Lynch Bages - Pauillac 2022

Wine Advocate

94

byWilliam Kelleythe3/7/2025

The 2022 Lynch-Bages is one of the most muscular, chunky wines of the vintage in the Médoc, offering up aromas of dark berries, cherry preserve, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and extracted palate that's dense and blocky. While Lynch-Bages always seems to come together with time, the 2022 is certainly going to require some patience.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

97

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

Exceptional, liquorice, slate, graphite, pumice stone tannins and a salt scrape on the finish that is key to balancing out this ripe full bodied Lynch. Great stuff, with ageing potential in spades. High alcohol for a Pauillac no question, but this walks the line with grace. 75% new oak for ageing, Nicolas Labenne winemaker.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Lynch-Bages, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

99

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

The 2022 Château Lynch-Bages is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its inky purple hue is followed by a sensational Pauillac that has a blockbuster (and classic Lynch-Bages) style in its darker currants, smoke tobacco, lead pencil, and crushed stone-driven aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, powerful, massively concentrated 2022 that has a dense, layered mid-palate, velvety tannins, flawless balance, and a rare mix of power and elegance. This is a château that’s clearly firing on all cylinders, and this magical beauty will need a decade (or more) to hit the early stages of its prime drinking window. Don't miss it!

Vinous

96

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Lynch-Bages has a showstopping bouquet that is well defined, very pure and focused, displaying black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. Hints of pressed violet emerge with aeration. This has actually gained pixelation in barrel. The palate is taut and crisp, with touches of graphite flourishing with aeration so that it could only come from Pauillac. There's plenty of energy coiled up in this Lynch Bages. The 2022 will give a lot of pleasure over the next 30 years or more. Superb.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

A terrific Lynch from a hot vintage with blackcurrants, mint, dried lavender, graphite and thyme on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, it shows fantastic tannins with a lovely texture that reminds me of cashmere, becoming slightly chewy in the finish. Give this four to five years of bottle age. Try after 2028.

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Molesworththe1/22/2025

There's an iron spine buried in this red, providing a sleek grounding wire for the core of succulent blackberry and black currant preserves. Singed alder, chestnut leaf and ink notes fill in along the way. Ends with authority thanks to the precise, fine-grained finish, which sports a regal mouthfeel. Offers exactly what this vintage is all about -- ripeness and freshness. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2050.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe1/30/2024

This has the austerity that you want of a great Left Bank wine at the beginning of its life, with cool vintage savoury raspberry leaf, capsicum and peony. Tons of slate-textured tannins, not hugely concentrated which makes it an outlier of recent Lynch Bages vintages, but it's exceptionally well balanced, and has excellent appellation character, with cassis and blackberry fruits. A high tannin index of 90IPT. Harvest September 27 through to October 9. One of the best in Pauillac, finishing up with chewy tannins. 75% new oak.

Wine Maniacs

94-95

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

97

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Blackcurrant and bramble fruit with savoury herbal nuances on the nose, this smells rich and potent. Tense and focussed, compact from the get go, present tannins give grip and hold. This is definitely not out to charm, more serious, stern and focussed but there's such overall precision. This is in high definition, supremely controlled and well worked with mouthfilling ripe tannins. I like the chewy aspect and there’s balancing acidity, hidden now by the density, that will sustain the wine for decades to come. Floral notes and some minerality come through giving the nuance so it’s not all heft, but there’s clear muscle on show. A long finish gives the sense of structure and style. An impressive wine. 95 IPT. 3.71pH. Ageing 18 months, 75% new oak. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 4.1 g/L total acidity. Harvest 12 September - 24 September.

Alexandre Ma

94-95

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

When the power of Château Lynch-Bages meets the intensity of the 2022 vintage, I anticipated a volcanic eruption. Yet, as I gently swirl the glass, a delicate violet emerges. The tannins possess remarkable tension, yet their texture is soft, evoking the velvety sensation of melting dark chocolate. Distinctive spices remain prominent, with licorice and star anise encircling cocoa-like tannins, leading to a lingering and compact finish. Although the fruitiness is not yet fully expressed at this stage, considering Château Lynch-Bages' signature style, it will likely become more expressive after 15 years of bottle aging.

Vinous

95-97

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Lynch-Bages was picked 12 September, around 15 days earlier than usual until 24 September at around 35hL/ha. Aged for 18 months in 75% new oak, it has a backward nose that demands a lot of encouragement. This is not as immediate as the 2016 or 2019 at the same stage. Powerful blackberry and boysenberry fruit, cedar and light tobacco notes, this feels like an edifice of aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, beautifully balanced, very harmonious yet there is an enormous backbone here that (again) is reminiscent of Mouton. Extremely long on the finish, this will need its barrel maturation to fully knit together and it is going to be a Pauillac for the long haul.

The Vintage Journal

95-96

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep crimson. Inky blackcurrant dark plum aromas with wax polish, hint shellac notes. Deep set blackcurrant, blackberry, plum flavours, lovely bitter sweet tannins, attractive savoury oak notes and long juicy acidity. All in parts but should develop very well. (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, 75% new oak)

matthewjukes.com

19

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

95-97

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

The 2022 Lynch-Bages is composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to start, soon revealing evocative creme de cassis, blueberry pie, and chocolate-covered cherries notes with suggestions of cast-iron pan, black truffles, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruit and loads of mineral sparks, framed by very firm, grainy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long and earthy. pH 3.71, TPI 95.

Vinous

95-97

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2023

The 2022 Lynch-Bages shows all the classic Lynch layers, but dialed up to the maximum. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2022 packs tremendous punch. Sweet dark cherry, spice, leather, menthol, licorice, plum and mocha all open with time in the glass. The tannins are imposing, and yet there is more than enough fruit to balance things out, at least to some degree. I expect the 2022 will need a decade to shed some of its tannin, but it is formidable, even in the early going. Impressive. Tasted two times. "This is the third time in history we are above 14% in alcohol, the others were 2018 and 2019," Jean-Charles Cazes explained.

Yvesbeck.wine

93-95

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Ce vin m’a intrigué durant mes dégustations Primeurs et j’ai dû m’y reprendre à plusieurs reprises pour le comprendre, ou du moins pour savoir où il veut aller. Pour ce dernier point, je ne suis néanmoins pas vraiment certain d’avoir la bonne réponse. Quand un vin est autant marqué par la puissance, il est difficile d’avoir une lecture de l’ensemble. Un véritable paquet de muscle, avec une incroyable densité de tannins, austères de surcroit. Le bouquet, lui, offre une lecture plus claire. Il révèle de classiques notes de graphite, suivies de nuances de baies noires et de réglisse. On dira que pour l’instant c’est surtout le bouquet qui m’a aidé à donner une note à ce vin. J’espère que j’y verrai plus clair par la suite, mais je mets un grand point d’interrogation quant à ma note ! Elle correspond à l’espoir que j’ai quant à l’évolution du vin. Et comme je suis un optimise, ça aide !

Bettane & Desseauve

94

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Grand corps, grande couleur, grande puissance, ce lynch-bages athlète est un géant dans sa catégorie et il n’a pas perdu dans ce millésime son caractère harmonieux.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

The Grand Vin 2022 Château Lynch Bages checks in as 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It actually reminds me slightly of the 2019, and while it's a classic Lynch Bages powerhouse, it has beautiful balance and purity. Cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with terrific tannins and a layered, incredibly impressive profile that continues to open and evolve with time in the glass. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 96-98+

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

Opaque in color, the wine is packed with with smoky cassis, blackberries, tobacco leaf, black cherries, licorice, flowers, chocolate, and blackberry liqueur. Powerful, full-bodied, rich, dense and intense, the wine is long, vibrant and intense. 2022 is a palate staining wine with never before seen levels of concentration. But, even with all that concentration, the wine remains balanced, fresh, and Pauillac in style. The finish holds your attention for 50 seconds or more while it builds and refreshes. The wine blends 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, 14.2% ABV. 3.71 pH. The harvest took place September 12 - September 24. The yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was produced from 70% of the harvest. Drink from 2027-2060.

Wine Advocate

93-96

byWilliam Kelleythe5/2/2023

One of the vintage's most powerful, muscular wines is the 2022 Lynch-Bages, a full-bodied, broad-shouldered Pauillac that unfurls in the glass with aromas of cassis, cherries, mint, pencil shavings and petroleum jelly, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Liberally extracted, its deep core of fruit is underpinned by an imposing chassis of rich, powdery tannin and lively acids. Always rather forbidding from barrel, Lynch Bages always seems to come together in bottle, and the 2022 has the makings of another success for this address.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

Wow. Blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins that melt into the wine. Persistent and precise. A fantastic wine for the cellar. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.