Château Lynch Bages 2021
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 2021 Reviews / Tasting Notes
William Kelley - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 93-95
The second vintage vinified in the Caze family's new winery, the 2021 Lynch-Bages unwinds in the glass with aromas of minty cassis, sweet berries, loamy soil, black truffle and cigar wrapper, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and muscular, it's a serious, layered, powerful, youthfully structured wine that will come together beautifully with maturation in barrel.
Neal Martin - Vinous
Point Score: 94-96
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.
Antonio Galloni - Vinous
Point Score: 92-94
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 elevage. 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.