Wednesday night dinner of broiled lamp chops. Decanted 30 minutes and this wine was open for business! Ripe, lucious and mature--I was surprised at the lack of tannin and the swelte nature of the wine. I guess I will have to be more proactive in drinking my '99s.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 1 hour. Nice deep red garnet color. Classic nose of graphite, cedar, cassis and smoke. Very complete on the palate though not particularly complex (in light of better vintages). Well balanced flavors of cabernet fruit, coffee and iron with just a hint of tannic bite. Moderate finish. A delicious drink right now and I can't see much improvement since the tannins are almost fully resolved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Almost peaking now. Tannins largely resolved, sweet fruit to the forefront. Moderately long. Only the nose could do with a little more time. Light to medium-weight wine, drinking very well on its own.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice, simple fruit. Very forward with resolved tannins. Moderate length with fairly classic flavors of dark berry fruit, bitter chocolate and hints of graphite. There's no upside here. Drink up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Society "Stars of Pauillac" Tasting (The Wine Society, Stevenage): Dark ruby red, pale ruby rim. Quite developed and rich with blackcurrant fruit, perhaps some tobacco. Chewy tannins. Some spicy notes emerging on a good length finish, with nice fresh acidity. Certainly approachable and satisfying enough, but slightly solid and lacking "spark". Think I prefer the Carruades.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for about an hour to let this open up. Garnet / purple color. Very nice dark fruit flavors with some firm tanins, even after 2-3 hours. Found this to be a very good wine, though not great. All in all, though, a pretty good QPR from the futures price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I liked it better than many other reviewers. The fruit is fading a bit, and there is an unusual (for Lynch Bages) concentration of pepper. However, the wine is nicely balanced, and I feel it will be interesting for several more years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good nose, good balance. Could still age a bit more, but quite drinkable now. Stood its own with some very fine wines ('92 Opus One, '85 Duckhorn Merlot, etc.) at Bobby's annual bash.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great aromatics that scream Pauillac, but this lacks the richness and sweetness of great Lynch Bages. The fruit is pleasant, but has a drying edge. Tannins and acidity are nicely balanced, but I fear that the fruit will drop out soon. Good now and over the very near term and a nice bargain. In comparison, the similarly priced 1999 Pichon Baron is significantly better and shows more breed and richness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 99 Lynch is showing very well right now, and is probably reaching maturity. Very expressive nose, classic Pauillac profile with lots of cedar. Well balanced acidity and soft tannins, exceptionally smooth and polished, with secondary nuances starting to show up and a solid finish. This is not a super-heavyweight wine, but rather an excellent example of medium bodied claret. It's not likely to improve much, but it'll hold nicely over the next five years or so. Glad I have another bottle of this, wish I had bought more at $35 when I had the chance. My wife commented very positively on this wine as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Let me preface this note by saying I have more experience with Lynch Bages than any other wine, and this is the first time I've ever appreciated the "poor man's Mouton" comparison. Puored from a 375ml bottle, this wine has a medium body red color. The first whiff is incredibly sweet! with overtones of white colored gumdrop candies & raw cane sugar. With a little time in the glass a more typical LB, Paulliac nose including cedar, currant and earth emerge, but the sweetness predominates. In the mouth the sweetness is remarkable with more cassis and light cedar. The mid-palate & finish gives this away as indeed the poor-man's Mouton with marked acidity, however this feature rounds out with time. This is nice tonight--Overall, 89 points for the palate with a 2 point bonus for the initial nasal Mouton fake-out= 91pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The first thing that hit me was the aroma of Cedar. After breating some, fruits began to appear ... and nicely ... as well as some leather and earthiness. Solid flavors of dark fruits, with a medium to long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was opened in Las Vegas at the VLV III offline. I'm not sure who brought it. This is the 2nd time I have had this wine. The first being in May 2003 with a similar score. Rather integrated for being 6 years old. This wine has a nice old world character. Meaty red fruit notes with plum being highlighted. A classic Pauillac profile. 92 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Part of our Thanksgiving vertical, which included 85, 88,98 and 99. This one was the lightest of the bunch, still pink at the edge. Dark fruit but not much in the aroma department. Lean and astringent package. Medium finish with plenty of acid. VG.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bistro K: Lighter than the St. E and Lalande de Pom--hint cassis and red raspberry fruit--lighter bod, but classic bordeaux. Not impressed with most of these ’99s. From Peter Peterson.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially a gamey nose with dense earth-driven notes, graphite, and dark fruits. Picks up a more agreeable red cherry note with time, shows some vanilla. Good weight but overbearing tannins which, in the wine's youth, mask the fruit to some extent and seem unbalanced. ***-/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I like this less than do most others here. There's a lot going on with this wine, but not all of it's good. Ross describes it well as "primary and rough." It's tightly wound at the moment, with a nose and palate that show predominately soil and cedar. It picks up some leather and black fruit after some air, but not enough to be attractive. A few hours later, I find mostly soy sauce on the palate -- yuck. It does finish strong, I think, serving up some purer fruit and nice minerals toward the back end. Still, I find this quite disappointing for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
An interesting wine. The nose doesn't suggest Bordeaux as it's very primary and rough. Aromatically I get red wine and not Cabernet Sauvignon. With some time in the glass spice and mineral begins to emerge. A bloody hint complemented with orange and pomegranate. This wine should be much better in 5 to 7 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seattle Low-Key Bordeaux at Lola (Lola Restaurant): A nose with a hint of light fruit- sweet cherries, cinnamon?, mineral. Overall seemed very well balanced, with present but not powerful tannin. I was way off on my guess as the way this was showing seemed more like a merlot to me. It was just a bit reticent and definitely opened up over the night and was still opening- I was tempted to bring home the left-overs to see where it might go (but we left it for the wait staff) 88 beginining of the night, probably a 90-91 with appropriate air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Low-key Tasting Group does Bordeaux at Lola (Seattle, WA, USA): This was the most closed and difficult wine of the night which somewhat belied its reputation. The initial nose screamed of chocolate covered cherries with some notes of pickled oak and eventually graphite. Mmm, the palate shows bright red fruit and crushed rocks, quite tight yet promising. With an hour of air this started to open more and for 15 minutes some black fruit came out to play. However, from this point it shut down and offered a lot less. I really like the direction this is heading, but it is still extremely young and tight. The finish coats your palate with dusty, spreading tannins and super minerality. I suspect this needs another 5 years to come out of its shell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
[Farmington Wine Class] Pure strawberry, blackberry, and pencil lead aromas. Excellent balance and structure, with enough bracing acidity to balance out moderating tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium-dark ruby red almost to rim. Lots of thin, slow legs. Aromas of red fruit, cedar, vanilla, plums, earth. Medium-full bodied with red fruit and spice. Long finish, ~ 45-50s with spice and garrigue notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/24/2024 - Tao wrote: 93 Points
Love the delicate, subtle aroma of ripe red fruits, very fine in texture! A class of its own! Drinking fabulously well at the moment!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:
Great bottle of wine. Not the best ever claret or lynch but just so solidly great. Interesting on n and p, cool on the p. Graphite. Dark, blue, red fruit. Shame lynch is as expensive as it is.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2023 - Tao wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful translucency! Deep ruby colour! Super clean and fresh black fruits attacking the palate, silky smooth texture and a little spicy finish! Nose, a little shy I have to say!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2023 - pyrat40 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Elegant mature Bordeaux. Probably no advantage in further cellar time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2023 - palfr2 wrote:
Medium-bodied Lynch-Bages. Nothing extreme or overripe in this wine. Blind one could mistake it for a wine coming from a Northern clime or an otherwise specifically cool terroir. The nose does not scream Pauillac with the lead pencil and graphite not very obvious. It is an elegant middle-weight left bank package right at peak. Not a hair out of place. I posit there is no obvious benefit in cellaring those decades out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2023 - rwez Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic. You will have to decant this wine at least 30 to 40 minutes before drinking. But then it becomes floral and fragrant. Very easy on the palate, and quite silky. rather good. 92 points. love it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2023 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Double decanted for 1 hour, taking cue from reviews here (love this community), wine in good shape, absolutely delicious & what a pairing with wagyu beef from Miyazaki! The palate is so well balanced & the tannins were velvety, I would say at its peak with some years left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with the wine group (La Bohème, Palo Alto): Nearly a decade since my last bottle. Medium-deep ruby color, bricking appropriate for its age; medium intensity aromatics with mature black fruit, capsicum, some leaves and herbal, underlying blackberry and blackcurrant, a touch of cedar smoke; palate is medium-full bodied, mature black fruit, integrated medium tannin, medium alcohol, fruit fades a bit through the midpalate without as much tertiary complexity to replace it; medium length finish. A lovely Pauillac at maturity, still with some fruit but fading a bit, at peak with good balance and nice depth. This was $34 on release, a far cry from the $150+ now. 90
Double decanted 2 hours: aromatic, showing a bit more tertiary character and complexity. 91
Another hour, even more expressive and well knit together. Lovely now. 91-92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2023 - BellevuePhil Likes this wine: 94 Points
Was told not to decant or do it quickly so I decanted and gave it 30 mins and was rewarded with distant spray of ocean with forest floor but it changed of course as the night went on and it became a dance through the garden....eventually beginning to sweeten into a sunset of chocolate and damp pad of babies foot....and the legs on this Bordeaux were amazing...after am hour of decant and another 15 mins swirling the glass.
The intricate layers of the 1999 Château Lynch-Bages unfolded with each passing moment, revealing a depth that echoed the richness of the tannins that played a haunting melody on my tongue, ensuring a lingering finish that left me yearning for more. Yes the 2000 is great, but this vintage is too, if you finesse it one glass at a time.
As the wine gracefully unfolded, it revealed hints of dark chocolate, earthy spices, and a touch of graphite—a masterful composition that echoed the complexity of a well-crafted blues ballad.
Decant 1 hour, finesse glass by glass aftwards...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2023 - MaddieSota wrote:
Km scanned wrong item
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 91 Points
Solid tertiary Medoc nose with forest floor, leather and pine tree. the palate feels light but on the finish the wine is slightly drying out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2023 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful nose, classic mature Bordeaux. Brilliant fruit, balance and lovely long finish. Very complex and still vibrant and fresh. Lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2022 - TheForces wrote:
Meh. Haven’t had luck with this wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/5/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Final bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2007. Pristine condition. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Delicate, fragrant and fresh. Cool minerality, crisp blackcurrants and meaty warmth. Whiff of flowers. Such an elegant and transparent Lynch-Bages, bright and juicy, with just the level of tannic grip. Good length. Completely ready.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
7/23/2022 - DoubleD1969 wrote:
I agreee with SWHighlander and others. Color was a youthful maroon color with a sheen if there such a thing. Black currant, cedar, and forest floor on the nose with an easy going, velvety texture on the palate. Fresh not flabby. May not be from a blockbuster vintage but you don’t have to wait 30 years for it either.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2022 - Zebrawheel wrote:
A+, still in great condition. Cork came out intact. All the flavors of old Bordeaux and not yet declining
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2022 - JOsgood wrote: 90 Points
Not so expressive and took awhile to open. Good but nothing special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2022 - gsomers Likes this wine: 95 Points
Contrary to the comments seen, we found this to be a very enjoyable bottle. Nose was strong and unmistakably Pauillac. Not overly fruity, but definitely a long satisfying finish. On vacation, so we were unable to decant, but gave it 30 minutes of air prior to drinking over two hours. Flavor did not change appreciably during the window. Finished it several days later and it was marvellous. Fully opened with fantastic flavor. Based on that, I would allow 4-6 hours after decant to enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2022 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 95 Points
PNP. Drinking in its prime. Well integrated structure, with its blackcurrant fruit balanced with acidity, tannin and minerality. Tannins have mellowed enough that this is enjoyable by itself without food. Had a glass a large charity wine event, alongside a few dozen cabs from New and Old World. This was one of my top three for the night. Loved it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2022 - Eric Becker wrote: 89 Points
Bordeaux masterclass at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): No competition for the preceding wines from vintage 2000. Less density, a shorter finish and a slightly unclean quality to the fruit. On a positive note the wine seemed less developed and tertiary than a recently consumed Gruaud Larose 1999; and others tasters liked it better than I did. Nonetheless, better drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2022 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
20 Vintages of Lynch Bages (1986-2017): All wines tasted blind. Not decanted. A few conclusions: 1) The overall quality of the wines surpassed my (and the groups) expectations slightly. There were good wines in all decades. 2) The style is very Cabernet, very Pauillac, quite classic, with a good grip, pleasantly high acidity and a good, not too ripe fruit core. 3) Most vintages don‘t have the depth of its neighbours and, until more recently, there are some quite angular tannins. 4) Lynch these days doesn’t reach the same elegance and complexity as both Pichons but plays in the same league as Pontet Canet, which, is less classically built. 5) Highest rating of 95 pts for 3 crowd favorites: of course for the 1990 and 2016, but rather surprising also for the 2017.
TN: Medium intense nose with ripe dark berries, minerality, some stems. Nothing spectacular here, but plesant. On the palate, this is a touch more open with fine dark fruit, some red hints, minerality, some herbal aromas. Medium precision. The tannins have nicely rounded out, the acidity is high but well integrated and the wine has a nice creamy texture bringing it all together. While this has certainly not the depth of better years, it is a positive surprise in my book for this mediocre vintage (the other such surprise was the 1997). Easily worth 91/92 pts tonight.
Decanting: A short 1 hour should be enough.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Lynch Bages vertical (1986-2017): Lynch Bages vertical spanning 20 vintage (1986-2017) hosted by a private collector. My key observations were: 1/ The “twin peaks” of 1989 and 1990 continue to perform well, 3/ among the younger vintages 2017 and 2016 stood out, 3/ mid- to late-90ies were unimpressive as a group, rustic with harsh tannins, 4/ 2000-2008 showed extracted fruit profiles, but with juicier palates, 5/ After 2009 the fruit turned brighter and more red in nature, less extracted and fruit-forward palates. Note the wines were not decanted and served blind in flights of 4.
Tasting note:
A backdrop of aging notes, rather ripe and dark fruit profile of dark cherry and bramble berry but also some red currant in the distance. Floral layer and a pinch of dried herbs and lavender round off the picture. The palate is juicy, sweet and even sexy. Grippy tannin, but in good balance with the fresh acidity. Intensity was rather muted, however, and the overall impression was a bit boring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2022 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 90 Points
The first 30 minutes after opening are delightful: ripe Bing cherry, black plum, exotic wood and oak in the background. But then things start to fade a bit...time to drink these or just this bottle, hard to say
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points
[Tasted Blind] This wine pours medium garnet, with light bricking. The nose is expressive and complex showing sweet cedar, celery, green bell pepper, tobacco, plum, red cherry, and light amounts of sawdusty new oak that is not totally integrated. The palate enters on the sweet red fruit augmented by tannin that is medium plus and really turns quite bitter and new oaky. The finish is quite nice showing a lovely sweet cedar character the lingers nicely. I wish this wine had been hit with a little less new oak, but otherwise it is lovely. I guessed 1998 Right Bank Bordeaux due to the plush plummy fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2022 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose of tobacco leaf, cigar box, and sun-drenched earth. Dark plum and currant on the palate, adding lilac, peppery earth, and lot of subtle touches that seem hard to pin down. Finish of anise, dark soil, and layers of dense minerals and graphite driven with lively acidity, finishing with cherry and leather
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - TheSchnozz wrote:
Upon consuming immediately after opening, it had a strong flavor of Choward’s violet mints, with a finish of pencil shavings. Powdery dried violet with a clean, not too sharp metallic edge. After sitting in my glass for a little while, the metallic aspect morphed into a very camphorous menthol. A vague numbing feel reminiscent of Szechuanese pepper. Not my favorite, but not atrocious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2021 - MichielV wrote: 92 Points
W osso bucco. Great wine, fresh, fruity, lengthy and just great! Yummy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2021 - vinolovers wrote: 92 Points
Opened and poured about 15 minutes later (2nd bottle poured about 45-50 min. after opened) Very dark coloring when poured with no hint of bricking. Very muted on the nose. Lots of black fruit -- blackberry and cassis along with some leather and mint. Very smooth with tannins integrated. Wine around it's peak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2021 - Benj wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind. Quite a bit of bricking, on the pale side. Nose: very pretty, sweetly floral (dried and fresh), lightly medicinal (fresh), slightly unripe banana peel, dark fresh and caramelized fruits, fully mature. Tannins nicely smoothing out, still medium in intensity though, medium acid, very good integration. Great balance, light and pretty. Others would say "lacking in concentration". Guessed left-bank from the 90s. On the reveal, I noted that this is less concentrated than the other vintages of Lynch-Bages I have had from that decade - certainly 1990 and 2000; maybe closer to 1997. Lovely wine, if not deeply profound, and happy to have a bottle in very good shape. $153.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another Sat Night @ RV!: See previous notes - drink sooner than later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: flawed
Pristine bottle, fifth from a half case purchased in 2007. Mildly oxidative and a bit acidic alas. Not a good bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2020 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs air...thin and closed at first, then shows nice Bord subtleties of leather, cigar box spice, damp earth, tobacco leaf, cherry, plum, currents...silky elegance, yet drying out. The last of my bottles from release, and none have shown much improvement with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Rich, ripe, plum, cake, on the nose. Is this right bank? The palate then was precise with Medoc tannins, so more classic left bank. A surprise when this was revealed. Did not think a 1999 Medoc could have such lovely ripeness. A good showing. 94+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
10/18/2020 - viking92067 wrote: 90 Points
I enjoyed these tasting notes to see the evolution of this wine. I agree with those who suggest this wine will not improve and agree you should drink it now as the fruit is fading. I have always found that older well preserved Bordeaux even from mediocre vintages are a delight. I think MIKEATL who wrote in 2017 said it best: "Just a lovely classic Pauillac, well balanced fruit and tannin, a bit of cedar, if you don't like this you probably don't like Bordeaux." Very well said and succinct.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2020 - dofzin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted. Light sediment. Ruby red color. Nose of pencil shavings and dried fruit, perhaps some red clay. After 30+ minutes, clear taste of prunes, which mellowed over the next 2+ hours to a more indefinite dried fruit. Tannins softened but still there. Very smooth, silky, with a long finish. Drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2020 - CurtaVino Likes this wine: 94 Points
30 minute decant. Leather, dark berry, cassis on the nose an palette. Good firm tannins and balanced acid. Probably could have aged another 10 years easily but was drinkable now. Long cloyingly sweet finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2020 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 90 Points
I liked this bottle so much better than one I reviewed in 2019. The cork was in very good shape and came out intact. The appearance was still ruby garnet with only a small amount of orange on rim. On the nose cedar and tobacco much more than the previous. Started making nice big legs almost immediately. This wine started to open up after airing and developed more complexity over time. The dark fruit notes were prevalent on night one and it was a good match for a burger. By night three the fruit was balanced with soft okay vanilla and herbal and tobacco notes with all flavors integrated. The wines evolution over three days suggests it is in an early stage of maturity and should be enjoyable for at least 5 years. This wine is making me look forward to the bigger vintages of 89-90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2020 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prefer 1998, much more balanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2020 - MaximusT Likes this wine: 98 Points
I taste Saffron. He tastes Mint. I say tomato(long o), he says tomato. But what matters what we say...it is what we experience. I spent four hours making paella, so Saffron was on the tip of my tongue. But honestly, I do taste the mint, too. So, so far this wine makes no sense - but these days what does? What can be agreed on is that it is delicious. On a long day, when the sun is just setting and it is surprisingly cool - all seems at peace. And free. And with that why not just enjoy all that is good in this world. An hour later we taste quite not ripe blueberries. Maybe they would be ripe in a minute..but then the birds would get them first. Maybe having an aerial view would be more advantageous. And just like everything else this wine is slipping away so quickly. Time is short, life is fragile...so better to drink a precious gem like this right now. Because right now it is magical. How do you get grapes to taste like an after dinner cigar in Monte Carlo? So elegant, refined...yet he wants to stick his entire face in the glass...I may just let him.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2020 - FabianG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful. Ready to drink now. Aromas of cherry, cigar box. Nice tannins and solid finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2020 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drink now, on the top ... don‘t decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2020 - Nico P. Likes this wine:
13%. PnP. Medium red no bricking. Initial mushroom and soy sauce notes. Muted red berry fruit. With air time the fruit flavors deepen taking on a more plummy / blueberry aspect. Good acid and still firm tannins. 15sec finish. Nice. Has held up well, but definitely tastes like aged wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2020 - Endodr wrote: 92 Points
Really at its peak! Fully mature Pauillac with a wonderful nose of moist earth, black fruit, and cassis. Tastes of blackberries, cherries, plums, tobacco, and cedar. Medium bodied, moderate acidity, with a silky mouthfeel. Tannins are very smooth. 1999 may not be a wonderful Bordeaux vintage, but this wine is great.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2019 - cephomer wrote: 92 Points
Popped & poured for xmas day. Wonderful freshness on the nose. Some earth, some barnyard on the nose, along with cherries. Earthy, mushroom notes on the palate, still some tannins, good length. Lead pencil, cedar and cassis. Drinking nicely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2019 - Vindicator Likes this wine:
From magnum. My reaction is similar to the three previous notes. Nice and mature now, and a classic mature Bordeaux experience. Liked all around the table.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cassis, black fruits, cherries, herbs, spices, old textbook with some earth notes. Classic Bordeaux. Vibrant. Similar to other Bordeaux ‘99s tasted this year, this is in a good place now. Enjoyed this tonight. Open sooner rather than later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2019 - John F wrote: 92 Points
Classic Bordeaux from a mediocre vintage..... this was much better than some of the other bottle of this I have opened.... drink up!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2019 - havana4 🍾🍇 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great Claret enjoyed @ Catch in Las Vegas. Freshness on the nose. Very silky integrated tannins with still some very good acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2019 - Taronti wrote: 89 Points
Nose of dark fruit, mainly cherries, cedar. Good acidity and mouthfeel. Medium finish, slightly bitter at end. May as well drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2019 - Marc S wrote: 85 Points
I think this wine is past its prime. It didn't rock my world.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant, black currant (cassis), blackberry and raisin. It tastes like blackberry, blueberry and black currant (cassis). The body is medium. The wine has angular texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2019 - wboyd wrote: 88 Points
Typical Lynch. Unctuous and rich. Not the best year, but a very credible effort. Last one in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2019 - SonnyChiba wrote: 91 Points
A good wine and worth drinking now but not a favorite vintage of Lynch. Great nose, little weaker on the palate and finish than expected. Missing some complexity. 90-91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind Cabernet (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind in Cabernet from around the world tasting. Very firm and backward with good meaty fruit, but nowhere close to ready. Finally, a Bordeaux after 3 hours of a Cabernet tasting!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
1/22/2019 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine much better 2nd night open. Typical Bordeaux nose of cedar and maybe a whiff of damp forest floor. On the palate the tannins are soft and fully resolved but not much of a finish. Fruit is almost overripe mostly dark like black cherries and maybe blackberries. But did not seem well integrated with the underlying structure and maybe lacking a bit of acidity. Provenance of the wine may not be all that good since purchased from a store going out of business in 2005. But overall just ok since paid only $25 for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2019 - xcblazer10 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still showing extremely well. Nose of leather and hay. Medium bodied. Delightful
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/27/2018 - rgrikard wrote: flawed
A truly sad day. We opened this last night and it was absolutely corked. We drowned our sorrows with a 2000 Gevery Chambertin premier cru.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2018 - GlöckliWein Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not at all outstanding like 2000 !
Schlapperwässerle
Thin and like an water melon sweet, slightly elegant,
but more like an older Margaux.. not at all any Paulliac.
BUT:
Nose violettas (Veillchen) some sousbois - unerbrush
Lakritze,,.. not any more like tabacco, chocolate,
Alcohol soft, tanins too soft ...
Taste soft, elegant, untypically for an Paulliac,
I would drink it up, like an apperitive Wine
befor the party starts..
90/100 Points
drink up !
Not getting any better
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2018 - achasd Likes this wine: 92 Points
This a perfect expression of a well aged Bordeaux. 99 is not a big year but this wine is drinking beautifully in a soft, refined way. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2018 - tomandlu wrote: 92 Points
No detailed notes. I recall the wine being deeply colored with little fading. The nose was classic, mature Lynch-Bages with pencil shavings, cedar, plums, and tobacco, among other aromas. On the palate the wine was graceful, balanced, and still full of fruit with all tannins resolved. This was the best showing yet for me for this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2018 - Two Winos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Lynch Bages. Note a powerhouse vintage, but it sure is enjoyable to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/5/2018 - Vrooman wrote: 92 Points
The wine has medium acidity. It smells like strawberry, apricot and tobacco. The body is medium. The wine finishes long. It tastes like prune, red currant, black currant (cassis) and cherry. The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. The wine has bright texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2018 - WhatsSamSipping Likes this wine:
90's Bordeaux and Their Second Labels: Initially was full of fruits and dark flowers: Plums, currants, guava, mango, and violets. Quite soft and wonderfully textured.
As the evening went on the wine became far more savory. Roasted coffee, charred wood, and smoked tea.
Near the end of the evening it began to become metallic. Pennies and iron.
A show-stopper Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Structured; blackberry; mature; balanced and smooth.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and served. Nice mature Pauillac, well interested with bright acid, medium plus body, medium finish. Great nose of leather and hay. Lacks the earthiness of my favorite Pauillacs but enjoyable nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2018 - t.c.green Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect with prime filet mignon/ grilled potatoes with Rosemary
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2018 - swisstip wrote:
Luscious and smooth. Aged VERY well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2018 - Oskiwawa wrote: 94 Points
Opened, decanted for an hour and drank over the next three.
Purchased a case EP and this is the second to last bottle. A real pleasant surprise. Color showing a brown tinge. nose has leather and earth. Tannins still there but well integrated. palate dark cherry, leather, earth a bit of barnyard. Really nice. I do not think these are going to get a lot better. Recommend to drink over the next 5 years. Really good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2018 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very Classic old style bordeaux. Neede some time to open up, but all the Classic Components is there, lead pencil, cassis, forest floor, leather.
At the same time a rather sleek personality, good acidity but could do with a loittle more fruit. Best with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2018 - sung251 Likes this wine: 90 Points
delicious wine but not much of a stand out. At this stage relatively soft with a dark streak of black fruit but the flavors are clearly lacking the precision this producer typically has for their better vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice mature wine. Lovely Pauillac. Bordeaux as I like it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2018 - ken Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Lynch at its prime. Good for another few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - garymouton Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classic mature bordeaux in the best sense. Well balanced, supple tannins and Xavier Auerbach's note from September completely mirrors my impressions. Certainly won't improve and I would drink in the next few years for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2018 - Pvrooman Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 4 hours, and consumed with a seafood stew — saffron & striped bass and clams. First sip seemed slightly sour but almost immediately the wine opened in the glass and proved amazing— nicer than a 1989 vintage of Lynch Bages we’d opened 2 weeks ago. Tobacco notes in the finish and turkish cherry bouquet. Legs, too!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2017 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 92 Points
A real gem. I’ve had great experiences with left bank ‘99s lately. They are open, singing and require very little time in glass to express themselves.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2017 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 91 Points
Saturday Bordeaux: Just a lovely classic Pauillac, well balanced fruit and tannin, a bit of cedar, if you don't like this you probably don't like Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Pristine bottle, fourth from a half case, level into neck. Sombre colour, medium deep, mature but lively appearance; harmonious, mature left bank nose, crushed red berries, spices, hint of cheese rind, good depth; light but charming palate, supple tannins, flowing and relaxed style, well-balanced, lovely ripe 1999 fruit, acidity sticks out a bit on the back palate; smooth finish, hint of black tea, good length. Completely ready, just past its peak in fact.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2017 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Showing a bit of age.
Tart black cherry, tobacco, black pepper.
A bit light on the palate. Tannins are there but this lacks some depth.
Might pick up a bit more but I can't see this aging well more than 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and served. Showed well after a few minutes. Classic broad-shouldered Pauillac with cigar-box nose, dried fruit, forest floor, tobacco, and coffee. Long finish. I'm not sure it will get better than this although the sommelier thought it was still five years from peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2017 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
A tradition of the Friday group, the host provides one last bottle for the evening, wine X. Served from a decanter, I am not sure if it was simply decanted off its sediment or had any time in the decanter before service.
Double blind. Relatively dark garnet color though judging by the meniscus this has some age to it. An immediately appealing iodine aroma emerges from the glass and Rich and I nearly simultaneously announce that this must be Graves. Our host told us we were incorrect- "farther north"- and thus we went back to the glass. There's a melange of red and black fruit and then it appeared- graphite- followed by floral and tobacco notes. On the full side of medium-bodied with some tannins yet to shed, but clearly it has aged enough to soften some. Flavors of currant and cherry with a leafy forest floor quality and also a bit of cedar and graphite/mineral. Our host confirmed this was a Pauillac. It's "beefy" and concentrated- there's some power and weight here. It didn't have the herbal greenness of PLL or the rustic dark edges of Pichon Baron, and it was much too powerful to be the likes of d'Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Duhart, etc., so I settled on Lynch Bages. It had age, but didn't seem as tight as some 2000s we've had recently, and didn't have the more generous qualities of 2003s. Someone suggested 2005 or 2009 but it wasn't tannic nor young enough for either of those vintages so my guess ended up being 2001 Lynch Bages so I felt pretty good when this was unveiled. Anyway...this is a very impressive '99 that is drinking very nicely now though should hold for a few years. 93+ pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2017 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 Points
An abundance of notes shows how widely available this wine is but that doesn't mean it's not well made. By reading the relatively positive reviews of the previous postings, I'd say it ranks a touch higher than the mostly 90s and 91s that people score this bottle. My well-stored bottle had a nice bright, medium purple with just ever so slight amber on the rim. Nose is more on the fruity/oaky side reflecting a more modernist approach for this underrated vintage. Notes of leather, stewed plums and mahogany give it a very pleasant length that drank well over 2+ hours undecanted. Tannins are very smooth but a nice earthy finish gives it a slight element of complexity that rounds it out nicely. Definitely at peak now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2017 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 90 Points
This was my one and only bottle of this wine. Pop and pour to drink before and during a pot roast dinner. The wine definitely had a brownish tinge to it. On the nose very light floral notes. The wine was nicely balanced with maybe a bit more acid than I prefer. On the palate graphite with muted fruit. This was a very pleasant bottle but certainly not a wow bottle. I would say it is time to drink these up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2017 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 92 Points
Paired with beef tenderloin and grilled vegetables; served with a 2001 Rauzan-Segla. Our dinner guests preferred the LB unanimously, as the Lynch-Bages retained more fruit and presented greater complexity on the nose and on the finish. Given the brown notes in the wine, I would suggest drinking up soon
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 90 Points
11th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, much older than last clean bottle 2 years ago, notably browner on rim, broader flavour profile, more bramble less cassis, decent core and length, not much grip or real concentration, still nice but not a long term hold! VGI (17).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2017 - ccaffey Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, fig, prune, cherry and black pepper. It tastes like blackberry, prune, cherry and vanilla. The body is light/medium. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has low acidity.
I was concerned this wine might be past its prime, but found it to have aged well. I would drink soon though as it seems to be waning.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2017 - rossi.wine wrote: flawed
Tasted next to 2001. Unfortunately corked. Woody, barnyardy on the nose which blew off to some extent with time in the glass. On the palate not much fruit, drying and angular.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2017 - WhoNose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully now. Certain critics pigeon-holed 1999 as a light fruity year for early drinking when first released, but this wine (and there are others, like Leoville Barton) which are absolutely at their peak now; and will continue to drink a long while yet. Classic Pauillac: dry blackcurrant, pencil-lead, green peppers, old mahogany furniture, a long finish. Excellent traditional claret.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2017 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant, but not overly complex. Balanced, very pretty nose, nice fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2017 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 91 Points
This pristinely cellared bottle was decanted, with serial tasting commencing after three hours in decanter. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it is a deep garnet, highly aromatic wine. Medium-bodied, freshly acidic, softly tannic and seamlessly alcoholic (13%), it delivers an attractive payload of plum, spice cake, leather and pipe tobacco. Dense and layered on the mid-palate, it goes on to close with a smooth, medium-length finish. This is a "feminine" version of Lynch-Bages from a vintage that is now drinking beautifully. Enjoy it over the next 3-4 years. Drink now-2021.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2017 - benxjc6 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mooi geëvolueerd , nu toch al beetje op de terugweg ,nog mooie fruittoets , chocolade , tabac en leer zijn mooi aanwezig .
Afdronk is snel weg .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2017 - Janstan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Well knitted, some cherry and cassis linger. Went well with herb crusted tenderloin
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely mature rounded wine with aromas of ripe cherry and cassis. On the palate the tannins are soft and silky. Everything is perfectly balanced but is not as complex as some of the great Lynch Bages vintages and it is slightly marred by finishing abruptly and leaving an acidic note in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2016 - Ed Veritas wrote:
Good, but lacks a little bit of character; drank at Harbord Room Sep/2016; ES:91
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied, lighter style of Lynch Bages, with a fruity, soft, vibrant, cassis, cherry and cranberry character. There is a really nice, spicy note, that adds even more freshness to the red berry finish. Drink this now, while waiting for the far better, 2000 vintage to develop. The wine was made from a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2016 - up4wine wrote: 91 Points
This is seriously good, and I believe a little better than recent critical reviews would imply. Very rich fruit and some hints of spice, that started with a little tartness to catch your attention as it moved into a round mid-palate, and came together with an even, long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2016 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
Mature , yummy , ready !
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2016 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
I've been drinking a lot of old Claret lately and that is such a great pleasure in life, but every once in a while it's nice to drink a young, healthy wine full of fruit and life. This is really delicious and a real tribute to what Jean-Michel Cazes can do in a vintage like 1999. Typical Lynch but with the finer silhouette of the vintage; cherries, blackcurrant, a little bit of mint, leather, and vanilla. After a long day of work, it takes a little restraint not to finish the half bottle it in 3 gulps!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2016 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cellared since release.....open in bottle for an hour.......Brett is wearing his leather jacket here! Fruit is starting to thin and dry out....BUT...I'm still liking this! Has the good brett...funky fresh....classic Bordeaux leather, pencil lead, damp earth, cedar spice.....blackberry, currant, cherry, plum fruit...little thin, tart, dry....but "smooth";) I actually like a drier style wine....more savory than sweet...this has that, and nice Pauillac spice and herbs...cigar ash, licorice, creme de cassis......has a great silk feel...little tart and spicy dry on the finish. Not super great...but with a big fat juicy steak....it satisfies!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2016 - pgordon62 Does not like this wine: 80 Points
very musty, leather, barnyard. limited fruit. An old school under-ripe bdx
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2016 - nstow Likes this wine: 86 Points
2nd of 12. Garnet. Pleasant mellow berry fruit and leather. Slightly astringent tannins on finish. 3+/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2016 - daegde Likes this wine: 89 Points
Garnet colored with medium legs. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. Decanted 1 hour before dinner. It smells like eucalyptus, cedar and lead pencil which carries over into the taste. Body is on the light side of medium. The wine has narrow texture and finishes short. The tannic backbone of this wine has given way to an almost unpleasant tartness. Drink-up its not going to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2016 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still hitting just fine, with a lot of life yet. Fully mature without losing steam.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2016 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
Full bodied, good intensity of fruit, fairly rich. Black licorice, smooth tannins. Good stuff!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2016 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby with tawny edges. Modest aromatic complexity. Quite shy, but showing old saddle leather, dried cassis fruits, some sweet spice. Better on the palate, where it is soft and plush, revealing a good fruit core, med acidity and med/long finish. This has probably hit its plateau.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2016 - Mazy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tour de Gaule d'anniversaire: (Ouvert 4h30 avant, non carafé, non épaulé)
La robe est tuilée. Il y a un peu de lie au fond de la bouteille. Le nez est d’abord légèrement fermier mais ça disparaît rapidement. Ensuite, au nez et en bouche, on est sur les pruneaux séchés. Un peu de cuir et de mine de crayon. Les tannins sont discrets mais encore présents, la longueur est belle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2016 - acyso wrote: flawed
Lynch Bages dinner at RPM Steak (Chicago, IL): Corked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/29/2016 - brianofthevine wrote: 90 Points
Agree with most of the tasting notes here. Certainly time to drink up as this will likely not get any better. Red/black cherry with a predominance of earth, licorice, and tar notes. As the night went on, the fruit seemed to disappear and the finish was rather short. Not much tannin here anymore. Good not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2016 - jcovino Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great place at present! No reason to hold off on this rewarding effort!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2015 - Plabella wrote: 89 Points
this was not a great vintage or wine. Medium body more tannins that fruit. Tasted better!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2015 - gmacdon2 wrote:
Flood damaged
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2015 - vectrex wrote: 88 Points
Not impressed, good but knowing the name and price not very impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2015 - liber wrote: flawed
9th of 24......CORKED!!! again!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2015 - tonylipp Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened a magnum of the 1999 for Thanksgiving. The wine has held up very well yet it's clear it's time to drink this wine as it - I would not hold it much longer if it all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2015 - chablis28 wrote: 89 Points
I'm still waiting to "get" Lynch Bages. I know I'm an outlier on this but it always taste a little simple to me and has a prominent blackberry profile I'm not keen on. For most people this is a likely a 91pt+ wine. For me its an 89pt wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2015 - wa2ofd wrote: 89 Points
5th wine tasted this eve so my palate not perfect to evaluate...Very approachable, however don't feel it improves much from here...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2015 - Ungifted Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 3 plus hours. Cork not pristine, nose a real mixture, palate of black but slightly exhausted fruit plus a number of other touches. Medium bodied, suitably dry finish with pleasant tannin. I will finish my remaining bottles in near future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2015 - Tartiflette wrote: 90 Points
My last and very good bottle. The fruit is on downhill here but fortunately many other good things remain. Quite dark with earth, chocolate, pepper, prunes and black berries. Fat texture and still good tannins present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 89 Points
Ready to drink immediately upon opening. Nose had raspberries, cherries, oak and tiny bit of green pepper. The fruit was a bit underripe due to the vintage but its drinking totally fine on the palate. Not very complex but its soft and easy-drinking. This should be consumed now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2015 - mwellington wrote: 89 Points
Drink soon. This will not improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice classic LB nose of dark fruits and graphite minerals. Medium-bodied and lean with tasty flavors of smoky black fruits, graphite and green beans. Still tannic on the finish and the tannins are slightly green suggesting this might not have reached optimum ripeness. But it's delicious and filled with the vineyard characteristics so I can see past it but this is a good rather than great vintage of this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2015 - jskuek Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pauillac (Thean's Place): Decant 1 hour, beautiful nose, med+ body, damp earth, balance. Perfect time to drink now. Long finishing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2015 - Mazy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ouvert 6 heures d’avance et épaulé
Au nez, on parle autour de la table de pierre à fusil, de graphite, de cuir, de fruits noirs. En bouche, le tout est enrobé de tannins modérés mais harmonieux. C’est minéral, c’est long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2015 - etindart Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dégusté avec mon amis Yves et a famille.Aprés 3 heures de carafe,quelle belle révélation.Un nez explosif ,aromes de café expresso,tabac et de fruits murs.Une bouche avec une belle attaque,tannins assouplis non rugeux.Finallle de longueur moyenne.vin séducteur.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2015 - Ilkkaw wrote: 91 Points
Not a big wine but very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2015 - JustinHandlin87 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow. This was in a perfect spot. The fruit was still quite present, but with all of the depth expected with 15-16 years of age. Great balance. Delicious.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2015 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
medium body , classic bouqet, evolved after 3 hours in the decanter, ready to drink , very enjoyable but like the vintage not great
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2015 - liber wrote: flawed
8th of 24 - CORKED, grrrrr!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2015 - KristianT Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a great spot right now. Dark and dense. Seems younger than it is. Complex nose - typical Pauillac. Great concentration and balance.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/11/2015 - swapdoc Likes this wine:
Elegant and floral wine, drinking exceptionally well now. Came of as restrained yet classy, balanced, with plenty of nuanced floral aromatics. Tasted a matured bordeaux bouquet of cedar, sweet dark cherry, closing with an unusual hints of lilacs. Fully integrated tannins give depth and complexity. The only thing better than this wine was the company.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2015 - ctc wrote: 90 Points
A medium bodied wine with a pleasant if light bouquet of red fruit, brown around the edges, well made but light in structure, very soft tannins. It had a lot of cherry flavor and reminded me of a Burgundy more than anything else. Probably should have drunk this before now, it's a bit beyond its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
A private tasting and dinner (Bilthoven): Rounded and supple, open nose, ripe fruit but light structure, not a lot of weight but lots of charm, good Cabernet typicity and length.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2015 - brianakrin wrote: 85 Points
some pencil shaving on the nose but not much beyond that.lacked fruit, imbalanced, disjointed , thin,acidic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2014 - hdchappy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still going strong but not going to get any better so I would drink soon. Light rusty red color almost Pinot like. Nice smooth fruit with supple tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2014 - no leashes wrote: 87 Points
A bit green (vegetal/tobacco?) initially, finally opened to red fruit and some mineral flavors. Medium bodied, smooth texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2014 - mgstull Likes this wine: 88 Points
Garnet to clear rim. Getting a bit tired. Dried red fruits, dried cranberries, graphite, saddle leather, tobacco, and forest floor. After about 45 minutes decant, a streak of sweet red fruit became evident, but things dried out shortlt thereafter. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2014 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tight as a tick! Was surprised at how this tight this wine was last night. Fruit is starting to show but still very tannic. I would not open for another 5 years if I owned this wine. Once it evolves it should be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2014 - peter_cellars Likes this wine: 90 Points
I quite liked this wine. It was opened with other 1999 Bordeaux and was one of my favorites. It drinks as an aged Bordeaux, and I do not see any further improvement though. Drink in the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2014 - extrafd wrote: 92 Points
Opened the bottle 2 hours before drinking. Still closed with tannins, however after a little time in the glass opened up with tannins becoming mores soft. Fruit and a hint of tobacco. To be enjoyed over the next 3-4 year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2014 - Johnny999 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark red
Blackcurrant, sweet tannin, minted
Average mid-palate and finishing
Considered still young as the elements of the wine has not fully integrated yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2014 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Classic tobacco, cigar box, underbrush, smoke and sweet dark cassis, blackberry sweet-tarts; silky medium weight, good acidity/lift; fine dusty tannins. Very nice, showing well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2014 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby-purple color; dark cassis notes, iron, black plum, shrooms and leather notes; nice brooding character, but medium weight with good acidity, almost a nuance of green pepper. This is in a good place now and should be consumed now to 5 years. Not a ton of structure, a bit sour in the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Dinner at Home (Fremont, CA): Coravin 7/11/14: Nose of dense deep black fruits, blackberry, balanced, some graphite and pencil lead; palate is full bodied, smooth, well integrated tannin, black fruit, lots of depth, some early secondary characteristics but still mostly youthful; finish is medium-long, lots of black fruit. Very nice Bordeaux, traditional style but with fleshy riper fruits (not overripe), very youthful, deep and balanced but needs time to develop complexity. Has at least a decade ahead of it with a lot of potential for more complexity, and I will wait at least 5 years before my next bottle. 91-92+
7/12/14: consistent with note above. Just a wonderfully enjoyable complete wine. 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2014 - Tartiflette wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was slightly better than before. More life and fruit straight away. This is still on the way down though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2014 - Mickelintott wrote: 90 Points
Typisk Bordeaux-doft med inslag av svarta vinbär, björnbär och stall. Fortfarande tanninrik. Fortsätter säkert att utvecklas ytterligare några år.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2014 - rnellans wrote: 91 Points
Some cedar/cigar box notes. Good fruit. Soft, tannins pretty much resolved. Enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2014 - jaumealaska Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank this against the 99 Gruaud Larose and slightly preferred the St. Julian. Slight bret smell upon opening that blew off--opened both 3 hours before drinking and bottles had just warmed up from cellar temps for me 50 degrees.
Nose had leather and tobacco notes, pencil lead, flavors carried through to the taste, along with cassis and licorice. Tannins still firm.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 89 Points
7th of 24, good fill, hour decant, lovely, classy, well balanced, mature luncheon claret, just lacking dimension and grip of top vintage and a tad behind the ends of a bottle of Pontet Canet 99 opened two days earlier, should still improve. Very good plus (16.5/20).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2014 - mwellington wrote: 90 Points
At its peak. Double decanted because at restaurant. Consumed over two hours. Classic bdx.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2013 - MvD wrote: 88 Points
Brown edges to the wine. Nose a bit surpressed. Decanted for about 2 hours. Lack of fruit in the nose. This wine is alomst over its life span. Have tasted much better Lynch of other vintages. Not a long finish either. Time to drink up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2013 - isbjoern wrote: 88 Points
(Tasted blind) Brown edges in the glas, clearly some age to this wine; quite fresh on the palate, some cassis and licorice, spicy flavors, medium body, not overly complex, not very tannic either, a very good, but not very interesting wine; like most Bordeaux, this needs food; some guessed Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon. - 88 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2013 - Roughl wrote: 90 Points
Charming, relatively easy lynch. Textbook claret. Liked it alot for its balance , lacks structure and power to be truly great. This is drinking great now, don t see much upside for the future here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2013 - hdchappy Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle seemed quite a bit better than the first one I had. Good fruit, and very smooth with no alcohol taste and nicely intergrated tannins that didn't overpower. Drinking very well right now. Went great with the steak we had
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2013 - Ricky99 wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful nose right at opening...nice balance but fruit is a little muted... opened nicely but I would say this is ready to drink and will drink well for next couple years then fade away
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2013 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Pristine bottle, not decanted. Nose opens up beautifully, crushed blackcurrants and raspberries, cedar, smoke and earth, hints of mint and spice; on the palate medium weight, ripe fruit, lovely balance, velvety tannins, good extract; very good length. A charming Lynch.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2013 - mgstull Likes this wine: 88 Points
Consistent with last note.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2013 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Nice dark cherry, tobacco, mineral and earth flavors, well balanced and structured. Smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2013 - Giggs wrote: 91 Points
No decant. This has a mature nose of purple flowers, smoked cigar, purple Spree candy, Ranier cherry, and dry blackberry. With some air in the glass there's secondary cilantro/herbal mint, white pepper, and woodspice. Lean palate, medium-bodied, metallic notes—like tasting pieces of silver—mature dry red currant, old leather, dusty clay in midpalate, softly transitioning into a graphite-edged finish with subtle, relaxed tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2013 - rnellans wrote: 91 Points
Very ready to drink and quite open...decanted for 2 hours...I'd probably not give it that much next time. Medium bodied. Nice silky palate..not the complexity I would have liked. Very enjoyable however.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2013 - ASG24 wrote:
This bottle, the first we've opened, went down surprisingly fast. Pure and rich, black and purple fruits, touch of crème de cassis, a delicious "young" wine. I am wondering if complexity will come later; nevertheless, for now, an easy drinking, very enjoyable bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2013 - dfresh38 wrote: flawed
Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2013 - fdub wrote: 91 Points
Not as much pop as the 2000 drank before. The nose has nice lift with lead pencil shavings and game notes. Body not as full or lush as the 2000 but still a great Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2012 - hdchappy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smoky tones, light fruit and smooth. This wine finished 5th in a 5 person blind tasting of 5 other aged Bordeaux. 1st 2003 Croix de Labrie, 2nd 2004 Ponte Canet, 3rd 2000 Branaire Ducru, 4th 2000 Haut Bailly, 5th 1999 Lynch Bages and 6th 2000 Gazin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2012 - KingSlacker999 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rather young still. Great balance of fruit and tannin. Hold at least another 18 months.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2012 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Five Decades of Lynch Bages with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Quite a bit of colour on it still and shows just the beginning of age on the rim. Open on the nose, and pushing to secondary, with good herby, cedary notes light earth. Very classical in style. Decent fruit on the palate from start to finish, good acidity, length but not a huge amount of structure here. Maybe this will follow in the footsteps of the great 85? A beautiful wine to have now and with good life ahead hopefully. 92+ . Quite consistent with our note 2 yrs ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2012 - kahoowong wrote: 91 Points
Traditional Bordeaux with smell of wet rag and barnyard on the nose. Earthy and pen lead on the palate. A decent vintage that is in the right drinking window
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2012 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
My wife drank with friends. She loves LB and said that this bottle was quite good...I did not taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2012 - mgstull Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garnet to the rim. Cedar, tobacco, black cherry, and saddle leather. Tannins are soft and resolved. Again, this reinforces my impression of significant bottle variability, asthis was less evolved than previous bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2012 - Tony T wrote: 92 Points
A classic, mature Bordeaux wine. Very enjoyable with meaty, traditional food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2012 - ralevine wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed very much But don't think is great value
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2012 - gsquireh wrote: 92 Points
Lovely wine with the bone in ribeye with truffles. The black currant, licorice and spice were the perfect companions. Supple, rich and rounded with perfect balance. Drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2012 - dbkitc wrote: 83 Points
Beefy, cassis fruit nose. Not a lot of distinction. Medium weight, ok flavor penetration but really nothing special. Decent glass of red wine - nothing more. (83)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2012 - unrelenting wrote: 96 Points
enjoyed this more than in 2007. peak drinking and awesome finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2012 - noni15 wrote: 91 Points
- Garnet color with fast forming legs and aromas of blackberry. Leathery texture with a medium finish - Very elegant on the nose not very long finish though. Leathery and well balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2012 - xcblazer10 wrote: 95 Points
Very enjoyable. Well balanced and not over-powering. A little floral with lots of fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2012 - G_H wrote: 90 Points
Mature Bordeaux with the SWO wineclub (Christian's House): This is perfectly ready to drink now. Lots of fruit, balanced with a nice length, even a bit of eucalyptus giving it a hint of Heitz! Good but outclassed by the Haut Brion
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2012 - FransS wrote: 91 Points
When corona forces you to work at home (March 28, 2020) than you go cleaning, so I found this tasting note. A stylish bouquet, very juicy, not very deep, but the aftertaste stays in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2012 - mchrist wrote: 89 Points
really nice. decanted 2 hours before dinner (as per my previous note). paired with really slow cooked braised Jamison lamb shanks. wine showed lovely against the lamb and the reduced sauce. nose was not as nuanced as I would expect for LB, but taste was full of fruit, a little cassis - with balanced tannins. Finish was lacking. Based upon previous posts starting to wonder how much gas left in tank - it's still years, but how many? Will come back in one for a review!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2012 - AlanM68 wrote: 92 Points
On top form. Very together, smooth tannins, long finish. Plenty of fruit and liquorice to finish. This was tasted after a 99 Evangile and the LB was far ahead on the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Elegant with great persistence, still going strong but I wouldn't wait too much longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2012 - renatodug wrote: 85 Points
Belle couleur, au nez peu de fruits mais une présence intense ; bonne longueur en bouche, mais une impression de sécheresse.
Légère déception au premier abord, mais après avoir gouté le MR 92, je le trouve meilleur...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2012 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
1.5 L bottle at the Lynch Bages tasting (12 different vintages), Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2012: rubin red color; vanilla and cherries; medium body; smooth, round texture.
I bet at the moment a blind taster would guess this is a California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is already good approachable and I don't think he will greatly improve in terms of rating points. However, I would love to encounter him again in about 5 years to taste if his character has shifted towards the old world.
Vintages flight III: 1989 - 1992 - 1999 - 2000
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2012 - mgstull Likes this wine: 87 Points
Having drunk 3 of these in the last six weeks it is clear that there is a lot of bottle variation. This bottle had a bit more stuffing than an earlier bottle, with red fruits, cinnamon, and licorice notes. Medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2011 - Gcashman wrote: 93 Points
Fabulous. At peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2011 - Ricky99 wrote:
91 - nice
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2011 - mgstull wrote: 85 Points
Mid red going to orange at the rim. Sour cherry, tobacco, cedar and graphite notes. The finish is short and thin. This isn't aging all that gracefully and I don't think there is much point to aging this further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2011 - nittanyjack wrote: 89 Points
2-hour decant. Classic bordeaux nose giving mostly saddle leather, graphite, and a touch af cassis. On the palate, earthy, dark fruit with a soft, lush mouth feel. A rather short finish is what kept me from rating it higher. Nice pair with wine-braised short ribs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2011 - Ken63 wrote:
11/29/2011 Blind vertical tasting of 1982, 1986, 1998 & 1999 Lynch Bages with braised lamb & accompaniments. The 2 younger wines were decanted an hour before and the 2 older poured directly to the glasses. All 4 dark plum colored & medium bodied with the 2 older wines showing a ruby ring. 1982 was the clear favorite, but only identified correctly by half the group. Smooth with completely resolved tannins, but with a fresh berry, red and black current fruit that led the 1982 to be mistaken for the 1999 which had filled the room with fruit aromas when opened, but was more reserved on tasting. The 1986 was still tannic and somewhat closed (more air time might have helped) and reserved, but with a dense core of dark fruit with the potential to open up with a little more time. The 1998 was characterized by pleasant but slightly diluted red and black fruit flavors, but the finish dropped off quickly in slightly vegetal and abrupt ending, while long slowly decaying finishes characterized the other three wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 88 Points
Again, nose is very good. But the wine simply does not live up. Drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2011 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com wrote: 86 Points
Approaching EOL in my cellar; less fruit than before, falling apart a bit. Those who like really old B'x will like, but not me. Drink soon.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2011 - mchrist wrote: 88 Points
Nice wine - typical bordeaux nose. Something about the finish left me wanting more. Next bottle I will decant an hour or two and report back accordingly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2011 - VHJV wrote: 91 Points
A very nice dark nose. A bit primary still in the mouth. Initially this has a strange chemical aroma, but that blows off with time in the glass. Very nice in the end, but one of the more modest vintages of this wine. Still probably at least 5 years from its peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2011 - mwellington wrote: 90 Points
Largely consistent with prior note. paired with grilled leg of lamb. Nice complement. The wine is very well integrated and drinking pleasantly. Next to a '98 beau-sejour becot, the LB received 50% of the first first place votes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2011 - nstow Likes this wine: 86 Points
Not decanted. At first some primary berry fruit but more mellow aromas developed quickly in the glass. Relatively light, smooth and elegant with good balance and soft tannins and slightly vegetal on the finish. Paired with steak and went well. Very good (86-89)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2011 - mwellington wrote: 89 Points
big jammy fruit, not a lot of structure. drinking well and seems unlikely to improve significantly with time. 30 mins in bottle plus 1 hour in decanter. poured next to a '99 Cos D'Estournel and the LB came up well short on a unanimous vote.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2011 - saturnaisland wrote: 89 Points
Medium bodied. Smooth. Flavours of black currant and very slight hints of cola and smoke. A bit lacking in acidity. Well integrated. Nice wine but lacks some of the depth and complexity I have found in earlier vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2011 - Vrooman wrote: 87 Points
Less than an hour decanted but could have used more. Narrower palate than the 1989 we drank first. Nicer nose, but less complex than the great, older vintage. Vanilla hints and currant, but also a touch of green tomato or vine ( also present in the nose with time). Matched with a rich bluefish soup.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful, attractive nose, très Pauillac, très Lynch-Bages, a wealth of blackberry fruit; elegant and pleasant on the palate, well-balanced but rather light, reasonable length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2011 - kenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
WCC Mostly Lynch-Bages Vertical (Taste Restaurant, Albany, NY): [2 hours in a decanter. 2 hours in an open bottle.] Very young and tannic. Rich, but needs 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2011 - TaitaJidou Likes this wine: 90 Points
Superlative in its balance, duration, richness of flavor, mellowed tannins. Delightful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 88 Points
Very nice nose, but lacking somewhat in the taste. Lacks tannins and accidity. But the fruit got better and better during the evening. Blackberry, tobacco and chocolate. Very dark in the mouth. This has seen its best days, but like it never the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2011 - SGates wrote: 91 Points
This was like a young Anne Hathaway, sweet, a little frail and definitely pretty. Decanted for a couple hours before drinking. Nose was strong point with wood, berries and a little other stuff going on (not much earth for a bordeaux). Lighter mouthfeel, with a lot of sweet notes like creme, blackberries, a little vanilla and even some milk chocolate Smooth tannins and light acidity make the finish weightless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2011 - mgstull Likes this wine: 88 Points
Medium red-purple with a hint of bricking at rim Decanted one hour. Cassis, cigar box, and saddle leather in a mid-weight package. Smooth tannins with a medium finish. Nice, but not in the mold of some previous vintages that had much more weight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2010 - huntinpagan wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured into large Bordeaux stems. A bit reticent on the nose. Light red berry, some camphor, and a bit of salty sea air. Medium purple color with a faint bit of bricking on the rim. Red fruits, leather, tobacco, and a hint of eucalyptus on the palate. Medium body. The tannins are smooth and polished. Pleasant finish that turns a bit austere on the end. A very good bottle of wine, but not outstanding. Drink short to medium term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2010 - Miceri wrote: 91 Points
Medium to slightly dark red; pencil and leather nose; lovely sweet attack, plenty of flavours, well balanced; drinking very well now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2010 - Vrooman wrote: 93 Points
Wonderfully complex immediately upon opening. Mixed berries and deep purple hues of a young wine. Savored with Justin from NYC.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2010 - FransS wrote: 91 Points
One of the best '99 Bordeaux, this is a friendly, mediumweight+ wine with a perfect colour,
a polished nose and a taste without edges, although with a lot of pauillac character.
Perfect for dinner, but I advice decanting. Don't worry about the future of this wine for the next five to seven years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2010 - gsquireh wrote: 92 Points
Soft, smooth, balanced with rounded tannins, medium bodied with sweet black fruit and cassis mellows to a sexy and long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2010 - rnellans wrote: 90 Points
A good buy not great LB. Dark color. Currants, tobacco and cigar box on the nose. Medium body and still some nice fruit. Fairly good balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2010 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Opened this with not much to look fwd to. Our first 1999 bordeaux too so not sure what to expect. Opened, decanted and served. Dont think long decanting will help at this stage.
Mild yet open nose, very bordeaux nose mild sweet cherry. The tannins are very much there but not harsh, no rough edges, but feels a bit weak, flat on the palate with little finish. Still a very enjoyable wine at the moment, goes well with food. Very well made and solid wine and for sure time will benefit it further.At the moment it not singing and in all fairness this will never be a great singer of a wine but a great showing from an uninspiring 99 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2010 - G.O. wrote: 91 Points
Much better after an hour in decanter.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 90 Points
nice traditional tasting bordeaux....this has been a steady performer
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 87 Points
Good, if boring. Ready to go. Classic LB profile. (87)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2010 - g-man wrote: 89 Points
This has a 93 pt nose and the initial palate is right up there. Unfortunately it falls apart on the backend and finishes rather thin. It was my only bottle and don't see myself seeking out any more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2010 - mukden wrote: 89 Points
No, not great, acceptable as a quaffable Bordeaux, but nothing special.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2010 - Eric wrote: 87 Points
Hmm, a bit of a weak and weedy showing. Certainly a very nice wine with the requisite tobacco, cherry and chocolate. That said, there is a lean, green, ungenerous edge to this wine. The question is whether it is fading or just needs time to blossom?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2010 - bubbachumps wrote: 87 Points
Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): This wine started off slow and got better over the evening. Charming nose of toasty oak and minerals. In the mouth, was a little tired but showed some nice fruit. For me, this wine showed the most improvement over the evening. For what it’s worth, the capsule would not spin on this bottle and the cork showed some seepage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2010 - JacksonLee wrote: 90 Points
Excellent quality for the price. aroma is medium strength, with earth, some floral, and tobacco or lead pencil. medium weight in the mouth. very balanced and drinking well now. only minor criticism is the rather short finish, typical of the vintage. wine is not green at all, however
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2010 - dssmith wrote: 78 Points
The color is dark red. There was no bouquet. The flavor was unbalanced -- too much fruit to tanin. The wine was OK but not exceptional for a Pauillac
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2010 - KristianT wrote: 92 Points
Very elegant. Opened up slowly in the glass. Smoky aromas and good concentration. Mature now, but could probably improve further for a couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2010 - GSW wrote: flawed
Very odd nose; likely to have been corked. That said, we drank away.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2010 - Dillo wrote: 88 Points
Sherry-Lehmann Advanced Wine Class (Bordeaux) (Sherry-Lehmann Gallery): Red garnet color. Nose of leather, dark fruits, plum, blackberries, earth and mineral. Some nice dark fruit on the palate. It's well balanced, but more than that, this displays an attractive roundness. With that said, I wouldn't wait any longer to drink this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
3/7/2010 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Very LB, very 1999; very charming, lovely soft 1999-fruit, elegant but rich, stylish and delicious. Now - 2019.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2010 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #044; Bordeaux 1999 (By me): Beautiful bouquet with cassis, liquorice, eucalyptus and well integrated oak. A mouth full of wine. Black cassis, good sweetness, pepper, soft tannin, good acidity. Beautiful ripe fruits and very well balanced. A great wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 91 Points
This wine is drinking nicely, solid dark center lighting toward the edges, not a big nose but the mouth just fills with various flavors, some tannins - thus indicating this has good life to it linger on the palate for 30 seconds, crushed jammy berries , strawberries, Alcohol is well balanced.......not a big wine but big enough
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2010 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Highly opaque, garnet color, with a lot of rim variation and no sediment. No flaws. High fruit and earth intensity. Aroma of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and plum. Dry, with low acid and tannin. Long finish. Served with prime rib roast. Perfect pairing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2009 - mukden wrote: 85 Points
NO. I bought a case of this and drank it quite quickly, with a lot of discontent about it as I motored through it in the mid 2000s. This is one of my last bottles and it has not really gotten any better. I tastes like bordeaux, there is still some tannins there (is it still young), but it just lacks something (adequate fruit?). Would not recommend it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2009 - telmerco wrote: 92 Points
Amazing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2009 - cgrimes wrote: 92 Points
NSMFOW November 2009--Mini Verticals (The Grapevine, Salem, MA): Dark ruby, almost purple with slight bricking at the rim. Big nose of blackberries, cassis, tobacco with slight herbaceousness. Similar palate. Still somewhat tannic. Nice wine but still needs some time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2009 - tomandlu wrote: 90 Points
Wayne's 70th Birthday Dinner (Paley's Place, Portland, OR): Opened about 2 hours before drinking. Not decanted. Deep, not quite opaque garnet-red color. Soaring nose of intense cabernet fruit and coffee. Nicely rich and ripe on the palate with resolved tannin and nice acidity. Moderate finish of coffee and red fruits. Still a lovely, mature Bordeaux that lacks a bit of complexity but makes up for it with balance and power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2009 - DaleW wrote:
Warm, soft, minty. Pleasant enough, but could defintely use a bit more oomph. B
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2009 - MRichman wrote:
Party Like It's 1999: A 10 year look back at 1999 Bordeaux (Public Restaurant, NYC): Smooth, silky, somewhat sweet and soft. Bright with herb and some coffee.
B/B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 91 Points
Drank with steak on patio on a beautiful late summer's day. Terrific, as most of the previous bottles have been, drinking at or near peak, I think.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2009 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Very good, but not as outstanding as my previous tasting earlier this year...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 9 hours. Dark red color with aromas of truffle, earth. Beautiful integration of alcohol, fruit, tannin, acid. Finish that goes on for days of red fruits. Although a little light bodied I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Probably has another 10 years in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2009 - thebonnydooner wrote: 91 Points
This is a pretty mature and very delicious bordeaux - really drinking well, with soft tannins and still decent acidity. Slight hints of earth over blackberry and blackcurrant fruit - nose is complex and slightly mature. Palate is really well balanced with soft dry currant fruit and juicy cherry acidity. Excellent smoothness and length of finish. I think this is about peak - definitely dirnking very well - not reason to hold on to these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2009 - Kahalu'u Bob wrote: 92 Points
Aging well. Drank with a 1985 and 2001. The '85 is holding up better than I suspect this will. The 1999 seems ready to drink to me, although I'm sure it will last many more years. This is not the best year for a LB, but is still a lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2009 - Rick-again wrote: 89 Points
nice color, very much a lynch, did not deliver as much as i had hoped, medium weight , a little tannin, some fruit, a bit of veggie taste, finish not that long, but I still liked ...expect a lot from Lynch..5 more bottles left will let sit some more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2009 - Tubbs wrote:
Textbook Lynch Bages, textbook Bordeaux. Ample fruit yet not overdone. Moderate finish. This is just climbing into the "drink" phase of the drinkability curve. This was a pop-n-pour for us however I'd recommend a 2 hour decant. Great now, better in 5 years, will last several beyond that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
2006 Red Bordeaux and a Few Others (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Medium center with a mature, tawny edge. Beautiful secondary aromatics, which were shocking after tasting all of the younger reds which were so primary. Lean and light with some cedar and good retention of fruit. As you get through it, though, each phase is less and less impressive, since it shows some mid-palate dilution and a fading finish. Better to smell than to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2009 - Miceri wrote: 89 Points
Nose of flowers, sligthtly spicy, light, hint of strawberry; sweet-ish taste, light tannin, again slight hint of strawberry
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Maybe it was the beautiful weather, or maybe it was that we drank it in The Berks house, opened two weeks ahead of schedule, but this was just great, by far the best of around 20 bottles of the LB '99 we have had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2009 - Tejano wrote:
Dark ruby red with a firm purple backing and looking youthful. Very inviting nose of resolved dark berries with a nod towards currants and showing just a tad of tartness and very light wood notes. Walked the line between easy and firm, nicely evolved but still showing some depth of character...this was ready to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2009 - agbailey wrote:
ditto prior review ... classic bordeaux aromatics and flavors. Medium bodied. Nice finish. Drinking very well now. This is proof to me that buying off vintage wines a futures prices from chateaux that are "known quantities" can work out very well. I can't think of a better wine vs the futures price of 30$.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2009 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Very elegant! Amazing smell, smooth finish. Star of today's tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2009 - jal wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose of cedar and cassis, color is dark and shiny with no clearing. The entry is a bit dusty but gets smoother after a while. No mid palate and the finish is watery. A decent showing for the vintage but a little disappointing considering the pedigree.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2009 - honest bob wrote: 88 Points
From the cellar of a Cambridge college, in an inappropriate glass. Intense colour, no sign of maturity. Slightly closed scent, and restrained but very soft on palate. Inense but very thin and linear blackcurrant aftertaste. Satisfying 88P, would have liked to have drunk this from a proper glass at home and suspect I might have given it a higher mark.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2008 - BradA wrote: 90 Points
Really opening up: showing easy mellow tannins and sweet fruit with a core of currant and spice. I note a little balsa wood and will enjoy another glass with meatloaf in a few minutes. Two hours later, this has developed into a swelte glass--really dynamite! Drink now thru 2010 as I cannot expect the wine to get better than present.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2008 - mikecase00 wrote:
This seemed to be shut down. Not giving up much, although it seemed like there was still fruit hiding beneath the tannin. Given the vintage and previous experiences with this wine, I was pretty surprised. If this hadn't been my last bottle I'd wait another two or three years before opening another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2008 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Watching 'Bama and the Gators.
Lynch Bages and Ch. Montrose ('95).
Lynch Bages is showing v. well. Dark ruby. Notes of cedar and coffee.
The palate is smooth and round. Integrated fine-grained tannins. Mid palate is silky, almost like Pinot. Blue fruit. Great balance of acidity, tannic structure and juicy fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2008 - djs wrote: 88 Points
Clearly younger tasting than the 98 Fontenil from last night. More like a classic left bank bordeaux in the nose and on the palate, which I like, but from a weaker vintage. Still has some aggressive tannin, maybe they tried for too much extraction in this vintage. A bit weak on the finish. Wait at least a year to try again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 88 Points
Deep garnet – no purple – just beginning to show hints of maturity. Pretty classic cool Bordeaux nose: cassis, wet leaves and some pebbles. Refined palate leaning towards the austere but enough flesh to balance things out – wet leaves shows up again. Distinctly classic with no hints to modern style, this still shows some typical LB chunkiness. A good mouthful of wine that would benefit from a bit more ripeness (not for texture, but for complexity). Good. (88)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2008 - agbailey wrote: 92 Points
Very good wine with classic, if somewhat light, bordeaux nose and flavors. Definitely let this breathe for about an hour before pouring, as it gains weight and complexity. Nose and flavors were of cassis, cedar with other notes as well. Like this one alot, especially given the relative value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2008 - aaronwine wrote: 92 Points
Brie cheese with berry on the nose. Earth, berry and currant notes. Enjoyable and drinking well but could age longer for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2008 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
A solid Bordeaux. Good nose, fruit forward with notable balance. The tannins have integrated quite well and I would think that this is close to peaking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2008 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Drunk outside with roast beef sandwiches and cheese on cool late summer night listening to jazz. Classic Pauillac nose of cassis, lead pencil, tobacco, cedar and damp earth. Elegant, with medium body and a clean lingering finish of red cherries. Wonderful end to the summer season. Drinking great now, but at least a few more years of life at the summit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2008 - GSW wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and consumed at a boisterous dinner party, so no notes taken. Compared four Bordeaux or Bordeaux-style wines: '99 Lynch-Bages, '95 Lagrange, '97 Clos du Bois Marlstone and '99 Andrew Will Sorella. All were terrific.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2008 - pbjosh wrote: 92 Points
Elegant, exquisite balance, medium concentration, great length. Cedar, cassis, pencil lead, tobacco, sweet earth and stones... perfect expression and typicity, very enjoyable drink, just not the biggest / most powerful bottle ever, which I am totally ok with!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2008 - BradA wrote: 90 Points
I splash decanted this last night and boy was it pleasing! Crisp, full of fruit and a graceful tannic bite that rendered balance and depth. So far, my 99's have surpassed the vaunted 95 vintage... I will be enjoying a few more of these over the autumn--try to give the wine 90+ minutes of airtime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2008 - saturnaisland wrote: 92 Points
A nice well balanced wine. Dark fruit with hint of smoke. Medium to full bodied. Drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2008 - Lucky96 wrote: 92 Points
Classic Pauillac. Elegant and balanced. Minerals, leather, tar, and cassis. Lots of life left, could even do with a few more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2008 - Kahalu'u Bob wrote: 91 Points
Drank with another 1999, a Pavillon Rouge, the second label from Ch. Margaux. The Lych Bages was much lighter on the nose and the palate, and also perhaps less well balanced. My sense is that perhaps the tannin will outlast the fruit as this wine ages. The differences may be due to the different styles of the two appellations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2008 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Similar impression as 11/9/07. This is a perfect "drink me now" Pauillac, and should be such for at least another 5-6 years. Drink now-12/14.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2008 - unrelenting wrote: 94 Points
Windy City Wine Tasting (Lincoln Park, Chicago): Excellent depth and power. Decant 12 hrs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Served at LH's house with lamb and risotto; cherries on the nose with touches of barnyard and mushrooms; dry cherry fruit with some smoke. Seems restrained yet open. Good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2007 - jainsworth wrote: 90 Points
Blind tasted against '99 Leoville Barton and Pinchon Longueville. This was rated 2nd of the three. Nice wine, medium bodied with good black fruit. Good pairing with the filet and lobster. A little disappointing compared with other Lynch Bages we've enjoyed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2007 - BradA wrote: 89 Points
Creme, vanilla and cassis meld with fine tannins to present a lovely holiday drink. More of a classic style--not ebullient nor stuffed with too much tannin; this early to mid-range drinker will continue to provide pleasure for another decade--if you can stay away from your stash!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2007 - Kahalu'u Bob wrote: 91 Points
This has aged well and is ready to drink. This vinatge was light, and the wine tastes older to me than it is. But the balance is good and it is drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
First bottle of second case. Attractive dark ruby. Cassis, cedar, meat on the nose. Red cherries on the palate. Slightly harsh, and P. agreed that it could probably benefit from another year or so in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2007 - Grape Stuff wrote: 89 Points
No formal notes, but had along with a 1999 Chat. Monbousquet, and the Lynch Bages was certainly a very different effort. Much more tart red cherries and red fruit with some still fairly tight tannins. Although it was drinking well, it seemed lacking in the mid-palate and as far as complexity was concerned. May benefit from another 3-8 years in bottle. Could be a 90+ wine in time, but for now just fell a little short for me but still very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2007 - Jdog wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. A very solid Lynch Bages with the typical profile of this chateau. Medium-bodied with nice black fruit and cherry flavors. Lead pencil and tobacco secondary notes with well integrated oak. The wine opened up rather quickly and then did not change very much over the evening. Ready to go now and it will certainly hold on for 5-10 more years, though I don't think it will improve. Consumed side-by-side with the 1995, which outclassed this wine with its purity and structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2007 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Presented in double-blind fashion to the Friday tasting group at Vintage Wines, Ltd. I provided the wine from my personal cellar, so my tasting was therefore unblinded. Bright disc. Medium-to-deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of red currants, vanilla, clove and other assorted spices. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium supple tannins and flavors which mirror the nose. Mediium, fairly smooth finish. This is a wine which is quite enjoyable now and should continue to please for at least another half-decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2007 - formula1 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted about two hours. Very quiet nose at the beginning but then it opened up. Tannins are soft, but still present. Black fruits. Not a big rich powerhouse, but very nice with food.Enjoyable to drink now, but it will still keep for several more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2007 - agbailey wrote: 89 Points
Opened and served un-decanted. Seemed very tight and tannic at first. Began to open towards the end of the bottle. This one needs to be decanted to unlock the fruit, which I am surprised by given the vintage ...
All in all, very nice bottle with good structure and mouthfeel. Would rate in the 88-90 range, perhaps at the higher end if properly decanted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2007 - rols wrote: 90 Points
Less full bodied than the 1990. No hard tannins. Drinking well in 2007.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2007 - Nacnud wrote:
Drinking great but if you're looking for power this is not it. Elegant and refined and for a Pauillac I was a bit surprised but for the vintage it makes sense. Needs a little air but I didn't decant, just took my time. Great aroma and a great food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2007 - 1800kidney wrote: 88 Points
not a profound Pauillac, nice fruits but lacks impact
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2007 - JScott wrote: 87 Points
A sound but rather generic Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2007 - BradA wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed with our weekly Wednesday night dinner of broiled lamp chops. Decanted 30 minutes and this wine was open for business! Ripe, lucious and mature--I was surprised at the lack of tannin and the swelte nature of the wine. I guess I will have to be more proactive in drinking my '99s.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2007 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 91 Points
Medium bodied, tight (young, and not much time to breathe). Very long finish (earth?). Lots of tannin (not overpowering, but still too young).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2007 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
In 375, very well balanced, supple tannins, delicious medium to dark berry fruit flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2007 - tomandlu wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Nice deep red garnet color. Classic nose of graphite, cedar, cassis and smoke. Very complete on the palate though not particularly complex (in light of better vintages). Well balanced flavors of cabernet fruit, coffee and iron with just a hint of tannic bite. Moderate finish. A delicious drink right now and I can't see much improvement since the tannins are almost fully resolved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2007 - JScott wrote: 88 Points
Pleasant and well-fruited. Just not deep. Will never be profound, but a nice drink today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
Valentines Day, Terrific as usual
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2007 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Almost peaking now. Tannins largely resolved, sweet fruit to the forefront. Moderately long. Only the nose could do with a little more time. Light to medium-weight wine, drinking very well on its own.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2007 - rdorman wrote:
Really not too impressive. Very little on the back end. Almost no tannin at all. The other two bottles should be drunk soon. No use saving them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
Good as always, drank at La Comp.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2006 - cellarid wrote: 88 Points
Nice, simple fruit. Very forward with resolved tannins. Moderate length with fairly classic flavors of dark berry fruit, bitter chocolate and hints of graphite. There's no upside here. Drink up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2006 - Paul D wrote: 87 Points
Wine Society "Stars of Pauillac" Tasting (The Wine Society, Stevenage): Dark ruby red, pale ruby rim.
Quite developed and rich with blackcurrant fruit, perhaps some tobacco. Chewy tannins. Some spicy notes emerging on a good length finish, with nice fresh acidity. Certainly approachable and satisfying enough, but slightly solid and lacking "spark". Think I prefer the Carruades.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2006 - agbailey wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour to let this open up. Garnet / purple color. Very nice dark fruit flavors with some firm tanins, even after 2-3 hours. Found this to be a very good wine, though not great. All in all, though, a pretty good QPR from the futures price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2006 - shelt wrote: 91 Points
I liked it better than many other reviewers. The fruit is fading a bit, and there is an unusual (for Lynch Bages) concentration of pepper. However, the wine is nicely balanced, and I feel it will be interesting for several more years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2006 - cellarid wrote: 86 Points
From half bottle this is on the downside. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2006 - Kahalu'u Bob wrote: 92 Points
Good nose, good balance. Could still age a bit more, but quite drinkable now. Stood its own with some very fine wines ('92 Opus One, '85 Duckhorn Merlot, etc.) at Bobby's annual bash.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2006 - cellarid wrote: 88 Points
Great aromatics that scream Pauillac, but this lacks the richness and sweetness of great Lynch Bages. The fruit is pleasant, but has a drying edge. Tannins and acidity are nicely balanced, but I fear that the fruit will drop out soon. Good now and over the very near term and a nice bargain. In comparison, the similarly priced 1999 Pichon Baron is significantly better and shows more breed and richness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2006 - Ibetian wrote: 91 Points
Strong cedar nose, smoothe, drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2006 - jellybear wrote:
Jenny said cedar and lilac and she is so smart we are going to buy her a washing machine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2006 - mikecase00 wrote: 91 Points
The 99 Lynch is showing very well right now, and is probably reaching maturity. Very expressive nose, classic Pauillac profile with lots of cedar. Well balanced acidity and soft tannins, exceptionally smooth and polished, with secondary nuances starting to show up and a solid finish. This is not a super-heavyweight wine, but rather an excellent example of medium bodied claret. It's not likely to improve much, but it'll hold nicely over the next five years or so. Glad I have another bottle of this, wish I had bought more at $35 when I had the chance. My wife commented very positively on this wine as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2006 - redpine42 wrote: 90 Points
Spring Wine tasting. Nice, simple, with lots of mint. Would make a good table wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2006 - Ibetian wrote: 91 Points
At Pierre's. P. loved as usual. Probably better in a year or 2 but drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2006 - Deryl wrote: 93 Points
Took to offline with pyang and ArieS. Maybe WOTN. Has come into its own very nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2006 - ATBridge wrote: 91 Points
Let me preface this note by saying I have more experience with Lynch Bages than any other wine, and this is the first time I've ever appreciated the "poor man's Mouton" comparison. Puored from a 375ml bottle, this wine has a medium body red color. The first whiff is incredibly sweet! with overtones of white colored gumdrop candies & raw cane sugar. With a little time in the glass a more typical LB, Paulliac nose including cedar, currant and earth emerge, but the sweetness predominates. In the mouth the sweetness is remarkable with more cassis and light cedar. The mid-palate & finish gives this away as indeed the poor-man's Mouton with marked acidity, however this feature rounds out with time.
This is nice tonight--Overall, 89 points for the palate with a 2 point bonus for the initial nasal Mouton fake-out= 91pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2005 - agbailey wrote: 90 Points
The first thing that hit me was the aroma of Cedar. After breating some, fruits began to appear ... and nicely ... as well as some leather and earthiness. Solid flavors of dark fruits, with a medium to long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
This was opened in Las Vegas at the VLV III offline. I'm not sure who brought it. This is the 2nd time I have had this wine. The first being in May 2003 with a similar score. Rather integrated for being 6 years old. This wine has a nice old world character. Meaty red fruit notes with plum being highlighted. A classic Pauillac profile. 92 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2005 - jpan wrote:
Part of our Thanksgiving vertical, which included 85, 88,98 and 99.
This one was the lightest of the bunch, still pink at the edge. Dark fruit but not much in the aroma department. Lean and astringent package. Medium finish with plenty of acid. VG.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2005 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Bistro K: Lighter than the St. E and Lalande de Pom--hint cassis and red raspberry fruit--lighter bod, but classic bordeaux. Not impressed with most of these ’99s. From Peter Peterson.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2005 - futronic wrote: 87 Points
Medium-dark ruby colour. Aromas of cinnamon, red berry fruit. Medium-bodied, with herbs, red fruit, and spice. Moderate finish, 30s, with red fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2005 - psmith wrote:
Initially a gamey nose with dense earth-driven notes, graphite, and dark fruits. Picks up a more agreeable red cherry note with time, shows some vanilla. Good weight but overbearing tannins which, in the wine's youth, mask the fruit to some extent and seem unbalanced. ***-/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2005 - Stephan O wrote: 86 Points
I like this less than do most others here. There's a lot going on with this wine, but not all of it's good. Ross describes it well as "primary and rough." It's tightly wound at the moment, with a nose and palate that show predominately soil and cedar. It picks up some leather and black fruit after some air, but not enough to be attractive. A few hours later, I find mostly soy sauce on the palate -- yuck. It does finish strong, I think, serving up some purer fruit and nice minerals toward the back end. Still, I find this quite disappointing for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2005 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Blood colored, subdued fruit nose with hint of citrus. Dry, with some tight tanins. Needs air time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2005 - RossM wrote: 88 Points
An interesting wine. The nose doesn't suggest Bordeaux as it's very primary and rough. Aromatically I get red wine and not Cabernet Sauvignon. With some time in the glass spice and mineral begins to emerge. A bloody hint complemented with orange and pomegranate. This wine should be much better in 5 to 7 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2005 - ScottG wrote: 88 Points
Seattle Low-Key Bordeaux at Lola (Lola Restaurant): A nose with a hint of light fruit- sweet cherries, cinnamon?, mineral. Overall seemed very well balanced, with present but not powerful tannin. I was way off on my guess as the way this was showing seemed more like a merlot to me. It was just a bit reticent and definitely opened up over the night and was still opening- I was tempted to bring home the left-overs to see where it might go (but we left it for the wait staff) 88 beginining of the night, probably a 90-91 with appropriate air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2005 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Low-key Tasting Group does Bordeaux at Lola (Seattle, WA, USA): This was the most closed and difficult wine of the night which somewhat belied its reputation. The initial nose screamed of chocolate covered cherries with some notes of pickled oak and eventually graphite. Mmm, the palate shows bright red fruit and crushed rocks, quite tight yet promising. With an hour of air this started to open more and for 15 minutes some black fruit came out to play. However, from this point it shut down and offered a lot less. I really like the direction this is heading, but it is still extremely young and tight. The finish coats your palate with dusty, spreading tannins and super minerality. I suspect this needs another 5 years to come out of its shell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2005 - ERoss wrote: 92 Points
[Farmington Wine Class] Pure strawberry, blackberry, and pencil lead aromas. Excellent balance and structure, with enough bracing acidity to balance out moderating tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2004 - caldwell wrote:
An elegant bottle of wine. This was nice, didn't have a lot of tannin on the back end, etc. Certainly pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2004 - futronic wrote: 87 Points
Medium-dark ruby red almost to rim. Lots of thin, slow legs. Aromas of red fruit, cedar, vanilla, plums, earth. Medium-full bodied with red fruit and spice. Long finish, ~ 45-50s with spice and garrigue notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Rareshides tasting at Maguire's: From magnum. Apricot, high-toned nose, like a pluot. Plummy fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
One of the better showing Bordeaux at the Grand Tour. Still young but it was deep with rich earthy black fruit notes. 92-93.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2002 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Red Carpet: Dark, scalet purple; blackberry taste, solid cassis; somewhat acidic, some hi-notes in mouth; heavy t’s, slight astringent fin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2002 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Medium red. Forward aroma of bright red fruit. Nice bright round fruit with little sweetness but good body and flavor. Better in 2-4. 1/02
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2001 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Completely backward. But what you can taste is so powerful and exclusive. This will be an absolute beauty in 10+ years from now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment