Lynch Bages - Pauillac 2020

Wine Spectator

96 / 100

par James Molesworth le 31/03/2023

Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.

Vinous

95,5 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 24/02/2023

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is a real powerhouse. Élevage appears to have amplified the virile, brooding qualities that were present in barrel. In so many vintages, Lynch-Bages is a wine of elegance and finesse. Those qualities may emerge here too, in time. Black cherry, plum, espresso, licorice and lavender add to an impression of brooding intensity. Formidable tannins will take years to soften. The 2020 is a gorgeous wine, but it is also a very atypical Lynch.

Vinous

96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/02/2023

The 2020 Lynch-Bages, the first vintage vinified at the new winery, has a beautifully-defined bouquet with a strong estuarine influence, brine and seaweed infusing the black fruit. It's almost understated at first, but it opens wonderfully in the glass - quintessentially Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite concentrated that is counterbalanced by a fine bead of acidity. The saline note on the finish is superb, lingering in the mouth. What an absolutely delicious Lynch-Bages for the long-term.

Jamessuckling.com

99 / 100

par James Suckling le 16/01/2023

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. A terrific Lynch. Better after 2027.

Wine Spectator

96 / 100

par James Molesworth le 30/11/2022

Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.

La Revue du Vin de France

96-97 / 100

le 07/06/2021

Le premier millésime vinifié dans le nouveau cuvier n’est pas un coup d’essai. Le vin est spectaculaire, porté par un fruit brillant et des notes d’épices et de poivre blanc. La finale est sapide à souhait.

Le Figaro

94-96 / 100

le 02/06/2021

De prime abord, un nez qui semble monumental, comme trempé dans un miel d'acacia, qui gagne en légèreté avec une fraîcheur florale. En s'ouvrant, des notes de fruits noirs viennent vous taquiner l'odorat, faisant des allers-retours avec des arômes plus classique de graphite et de cuir. Une bouche qui n'y va pas par quatre chemins, avec un croquant de fruits rouges et une finale subtilement toastée. Sans doute moins hédoniste que les précédents millésimes de Lynch-Bages, qui comme beaucoup d'autres vins de Bordeaux s'éloignent d'année en année du joug Parker. Les tannins restent toutefois intenses, laissant espérer un bon potentiel de garde.

Vinous

93-95 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 01/06/2021

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is deep, polished and so sensual. Dark cherry fruit, lavender, spice, leather and pipe tobacco fill out the layers. In 2020, Lynch-Bages is a bit darker and more virile in feel than is typically the case. There is plenty of weight and substance, though. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. My impression is that the 2020 will be a very long-lived wine.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 28/05/2021

Ultra-classic notes of blackcurrants, freshly sharpened lead pencil, damp earth, and crushed stone emerge from the 2020 Château Lynch-Bages, which checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all hitting 13.4% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.73 and a massive IPT of 93, which might be the highest in the vintage. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has brilliant purity of fruit, a layered, building sense of structure, and a great finish. While not austere or closed, this serious Lynch-Bages will need 10-15 years of bottle age to hit maturity and have 40-50 years of overall longevity.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 27/05/2021

The 2020 Lynch-Bages contains proportionately more Merlot in the blend this year (31%) and will be aged for 18 months in 75% new oak. It has an intriguing bouquet, quite complex and classic in style, featuring tightly wound black fruit mixed with cedar, mint and touches of the estuary. One sniff and you know that the vines are in close proximity to the sea. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive weight on the entry, the tannins almost immediately coating the mouth (the IPT is 93, fairly high). But everything remains balanced thanks to the fine acidic thread, and it begins to firm up, becoming quite structured and, dare I say, reminiscent of Latour toward the finish. This is a Lynch-Bages that clearly will deserve long-term aging because there is real substance to this wine, and that will only increase during élevage. This is a great Lynch-Bages. The Cazes family should build a new winery to celebrate.

Decanter.com

96 / 100

par Jane Anson le 25/05/2021

The lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons 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 22hl/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 ageing. 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.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 21/05/2021

The first vintage made in their brand new, state-of-the-art cellars is deep garnet in color. The wine rapidly opens with notes of Cuban cigars, cedar, creme de cassis, flowers and forest leaf aromas. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, soft, round and fresh. The elegant tannins allows the wine to gently unfurl, revealing its sweet red currants, kirsch liqueur and creamy textured, rich finish. This refined styled vintage of Lynch Bages blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, 13.4% ABV. The yields were only 33 hectoliters per hectare. 95-97

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 20/05/2021

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. It has an alcohol of 13.41%, a pH of 3.73 and an IPT (tannin index) of 93. Opaque purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, cassis and boysenberries, plus touches of garrigue, red roses and cedar chest with hints of graphite and black olives. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tight-knit black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing long and mineral laced.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99 / 100

par James Suckling le 12/05/2021

Blackcurrants, orange peel, flowers and tar with hints of graphite. Full-bodied with a creamy texture of exquisitely polished tannins. It goes on and on. Intense flavors at the end, too, with lead pencil and lots of blackberry. Very classic and precise.

Anthocyanes

95-97 / 100

par Yohan Castaing le 11/05/2021

Nez boisé, légèrement grillé, de belles notes d'épices, de cassis et de violette. Très floral à l'aération. Bouche tannique, de la densité, du volume, un vin structurant qui demandera du temps pour s'épanouir. Parti pour 30 à 50 ans. Un Lynch-Bages massif et plein. 75 % de bois neuf. Rendement : 32 hl/ha.

Bernard Burtschy

96-97 / 100

par Bernard Burtschy le 10/05/2021

Falstaff

95-97 / 100

le 10/05/2021

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Nuancen nach Cassis und Lakritze, schwarze Waldbeeren, ein Hauch von Zedern- hoch, Noten von Minze unterlegt. Saftig, elegant, feine Kirschenfrucht, reife, tragen- de Tannine, zarter Nougat im Abgang, mineralisch und mit Länge versehen, sicheres Riefpotenzial.

My Bettane + Desseauve

95-96 / 100

par Bettane & Desseauve le 07/05/2021