Lynch Bages

Lynch Bages 2015. The estate certainly needs no introduction. Famous worldwide, it has 100 hectares in Pauillac on the left bank, with 60/65 percent dedicated to the production of this first wine we tasted today.

There is also a second wine, Echo de Lynch Bages, and a small production of a white wine. The 2015 vintage, as we read on the website, is a blend of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot, 4 percent Cabernet Franc, and 2 percent Petit Verdot.

As we could read in the website, at Lynch-Bages, harvesting took place in excellent conditions, except for one very rainy day in October. Grape sugar content was sometimes high, but alcoholic fermentation was completed rapidly and the wines had a low volatile acidity. Then followed post-fermentation maceration, which gave the already harmonious wines some fatness and volume.

Lynch Bages terroir

The aromas were at last able to show their full complexity. The 2015 vintage is rich, ripe, velvety and already has silky tannins. In terms of variety, although diluted slightly by the September rain, the Merlot nevertheless gives the wine a lovely freshness and beautiful fruity aromas. The Cabernet and Petit Verdot express rarely-reached notes of fresh, ripe fruit.

As for previous vintages, one third of malolactic fermentation took place in vats and two thirds in barrels. Fermentation was quite quick, and by the end of November it had ended for all the chateau’s batches.

So 2015 is characterised by its elegance and great homogeneity. Its tannin ripeness is perfect, and its wonderfully balanced acidity enhances the aromatic freshness of the fruit. The 18 months of ageing that follow will leave the wine time to develop its full structure and radiance.

The wine, still very young, I would say “newborn,” has a nose that reveals itself little by little, with notes of rose and red berry fruits condensed into extraordinary elegance. The sip opens seductively with a broad, full, and delicate mid-palate simultaneously.

It strikes with its vibrant and filtering character, supported by rich and seductive tannins. A vertical and very long-lasting wine. Rating 99

Riccardo Gabriele