Description
I’ve been lucky enough to drink a few vintages of Lynch Bages. It has always been a stunning wine that performs every vintage; even the bad vintages taste amazing from Lynch Bages. It does mean that Lynch Bages became mostly unaffordable to me, but they’ve earnt that price tag.
In a vintage like 2010, Lynch Bages has made an outstanding wine that would wow even the most ardent “Cabernet is a weed” character. All the reviews suggest that Lynch Bages 2010 is only about halfway through its evolution. Drink it from now, but don’t be afraid to keep it until 2030, or Neil Martin suggest 2060!
Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac 5th Growth 2010, and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.
Chateau Lynch Bages can trace a history a long way back. Lynch Bages (or Jurine Bages as it was known at the time) was awarded a 5th Growth classification in the 1855 Medoc ranking. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that it really started to make an impact. Jean-Charles Cazes leased the estate to complement his stewardship of Les Ormes de Pez in St-Estephe and eventually bought Lynch Bages. The Cazes family own many wineries, most famously Chateau Villa Bel Air in Graves, Haut Batailley in Pauillac, Domaine des Senechaux in Chateauneuf du Pape and Tapanappa in South Australia.
Lynch Bages is big at 100 hectares. It is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin at Lynch Bages is made to age for decades; there is no point drinking a Lynch Bages at under 15 years of age because it will not be ready. I promise you it’ll be worth the wait, though.
Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac 5th Growth 2010 Wine Review
vinous.com
95 points
“The 2010 Lynch-Bages has a stunning bouquet with pixelated black fruit, crushed stone and graphite aromas that soar from the glass. This is just amazingly focused. The palate is medium-bodied with concentrated black fruit curiously tinged with cough candy, which here I find just a bit out of place. The acidity is extremely well judged and there is immense persistence on the finish. Bold, brassy and ambitious, this is an extremely impressive wine, although I suspect that there are better bottles out there. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal. Drink 2023-2060. April 2020″
Bordeaux
Situated near the Atlantic coast of France. The Gironde, Dordogne and Garonne rivers provide its shape. Cool conditions and frequent rainfall, including during harvest time, make Bordeaux quite a marginal region with vintages frequently ruined by rain or saved from the rain at the last minute by timely sunshine.
Pauillac
The powerhouse of the Left Bank. It contains three of the five first growth wines in the Medoc and a wealth of other great Chateaux beyond that. It combines the cool charm of St-Julien to the South and the rugged richness of St-Estephe to the North. Therefore Pauillac is the benchmark for classic Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon reigns here. In a great vintage, Pauillac wines keep forever.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The noble variety of Bordeaux’s left bank. Firm tannins, a streak of acidity and punctuated by flavours of cassis, violets, spice and leather. The best examples can age for the long term. Although Cabernet does often require blending with Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Shiraz to fix the hole it has in its middle palate.
Merlot
It gets a tough time most of the places it is grown. But in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, Merlot not only dominates but makes some of the best wines in the world. Perfume, silky and plush. Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon season the wines with structure and acid, but in some places, like Petrus, they are almost not needed.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Sauvignon Blanc (oh! The name makes sense now!). It is most famous for being the third most crucial grape in quality Bordeaux. But also excels in the Loire Valley (where it lived before it went to Bordeaux), especially Chinon and Saumur. The wines are bright red, highlight aromatics with raspberries, rose petals, violets along with tobacco, cassis and some herbal elements. The best examples can live as long as any great wine.
Petit Verdot
Often the fifth wine on the depth chart of Bordeaux’s magical quintet. In the great years, it is an amazing variety to work with, but often in the great years, it is not needed. It can add body, structure and acidity but lacks some charm for a single variety wine. But in the hands of a skilful blender, it can really lift a wine, or in some cases, a particular site can make Petit Verdot sing a song like no other.
French Wine
The land that so many New World (not European) wine producers look to emulate. To generalise about French wine, I would say it is savoury, lighter-bodied wine. They are the definition of elegant, complex. There are many styles, though. And there is a French wine for every palate. They lead the world in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Burgundy. Sparkling Wine in Champagne. Cabernet and Merlot in Bordeaux. Syrah(Shiraz) and Grenache in the Rhone Valley. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris in Alsace. Sauvignon Blanc, and Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley. Gamay in Beaujolais.
Wine
Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.
The wine grape is pretty special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.
Human inputs can influence the final product. This includes the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.
The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. This is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.
Red Wine
Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.
By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannins and flavours. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.
Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.
The Wine Depository
I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.
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