Lynch-Bages

Blend:
73% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot

The third in a trio of superlative Bordeaux vintages, and now widely regarded as one of the finest post-war vintages. July and August were the driest since 1928. Heavy rain at the end of August was just what was required and September was relatively cool but dry, resulting in perfect harvest conditions. What marks the 1990's out are their ripeness, balance, harmony and grip.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

The year began with a mild winter which brought an adequate amount of rain, and there followed a relatively unremarkable spring in which flowering progressed smoothly and was all finished by May. The summer was extremely warm with temperature frequently exceeding 30°C throughout June, July and August. The fruit began to change colour somewhat earlier than usual, a response to the warmth of the vintage.

Around September 11th, there was heavy rain which then faded into light September showers, thankfully insufficient to truly threaten the vintage. The sensible option was to wait, and this is exactly what we did, only beginning to harvest once the rains had finished from September 18th onwards. After September 20th the weather improved significantly, and much of the fruit was harvested in very good conditions.

The 1995 vintage exhibits wonderful dark cherry and leather notes. Medium bodied with well-integrated tannins and a nice earthy spice on the finish. A true expression of a classic Lynch-Bages.

Ageing : French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

1996 is an important vintage in its decade: indeed, a classic left bank vintage, as the ripening conditions and harvest favoured the Cabernet Sauvignon our dominant grape. The weather conditions in 1996 which were unusual to say the least, also particularly favoured our appellation. At the beginning of September, the grapes were in perfect sanitary condition, but a little behind in maturity. A superb anticyclone then settled on the area of Bordeaux, alternating hot sunny days with cool nights.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (60% new wood)
Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

The elements conspired in 1999 to give winemakers some challenging weather conditions. In Pauillac, the majority of the Cabernets were being picked during the final week of September when dry weather prevailed.
At Lynch-Bages, we overcame the weather problems and produced very attractive wines with excellent balance, lovely ripe fruit and good structure.

Ageing: Wooden barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

The winter of 1999-2000 will remain a vivid memory for the inhabitants of the Medoc region following the storm of the 27th December. 2000 is also the story of a vintage in two parts: after a warm winter and wet spring, the first half got off to a bad start. The second half was a total turn-around. This wonderful late summer weather seems to have given Lynch-Bages its rich and superb complexity. An utterly profound Lynch-Bages, this wine has definitely its place in the hall of fame of the few vintages of the century.

Ageing: Wooden barrels for 15 months (65% new wood)
Blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

After a regular bud-burst at the beginning of the month of April, we had a rather humid spring, but with very little mildew pressure, contrary to the spring of 2000. The flowering took place during a short sunny period, and was then very homogeneous. Quantity of grapes was about average. Summer showed a regular temperature, except for two series of a few very hot days at the end of July and mid-august, which blocked the maturation for some time.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

With only eight vintages during the 20th century experiencing such an extended period of extreme temperatures, France has never seen a vintage culminate with such an outrageously fierce August heat. Yet Bordeaux seems to have survived better than elsewhere in France. Thankfully some good rainfall in July kept the wines evolving, and general consensus places the largest concentration of outstanding wines in the northern Médoc, especially Pauillac and Saint-Estephe. As a result, Lynch-Bages 2003 is opulent, seductive and exhibits superbly ripe fruit.

Ageing: Wooden barrels for 15 months (60% new wood)
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Analytical parameters are excellent: high alcoholic strength and tannin indices, deep colour and characteristics that compare favourably with recent years, including 2003. A vintage reminiscent of the concentration of the 1996 vintage plus the freshness of the 2001. The nose already offers aromas of black-currant and cherry. Its extremely full-bodied texture suggests that this will be a good wine for laying down.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (80% new wood)
Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

The 2005 vintage is one of our greatest vintages of recent decades.
2005 vintage characteristics in a nutshell:
• A warm summer,
• Near-drought conditions,
• Harvest remained largely free of rainfall, and the fruit was brought in by relaxed and happy workers. The potential of the vintage was already clear, even before the first fermentations were finished.

Lynch-Bages 2005 was aged in 80% new oak which is the most we have ever used, feeling it necessary to cloak the exceptional fruit and powerful tannins.

Wine Advocate #196 - Aug 2011 - Robert Parker:
« As one might suspect, the dense purple-hued 2005 is still tannic, firm and young, with concentrated blackberry and cassis fruit, beautiful ripeness, a full-bodied mouthfeel and undeniable youthfulness. Tasting like a 2-3 year old wine rather one that has passed its sixth birthday, it is potentially one of the longest lived Lynch Bages since the remarkable 1989 and 2000. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030+. »

The Wine Advocate 94+/100 - Wine Spectator 93/100 - Jancis Robinson: 17/20 -

5/5 Stars - Medoc 2005 - Decanter Award Winners - July 08

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

A classic mature vintage, the nose offers an attractive interplay between deep, buttery black fruits, some cedar and graphic notes, and a cool, minty Cabernet character. The wine has plenty of structure and a backward, muscular personality, but beautiful fruit on the attack and alluring purity and nicely textured mouthfeel. A full-bodied finish with plenty of wrapping sweetness completes this tightly-packed Lynch-Bages.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Today, the wine rhymes with balance and subtlety. On the nose, the freshness of the fruit stands out, finding subtle harmony with the wood. On the palate, it is rounded, smooth and mellowed. The tannins are silky and very ripe. The dazzling finish oozes with great class and is astonishingly long.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (75% new wood)
Blend: 78 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 % Merlot, 7 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot
Production: 65% of the total crop

« Everything comes to him who wants… »
As with the 2007 vintage, we laboured under a rather wet and depressing summer sky, before once again the weather improved late in the year, saving the harvest.
The vintage in a nutshell:
• Early but irregular budbreak
• Cool and damp summer weather
• Miraculous recovery

We began picking on 30 September and finished before the first frosts on 19 October. As with 2007, warm weather in September and October saved the vintage. This year once again, we saw that large terroirs coupled with interventionist viticulture gradually produced remarkable rich grapes.

Lynch-Bages 2008 displays nice aromas of cranberry, dried floral notes, and tobacco. The palate has nice energy and acidity with excellent tannin structure. A very good combination of intensity, depth, and structure.

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Production: 68% of the total crop

"Here comes the sun..."
Things are looking extremely auspicious for the 2009 vintage: good rainfall levels, plenty of sunshine, cool nights alternating with warm days, a superb September, and lovely fine weather during harvest. The maturity and sanitary state of the grapes were perfect, and the wines are rich and concentrated but well balanced. These all point to a vintage at least equal to or even better than that of 2005, perhaps even approaching the great vintages of the 40s...

Very powerful and well-balanced. The colour is deep and the nose reflects the sunny growing season with remarkable ripeness and overtones of blackcurrant and black fruit. The wine starts out unctuous and straightforward on the palate with impressively concentrated, elegant tannin accompanied by plenty of body.
2009 Lynch-Bages has a rich and opulent flavour enhanced by fresh acidity that contributes to perfect balance and an incredibly long aftertaste.
March 2010

Ageing: French oak barrels for 15 months (70% new wood)
Blending: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot,
2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Production: 70% of the total crop

« Bis repetita placent… »
Horace, Poetic Art, V.365.
Following the superb 2009 vintage, came 2010 to rival it…
Both 2009 and 2010 had great amounts of alcohol, tannins and colour. The big difference between the vintages is in the acid levels.
Indeed, thanks to the cool nights and generally lower temperatures, 2010 had much higher levels of acidity. In a nutshell, the growing season was extremely dry but without extremes of temperature,so the grapes were small with thick skins, rich in colour and tannin and fresh of flavour.
The relatively cool, sunny weather that prevailed during ripening was propitious to preservingfruit and acidity.The harvest started in summery weather on Monday September 27, and was completed on
October 14.

2010 Lynch-Bages has all the hallmarks of a very great vintage. It may appear premature to describe it in detail, but its deep colour, complexity, intense fruit, freshness, and tannicdensity already indicate enormous potential.

Ageing: Wooden barrels for 15 months (65% new wood)
Blend: 72 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot
Production: 66% of the harvest

« The Rite of Spring »
2011 was a curious year with a remarkably warm and dry spring. Consequently, flowering took place early and in fine conditions.
July was cool and saw some rain, while August was mixed, cooler than average overall but with some heat spikes and some storms. September was warm and dry enabling the grapes to ripen fully.
Harvest began at Château Lynch-Bages (almost a fortnight earlier than in 2010) on September 12th and ended on September 28th.
Equipped with a new de-stemming system and an optical sorter, a complementary reception chain was tried out, receiving exclusively the harvest from plots deemed the most difficult or the most heterogeneous.

After two powerful, sunny vintages, 2011 is outstanding for its display of well ripened fruit, fine, plump tannins, and a good freshness to ensure classic balance.