The 2019 Lynch Bages is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel, if not moreso. What a wine! Towering and vertical in its bearing, the 2019 is a total stunner. There is plenty of Lynch Bages charm, but what distinguishes the 2019 most is its spine of tannin and energy. Time in the glass brings out sweet red cherry, plum, blood orange and pomegranate and mint. The 2019 is a great, great, great Lynch Bages. It reminds me of the epic 1989, but with the youthful grip of this vintage. A towering Pauillac, the 2019 Lynch Bages will make a great addition to any cellar.

Even better in the bottle than it was in barrel, clearly, the 2019 is in contention for the best vintage of Lynch Bages ever produced! And that is really saying something considering all the fabulous wines that have come from the property over the last several decades. Almost opaque in color, the wine explodes from the glass with black currants, espresso, blackberries, wet earth, tobacco leaf, forest floor, and cedar. As if that wasn't enough for your senses, your palate is coated with layers of perfectly ripe, rich, dense, dark, red fruits, touches of spice, plums, blueberries, licorice, espresso, and a tiny touch of dark chocolate on the backend. This is intense, concentrated, long and expansive, and importantly, a great candidate for long aging. Drink from 2030-2065.

Fantastic blackberries, blackcurrants, lead pencil and violets. So Pauillac on the nose! Full-bodied with a dense, layered palate and tight yet plush tannins that give the wine layers and gravitas. Compact. Long finish. Silky. Reminds me of a modern, classic version of something like the wonderful 1985 Lynch. Try after 2026.

“This takes hold from the first moment and powers along, delivering a ton of black brambly fruit, liquorice, grilled cedar and Pauillac confidence. The tannins are pretty chewy, really closing in on the end of play, giving no doubt that this is going to age slowly and for many decades, but there is a creaminess to the overall structure that is already evident.” Jane Anson, May 2020

A true classic from this estate, the 2019 Lynch-Bages has turned out brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis and sweet blackberry fruit mingled with licorice, mint, cigar wrapper and loamy soil. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it's a deep, multidimensional wine built around a chassis of rich, powdery tannins and succulent balancing acids. The last vintage produced in Lynch-Bages old winery, it will be interesting to compare this benchmark wine with subsequent vintages over the coming years.

The 2019 Lynch-Bages is a Pauillac that needs more encouragement from the glass compared to its peers, eventually revealing blackberry, pencil box and cedar scents that could only come from this appellation. Wonderfully delineated, and it seems to finally respond to aeration and gain intensity. The palate is medium-bodied and grippy, with concentrated black fruit, a liberal pinch of black pepper and an extremely persistent, almost Lafite-like finish. Jean-Charles Cazes has overseen a great Lynch-Bages of the modern era.

“There’s so much going on here but right now it’s one step removed… like the sound of a great party but you’re still the wrong side of the door… there are white flowers, wet gravel, vanilla, layers of plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, even blueberry. Then the door opens and BANG you’re in the party. Great energy, vibrancy and tension. Millefeuille layers of fruit and stunningly precise minerality creates a tightly woven web of Pauillac joy. The richness of the fruit carries the generous alcohol which never feels out of balance – and the finish is a good 45 seconds plus. Serious. But seriously good fun, too.”

The 2019 Château Lynch-Bages is stunningly good, and it's going to be interesting to compare this to the 2018 over the coming decades. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 75% new French oak, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of pure crème de cassis, freshly sharpened cedar pencil, spring flowers, smoke, and graphite, with an almost liqueur of rocks-like minerality. A massive, incredibly concentrated Lynch-Bages, Jean-Charles has hit a home run in the vintage, and this sensational wine has building, perfect tannins, insane purity, and a finish that won't quit. It has the purity, finesse, balance, and depth to offer pleasure not only today but to evolve for 40 to 50 years. Smart money will hide these for a good 7-8 years, but wow, what a wine. Bravo.