This shows intense aromas of mint, lead pencil and currants that follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a finish with tension and freshness. Drink now.

My last bottle of the 1982 Lynch-Bages continues to drink very well indeed, exhibiting rich aromas of crème de cassis, blackberries, licorice, sweet loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, broad and unctuous, it's fleshy and textural, with sweet, ripe tannins, low acidity and a long, expansive finish. It's fully mature, but it hasn't evolved much over the last decade; so, there appears to be no danger of imminent decline.

Beautifully mature with sweet, sun-drenched black currant, fig, roasted herb and loamy soil characteristics, the dark plum/garnet-colored 1982 possesses opulent, fleshy flavors and a full-bodied finish. All the tannins are resolved, the acidity is low and this deliciously savory, rich wine is in full bloom. Drink the complex, beautiful 1982 now and over the next decade.Drink: 2011 - 2021
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 196 Aug 2011

(93 Pts)
This is another Lynch Bages that has never gone through an awkward, disjointed stage where it completely shut down. The color remains a dense ruby with some lightening at the edge. Thick, juicy, succulent notes of creme de cassis intermixed with dried herbs, vanillin, minerals, and anise leap from the glass. Fleshy and full-bodied, with the vintage's voluptuous texture and low acid, fruit/glycerin-dominated flavors well-displayed in its full-bodied personality, this wine tastes young, but isalso ready to drink. Anticipated maturity: now-2015.

Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy’s 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. This is one of the best bottles of Lynch Bages that I have come across. It has a life-affirming nose of blackberry, strong graphite aromas and cedar – quintessential Pauillac. This bottle exhibits a slight floral accent that makes it more charming. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and bundles of freshness. There is plenty of tobacco-infused black fruit to savour and perhaps it just dips towards the finish when its peers show more flourish. Perhaps that is a sign of its age? Still a great wine that should continue drinking well over the next decade. Tasted November 2012.

(4.6 g/l total acidity; 12.7% alcohol): Dark red with a hint of garnet. A floral element lifts the very ripe aromas of kirsch and spicecake. Smooth, juicy, balanced and clean, with flavors of raspberry jam, graphite and tar exhibiting very good sweetness. Lively, balanced acidity confers precision and cut to this easygoing midweight. Finishes linear and long, with plenty of charm.

Full red with an amber rim. Subdued aromas of plum, redcurrant, truffle and milk chocolate, plus a faint medicinal aspect. Solid and chunky, but with slightly sour acids limiting its appeal. I found the same slight tartness on the finish, which showed good but not outstanding length. This wine was the writers' and collectors' favorite of the flight, but for me it was the least impressive wine. (Another bottle tasted with dinner was considerably better, however: Good red-ruby color. Sappy aromas of spicy red berries, leather and tobacco. Chunky and fat, with an almost candied sweetness. But still quite young and tightly wound, showing only moderate give and complexity. 92.) Drink now through 2015.

This, served at Cordeillan Bages but apparently bought by my host Jean-Charles Cazes in the UK because their own stocks had run so low, was an even better bottle than the one from my own cellar (bought en primeur) opened less than a month previously. A beautiful wine that was minty fresh, fragrant, sweet and gorgeous. I ended up writing 'gorgeous' twice and 'beautiful' once, I see from my handwritten notes. Cazes reminded us that the yield for this wine was a massive 72 hl/ha. (JR)