Château Lynch Bages - Pauillac 1996

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe8/31/2011

The 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years. Drink 2011-2025

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2000

In the flight of young wines, with all the vintages of the nineties represented, this wine stood out for its absolute purity of creme de cassis, ripe fruit, medium to full body, high tannin, wonderful sweetness, massive richness on the mid-palate, and abundant power, density, and ripeness. It is clearly the finest Lynch Bages since the 1989 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1999

Lynch Bages has turned out an outstanding 1996. It offers an opaque purple color, and outstanding aromatics consisting of dried herbs, tobacco, cassis, and smoky oak. Full-bodied and classic in its proportions, this dense, chewy, pure Lynch Bages will have considerable longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/1999

Deep, dark ruby with intense aromas of mint, berries and currants. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a delicious ripe fruit and lead-pencil aftertaste. Very fine indeed. Typically outstanding for Lynch-Bages. Best after 2005. 35,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

The 1996 Lynch Bages has turned out to be considerably better than my early spring barrel tasting report suggested. Tasted on three separate occasions in November, it had fleshed out significantly, exhibiting more depth than in my initial tasting reports. The wine is low in acidity, but it possesses an opaque black/purple color, as well as extraordinary sweet, full-bodied, cassis fruit aromas intermixed with cedar, fruitcake, and licorice scents that soared from the glass at each tasting. With superlative structure, a boatload of ripe tannin, massive body, and dazzling intensity and power, this may be the greatest Lynch Bages produced since the 1989 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2025.

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1997

I had this wine on four occasions, and it was never easy to evaluate. The color is a dark purple, but not nearly as saturated as many Pauillacs, or, for that matter, St.-Juliens or St.-Estephes. Moreover, the wine is excruciatingly tannic, as well as tightly-knit and closed. It will undoubtedly be an excellent Lynch-Bages - fruity, solid, and medium-bodied - but restrained. Is this wine moving toward a more elegant style that longtime fans of this chateau are not likely to admire? While there is plenty of sweetness, the wine is not revealing as much density, muscle, or fullness as other top vintages. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2014. Readers should remember that 1995 seemed similarly tight and lacking the rich, dense mid-palate when I tasted it at the same stage, but it has filled out beautifully over the subsequent year. Let's hope the 1996 does the same thing.