Château Lynch Bages, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2018

Name: Château Lynch Bages, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Lynch Bages
Price: 1126.25 GBP

Available Vintages

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justerini & brooks tasting note

Southwold note, January 2022 The Lynch Bages 2018 lives up to our very high expectations. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold assessment, this was clearly one of the standout wines of the vintage. Still brooding and introspective, it slowly reveals hints of graphite, minerals and beautiful bramble and cassis fruit. The palate is a clear continuation: there is a mass of dark, mineral infused fruit, which although impressively endowered, doesn’t feel excessive. There appears to be a sense of cohesion and control here, particularly on the wonderfully detailed and nuanced tannins that lend detail and length. This is an exhibition of precision winemaking, almost Latouresque in its stature – a technical masterpiece with a very long future ahead. Barrel tasting note Jean-Charles coined the vintage 'Purple Rain'. His flagship Lynch Bages is certainly a wine of epic proportions, which sends shivers down the spine, and has a finish longer than the aforementioned guitar solo. This is a proper vin de garde, hardly surprising given the IPTs were the highest since 2010. After ecoulage, yields were a meagre 37 hl/ha. The team was very careful during macerations - this is clearly precision winemaking. Very detailed, dark, mineral nose - not particularly expressive at this stage, but one can sense the potential. The palate is firm, even uncompromising; austere and powerful, grippy cassis and minerals, cool berries and spice coat the mouth and dissipate at glacial pace. The flavours stain the palate as the immense tannic profile reveals itself. This is a colossal Lynch Bages that will require considerable patience. It could be one of the all-time greats from this Chateau, something to make the doves cry. Epic!

critic reviews

96/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2018 Lynch-Bages has a decadent bouquet, sexy almost, with luxurious black and blueberry fruit, a touch of glycerine that develops with aeration. The palate is dense and powerful with lush black cherry, blueberry and plenty of vanillary notes. Silky in texture, there is wonderful weight and poise on the finish, but it clearly needs many years in bottle. Tasted at the Lynch-Bages vertical at the château.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2060

date of review 07/2023

97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2018 Lynch-Bages is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of swirling before classic notes of cassis, cedar chest, and warm plums emerge, leading to nuances of violets, star anise, unsmoked cigars, cardamom, and wood smoke. Full-bodied, dense, muscular and built like a brick house, it has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and amazing tension, finishing very long with lots of mineral sparks. Needs a good five years, then stand back when you open the bottle and enjoy the fireworks!

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2060

date of review 02/2023

96/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Plum, damson, with a touch of gunsmoke reduction on the first nose, rich and nuanced in colour and aromatics. Pure chiselled cassis and blackberry fruits as it opens, with cocia bean, sage, cardarmon, grilled cedar, smoked earth and crayon, widening through the mid palate to reveal a creamy texture. Exuberant in character, plenty of vintage signature. A yield of 38hl/ha, 75% new oak.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2044

date of review 04/2022

96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lynch-Bages was aged in 75% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple in color, it soars out of the glass with a magnificently expressive nose of blueberry compote, black cherry preserves and blackcurrant pastilles, plus suggestions of dark chocolate, licorice, tar and violets with a waft of hoisin. The medium to full-bodied palate is just as impactful as the nose, coating the mouth with juicy black berry and spicy layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a refreshing earthiness coming through at the end.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2055

date of review 03/2021