2022 Blanc de Lynch Bages
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Tasting notes
Well structured, a little closed at this point, with a slate minerality evident in its texture. This manages to offer grip and lift, with mint leaf, coconut and subtle toasted hazlenut notes well balanced by juicy white nectarine and pear fruits. Good quality and stands out in the vintage. 7ha of white vines at Lynch Bages, planted largely in 1990 on gravelly soils in Saint Saveur, a commune close to Pauillac in the Médoc appellation. Fermented and aged in barrel, Nicolas Labenne winemaker.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
While the 2022 Château Lynch Bages Blanc had been bottled just prior to my visit, it wasn't showing any worse for wear and has a terrific perfume of honeyed lime, white flowers, citrus, and chalky minerality. Based on 67% Sauvignon, 22% Sémillon, and 11% Muscadelle, it stays fresh, vibrant, medium-bodied, and refreshing on the palate.
Vivid white flower aromatics, here the stone fruits are clearly ripe and edging towards exotic mango and pomegranate, with subtle gunsmoke edging and slate texture. The team passed through the vineyard in successive times to ensure bunches came in as soon as they were ripe, and ensured reductive winemaking in individually temperature-controlled barrels to keep emphasis on fruit and aromatics. Harvest August 25 to 31, earliest ever. 3.2ph, 65% new oak. It's gourmet, with the texture and flesh that is a signature of the vintage, but never less than enjoyable.
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.