2021 Lynch Bages
Buying options
Tasting notes
Even in a lighter vintage, Ch. Lynch Bages finds wonderful concentration and structure. The cooler temperatures in 2021 and slight water deficit saw the top terroirs prove their mettle; cropping at just 34hl/ha, the Grand Vin is dominated by these sites. The estate is not afraid to extract and, at this early stage during the en primeur tastings, the wine always has a little more overt structure than its neighbours. It has a lovely mid-palate of juicy, cassis fruit and there is some textbook graphite minerality too. The wine remains very linear and structured with lots of tannin and a definitive bite to the finish that will no doubt refine with time. There is plenty of freshness too. It will be fascinating to see how this comes together in bottle. The wine is due to spend 18 months in 75% new oak and the alcohol is 13.14%. Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The Grand Vin 2021 Château Lynch-Bages ratchets up everything, offering a rich, powerful, almost full-bodied style as well as gorgeous notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, spice, and hints of cassis. It might be the biggest, richest wine in the vintage and has a great mid-palate, impressive density, building tannins, and a great, great finish.
The 2021 Lynch Bages is a brooding wine. Black cherry, leather, spice and menthol add to its decidedly somber personality. It will be interesting to see how the 2021 develops during élevage. Today, the 2021 comes across as dark and heavy, with the oak not fully integrated, and less of the suave finesse that is perhaps the key Lynch Bages signature.
The 2021 Lynch-Bages, picked at 34hL/ha and matured in 75% new oak for a planned 18 months, has an outstanding bouquet, beautifully-defined and sensual, a mixture of black and blueberry fruit, very fragrant. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, good body and density, quite precise with a tensile finish. This fans out nicely on the finish. A very classy Lynch Bages with echoes of Jean-Michel Cazes' classics from the late eighties. 13.14% alcohol.
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.