2008 Lynch Bages
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Tasting notes
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged for 15 months in oak barrels (75% new). Youthful purple-black hue. Dark-fruit and liquorice notes. Shows little or no evolution. Fine-boned, fresh and elegant on the palate. Medium-bodied and lithe but with plenty of drive. Strong structure despite an absence of weight. Worth waiting. (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
Decanter
Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
The 2008 Lynch-Bages is deep in color with minor aging on the rim. The nose is well-defined but demands coaxing, almost reluctantly revealing blackberry, briary, tobacco and mint aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm but fine tannins, lovely black fruit laced with tobacco and spice, dense and grippy. This is beautifully proportioned on the finish. Superb. Tasted at the Lynch-Bages vertical at the château.
Inky ruby in colour, with concentrated aromatics of cigar box, graphite, tobacco leaf, undergrowth, leather. Easy to sink into, with tannins that are beginning to soften but are still holding the brambled fruit in place. Softens on the finish, but a fine, balanced and elegant Bages. 75% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant.
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.