Château Lynch-Bages 2020

A beautifully layered red with blackcurrant, hazelnut and lead-pencil character and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It's like a tightly knit ball of polished tannins that are cashmere in texture. So very long and impressive. Give this time. To terrific Lynch. Better after 2027.

Dense purplish purple. Beautiful symbiosis between fruit, terroir and breeding in the bouquet of Lynch Bages. Pleasant nuances of graphite and licorice wood, followed by blackcurrant and a floral touch. Silky and compact attack. The wine has body, density and is perfectly supported by fine and powerful tannins. The acid structure gives liveliness and supports the taste expression until the finish. Lynch Bages 2020 masters its power perfectly, with serenity and in a formidable logic of quiet strength. Fruity and persistent finish. A very great Lynch Bages. 2027-2050 97-98/100.

The lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tones of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 33hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you've got to assume that they will need to be careful over aging. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel. Drinking Window 2030 - 2048. Jane Anson.

To raise the ceiling for quality sometimes you have to literally raise the ceiling. Proprietor Jean-Charles Cazes and winemaker Nicolas Labenne completed a massive new winery in time for the 2020 harvest, christening it with a classic-quality wine. Lynch Bages is beloved in the U.S., earning the affectionate nickname “lunch bags” among consumers. (The ’85 won Wine of the Year honors in 1988.) This is the flagship property in the Cazes family business, which includes six estates in France as well as a hotel and restaurants in the charming town of Bages itself. The 2020 vintage proves once again that the estate punches well above its fifth-growth classification. The 2020 grand vin offers a beautiful take on modern Bordeaux, with pure cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by waves of sweet tobacco and iron. 20,000 cases made.