Lynch Bages - Pauillac 2023

Vinous

94

byNeal Martinthe2/1/2026

The 2023 Lynch Bages has a very well-defined bouquet, with blackberry and bilberry fruit, crushed stone that gains precision with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a vibrant, saline entry, finely spun tannins, exquisite balance, with a finish that fans out wonderfully. Silky texture and very long, this is a superb Pauillac that might merit a higher score in the future.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe1/27/2026

The nose of this Paulliac shows mint, asphalt, black currants and orange peel, following through to a full body with a compressed palate and a fine tannin backbone that gives this classic tension. Flavors of dried fruit, walnuts, plums, currants and tar. Classic Lynch character. A blend of 71% cabernet sauvignon, 24% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Best in four to five years. Drink after 2029.

My Bettane + Desseauve

94-95

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/15/2024

Grande robe bleu nuit, corps considérable, tannins sans astringence, texture veloutée, tout en profondeur, peut-être un peu moins réactif que quelques pairs dans le retour de fraîcheur propre aux cabernets du millésime.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/13/2024

The flagship 2023 Château Lynch-Bages is based on 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, resting in 75% new French oak. One of the biggest, richest wines in the vintage, it’s deep purple-hued and offers up some classic Lynch richness in its smoky black fruits, smoked earth, graphite, and tobacco-driven aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied Pauillac with ample mid-palate depth, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. While it's clearly in the lively, fresher style of the vintage, it's a serious, structured, incredibly impressive Pauillac with tons to love. It's not far off the style of the 2019.

The Wine Independent

93-95

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/7/2024

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Lynch-Bages prances out with vibrant notes of crushed blackcurrants and black raspberries plus fragrant hints of violets, iron ore, bay leaves, and fragrant soil with a touch of graphite. The medium-bodied palate delivers impressive tension, with a sturdy backbone of grainy tannins and an earthy finish. The blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.75 and TPI 95.

The Drinks Business

94-96

byColin Haythe5/7/2024

Lynch-Bages (Pauillac; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon; 24% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 47 hl/ha; pH 3.75; IPT 95; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and again at the property). A most fitting if silent tribute to the indomitable Jean-Michel Cazes. Floral, almost as never before, and both restrained and relaxed. A little cassis. A little violet. Blueberry. Bramble. Tasted a second time, it is more closed still and it is walnut and walnut shell that reveal themselves first. Soft, elegant, refined and glossy with beautifully-refined tannins and a shimmering quality to the mouthfeel (all the more impressive when you consider the IPT level – 20 points above that of Latour yet you would never guess). Not as ample as it used to be and so much more impressive for that. Glacially pure and crystalline in the mid-palate. Generous, long and multi-layered. So precise and so focussed, intensely juicy and with a lovely touch of menthol and fleur de sel on the finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96

byJeff Levethe5/6/2024

Blackberries, black cherries, licorice, mint, flowers, camphor, and cigar wrappers produce an attention-seeking perfume. On the palate, the wine is racy, fruity, intense, long, and deep. There is a strong beginning, middle, and end, with a finish that lasts. This is a true Pauillac. The wine blends 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.7% ABV. 3.75 pH. The harvest took place September 13 - October 4. Drink from 2028-2060. 94-96 Pts.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe5/6/2024

Concentrated, intense and muscular, not a word that I have used very often in 2023 Bordeaux. You get a deeply-rooted tannic grip, with soot, squid ink, cassis, blackberry, bilberry, liqourice root, slate scrap, pummice stone and mint. Lynch Bages seems to be wrought from a different place than it was a decade ago, impressive, powerful Pauillac, with an eye on long ageing. 75% new oak, Jean-Charles Cazes owner, Nicolas Labenne technical director.

Vinous

94-97

byAntonio Gallonithe4/30/2024

The 2023 Lynch-Bages is a dark, brooding wine. In so many vintages, Lynch-Bages is a wine of sensuality, but in 2023, it is quite the powerhouse. Formidable tannins wrap around a core of black fruit, spice, menthol, licorice and gravel. This is a somber, introspective Lynch-Bages with a ton of Cabernet Sauvignon character. I can't wait to taste this from bottle.

Vinous

93-95

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2024

The 2023 Lynch-Bages takes some time to really settle, so I gave it 5-10 minutes in the glass. On the nose, glossy black fruit mixes with touches of cassis, graphite, violets and blood orange, perhaps demonstrating more horsepower than I anticipated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannins. There is a lovely symmetry to this Pauillac (not unlike Latour), armed with a cashmere texture and plenty of backbone on the finish, even though I would not describe it as a "grippy" Lynch-Bages. There’s plenty of graphite character on the aftertaste. Excellent.

Falstaff

95

byPeter Moserthe4/29/2024

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. A hint of mint, dark cherries, some cassis, inviting, very typical bouquet. Juicy, complex, ripe dark forest berries, vivid, ripe tannins, fine fruit expression, some nougat, complex style, shows length and certain ageing potential.

Alexandre Ma

93-95

byAlexandre Mathe4/28/2024

Wine Advocate

93-95

byWilliam Kelleythe4/26/2024

As usual one of the chunkier, broader-shouldered wines of the Médoc, the 2023 Lynch-Bages exhibits aromas of dark berries and cassis mingled with pencil shavings, licorice and pipe tobacco, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's deep, concentrated and generously extracted, with plenty of youthfully chewy tannin to carry it along in the cellar. The 2023 is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/25/2024

Blackberry, black cherry, crushed stone and graphite. Lead pencil, too. It’s full-bodied with juicy, chewy tannins. Vertical and layered with lovely length. Quite plush. Chewy tannins at the end. Cabernet sauvignon driven. Showing excellent potential.