Château Lynch Bages 2001
Review of the Estate
Château Lynch-Bages is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Lynch-Bages is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
The 90 hectares (220 acres) of Château Lynch Bages are located just outside of the town of Pauillac. The vineyard occupies a gravel ridge looking down over the Gironde estuary. The well-drained soil consists mainly of deep gravel beds over a limestone sub-strata, and it is planted predominantly with red wine grape varieties There is also a small approximately 4.5 hectare (11 acres) plot planted with white varieties (40% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon blanc and 20% Muscadelle) Château Lynch Bages is primarily known for its eponymous red wine. The malolactic fermentation takes place mainly in large stainless steel tanks, and the wine then spends about 15 months in oak barrels (of which some 50-60% are new) before bottling.
As of 2008, the second label of Château Lynch Bages will be called, "Echo de Lynch-Bages". A third wine has now been added, called "Pauillac de Lynch-Bages".
Vineyard
Surface area: 222 acres
Grape Varieties: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
Average age of vines: 30 years
Density of plantation: 9,000 vines per hectare
Average yields: 50 hectoliters per hectare
Average cases produced: 35,000 per year
Plateau of maturity: 6-25 years
Château Lynch Bages 2001 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 88
The fully mature 2001 exhibits aromas of tapenade, bay leaf, licorice, red and black currants, damp earth and new saddle leather. Medium-bodied and atypically elegant and charming for a Lynch Bages with soft, fully resolved tannin and a moderately long finish, it is much lighter than a great vintage such as 2000.
Wine Spectator
Point Score: 90
Offers gorgeous aromas of currant, chocolate and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Very pretty. Still tight.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Best after 2008. 40,830 cases made.
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous
Point Score: 88-91
Full ruby-violet. Cassis, bitter chocolate and shoe polish on the nose. Rich, vinous and nicely delineated, with intense, youthfully medicinal dark fruit flavors. Not as concentrated or thick as the '00 but classy, firmly tannic and persistent. Still a bit bound-up but with obvious sweetness. Late note of dark chocolate. Daniel Llose, who oversees winemaking at the Cazes properties, noted that the index of polyphenols was actually higher in 2001 than in 2000.