Wine Advocate
par Robert Parker le 30/04/1997
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.