2020 Château Lynch-Bages
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Tasting notes
This is an amazingly approachable Lynch Bages – but has everything to go the distance. It’s instantly expressive on the nose, exotic and fulsome. The pure, blackcurrant fruit leaps out the glass, edged with parma violets, liquorice root, pepper, pot-pourri and oriental spice. The palate is pure and lush, with waves of fruit – that offer real crunch, freshness and elegance. The tannins are, however, firm and savoury, yet ripe enough to take a backseat. There’s a lovely saline, mouth-watering freshness, with a finish scented with redcurrants, aniseed twists and a cocoa note. Charming, with stylish texture and balance, this is hard to resist.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels (75% new). First vintage in the new Chien Chung Pei cellar. Deep crimson hue. Fragrant and compelling on the nose with cassis and blueberry notes and a hint of pepper and spice. Suave, generous and gourmand on the palate, the tannins firm but integrated and precise. Lots of freshness as well. Touch of oak on the finish but evident potential. (JL)
Tasted blind. Black core with purplish rim. Dark and closed on the nose. Savoury, oaky and dense, rather unyielding now. But the tannins are not thick just very much to the fore at the moment. Powerful. (JH)
The 2020 Lynch-Bages is curiously backward on the nose, showing earthy black fruit mixed with bay leaf and pencil shavings. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, pliant tannins. Bold and assertive, there's plenty of concentration, though it doesn't quite have the same precision on the finish as its peers in this flight. This is another great wine that is perhaps just entering an awkward adolescence. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
About the producer
Ch. Lynch-Bages is one of the largest and best properties in Pauillac, in the Médoc. While officially classified as a Fifth Growth estate, it regularly competes with the First and Second Growths when it comes to quality and ageability.