1985 Lynch Bages

Fully mature with some amber at the edge, the medium-bodied, elegant 1985 offers notes of bay leaves, roasted herbs, black currants and sweet cherries. This vintage has always had an early appeal and seductiveness. It is unlikely to get any better, so owners should consume it over the next 5-7 years. Wine Advocate.August, 2011

Tasted single blind at the 1985 Bordeaux horizontal, the 1985 Chateau Lynch Bages was pitted against two other wines, both First Growths, and it more than held its own. In many ways it is a forerunner for the brilliant 1989 and 1990 that Jean-Michel crafted, though the 1985 has always been more elegant and comely in style. The nose is impressive after three decades with melted tar, a touch of peppermint and delineated black fruit that seem to gain intensity with each passing moment in the glass. Strangely those secondary notes of bay leaf and dried herbs make way for more primal fruit-derived scents with aeration! The palate does not disappoint. Medium rather than full-bodied, beautifully defined tannins and supremely well-judged acidity, this Lynch-Bages is just so well balanced. Hints of black truffle and sandalwood unfold towards the finish that has disarming purity and great persistence. If you want to know why the 1855 Classification screwed up placing Lynch Bages as a Fifth Growth - taste the wonderful 1985 and then the 1989 and 1990 (though the latter pair have greater longevity). Tasted July 2015. Jul 2016, www.robertparker.com