Château Lynch Bages, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2017
This is a wonderful example of Lynch Bages. It is big and brooding, serious and grand scale with inky, smokey, mineral infused earthy black fruit, then one notices a delicate fragrance of flowers, graphite, spice and hedgerow fruit. Deep and concentrated, this has waves of pure, salty fruit - there is real authority and power without feeling cumbersome or drying. This is a profound yet refined example that leaves you with a gorgeous salinity and pure notes of dark cassis as the impeccably managed tannins grip the mouth. Another very accomplished Lynch Bages! 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
critic reviews
The 2017 Lynch-Bages has a pure bouquet with ebullient black cherry and blueberry fruit. The oak is neatly integrated, precise and controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. It's pretty dense with graphite-infused black fruit. This clams up towards a finish that is a little more austere than other recent vintages, although I admire its focus and structure. Great potential. Tasted at the Lynch-Bages vertical at the château.
Kicks things off with black pepper spice and curls of violet aromatis, majoring on the floral side of Cabernet Sauvignon; This is great quality, sappy tannins, with enticing layers of blueberry and raspberry fruits. A relatively early-drinking Lynch Bages, but one with poise and confidence. 75% new oak.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Lynch Bages sashays out of the glass with flamboyant scents of baked blackcurrants, blackberry preserves and mulberries plus touches of lavender, dark chocolate, star anise and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has bags of class and finesse with firm, finely-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant.