Château Lynch-Bages 2005

The Château Lynch Bages 2005 has an enthralling graphite and cedar-scented bouquet, like a young cousin of the Grand Puy Lacoste. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, one of the most feminine and elegant Lynch Bages in recent years with a lightness of touch on the finish. That is not to say it lacks fruit intensity, but the balance is so assured that it just seems to glide over the mouth. Stylish, assured and meticulous winemaking here.

Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out. -- Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 35,000 cases made.

Almost forward but still young; spicy cassis lifts and lengthens its rich dark berry flavours. One of the best Lynch-Bages ever.

A meaty and decadent Lynch with very ripe currant aromas on the nose. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a powerful finish. It shows so much structure and fruit yet remains polished and focused. Lovely to drink now but better in 2017.

Tight, firm, reserved, strict and tannic, the wine remains quite youthful at this stage. Clearly, there is a wealth of ripe fruit here, but the tannins need at least a decade to soften before this is fun to drink.

The 2005 Château Lynch-Bages is terrific, with a ripe yet also surprisingly elegant profile in its medium- to full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and leather. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, it has ripe, nicely integrated tannins, good balance, and is already surprisingly accessible. I would drink bottles any time over the coming 10–15 years.

Very dark garnet, dense at the core, ruby at the rim. A powerful, almost explosive Cabernet bouquet, with a hint of dried fruit, amarena cherries and dark roasted notes, plenty of fine oak tones, a touch of praline, heady and therefore very intense. On the palate, typically Pauillac: creamy, rich and packed with lush tannins; in terms of sensuality, comparable to a great Mouton, and in terms of quality, certainly one of the best and most refined Lynch-Bages, with an extremely long finish. In five years, a Bordeaux for large glasses!

Silky, dense, complex, dark bouquet; black cassis, dark tobacco, fine woods, currants, slate. Dense, multi-layered, elegant palate with fine tannins, varied dark aromatics, an elegant, compact structure, very long, powerful finish. 19/20 drink - 2050

Dark, rich ruby; smoked campfire and grilled cedar aromatics; a brilliant Pauillac that is still full of tannic architecture and frame. I had this from a half-bottle last year and it was tasting more approachable than this, no doubt because the bottle size helped it to evolve. One of the few where I would suggest not drinking it yet: even the fruit feels muscular right now, and it needs a few more years to translate this hidden power into the seductive, rip-roaring wine that is so clearly in there. 80% new oak, Daniel LLose winemaker. This was the last year that Jean-Michel Cazes was in charge before handing over to his son Jean-Charles.

The 2005 Lynch-Bages is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it strides out of the glass with classic notes of warm cassis, baked black plums, and cedar chest, leading to suggestions of tapenade, dried Provence herbs, smoked meats, and the faintest waft of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is youthful and taut, with a solid backbone of grainy tannins and a lively line preserving the fruit beautifully, delivering a wine of great purity. The finish is long and fruity. Delicious now in this youthful flush, it has the backbone to cellar a further 20 years+.

One will appreciate the cru’s usual velvety texture and suavity, but on both the nose and the palate the new oak does not seem balanced with the texture, and the overall very assertive character may appear less elegant than one would wish.

Deep garnet red. The bouquet of this Lynch-Bages is deep and complex. Strongly marked by its terroir with notes of cedar, it also reveals wafts of graphite, malt extract, and cocoa beans. As minutes pass, the fruit makes its way through and asserts its place in this wine that promises to be exceptional. I note hints of blueberries, prunes, and a touch of licorice wood. The attack shows an intriguing interplay between power and indulgence. The aromatic notes carry through beautifully on the palate and are perfectly supported by the structure, right through to the finish, where I find a seductive, suave touch. The tannins counter the wine’s charm and bring power. They are fine, ideally integrated, and ensure a great future for this exceptional and capricious Lynch-Bages, which graciously revealed its abilities from the outset. Given its current shape, I recommend giving it a bit more time, even if it’s hard to resist. It’s worth it, as I believe it ranks among the very great Lynch-Bages, in the line of 1989, 1996, 2000, or 2003. Long, persistent, juicy, and fruity finish. Sooner or later it will surpass 98 points… or more!

Intense, beautiful colour. Fruity, fragrant nose, slightly less ripe than previous vintages. Immediately tasty from the first sip, the wine starts to melt, particularly fruity, complex in its flavours, but a bit austere in its structure. However, the length is very good. Time is on its side. Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Aged in 80% new barrels.

An elegant wine with a rounded, full mouthfeel, featuring a refined, silky texture yet great depth. Tremendous potential.

72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. 30% smaller harvest than normal. 42 hl per hectare. Deep garnet with violet highlights. Explosive bouquet with lots of black and blue berries. Peppery, heady, yet profound. Firm, integrated palate, showing plenty of tannins that also deliver flesh and power; sensational balance, excellent backbone. Almost like the Lynch 1990, only a touch more concentrated and more powerful. Silvie Cazes-Regimbeau, Head of Communications at Lynch Bages: “We have never used so many new barriques for the outstanding Lynch Bages 2005, namely 80%. Usually it’s just over half. Only for the equally brilliant 2000 did we go up to 70%!” 07: A powerful wine of breathtaking beauty! 08: Very dark garnet, dense at the core, ruby at the rim. Massive, almost explosive Cabernet bouquet, a hint of dried fruits, amarena cherries and dark roasted notes, plenty of noble wood tones and a touch of praline; heady and thus very intense. On the palate, a mouthful of Pauillac, creamy, rich and loaded with big tannins; in terms of seduction, comparable to a great Mouton and, in quality, certainly one of the very best and finest Lynch-Bages, with an extremely long finish. In 5 years, a Bordeaux for big glasses! 15: After a slight reduction note, it opens only cautiously; behind that, it already shows quite a bit of ripe, slightly plummy contour. Right now the shift from fruit to terroir is taking place, indicating an initial drinking window. On the palate, juicy, long and elegant, with lots of aromatic drive in the sweet-tinged finish. The still-demanding tannins at the end call for more bottle age. Open it now and you’ll miss part of its greatness. (19/20). 15: Magnum bottles. At the moment it’s in a brutal, almost vulgar Cabernet phase. The fruit is fading and the terroir is taking over. This will be something! For sure! (19/20). 21: Very dark and still youthful, with deep density and purple and garnet at the core. Spontaneous, intense, very dark berry bouquet. From the center a straight-line aromatic shoots into the nose, lots of thrust and an even more blueberry-like fruit sheen. Juicy, meaty and structured palate. A long “grenade” with a tightly bundled finish. Perfectly vinified and at an early maturity. Those who wait will experience much more. (19/20)

Classic Lynch-Bages with just a bit of extra power and richness. While the tannins are structured, it is the velvety fruit that rolls around the mouth that is the most dominant character. It is coming together into a wine that will be big and dense, but never over the top.