Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac Grand Cru 2022
(Bordeaux, France) - [JD 99] [JS 98] [DC 97] [VM 96] [WE 96]

About the Winery:
In the heart of the Médoc on the banks of the estuary, Pauillac has been the true birthplace of Grand Cru Classé wines since 1855, and Château Lynch-Bages stands as one of Pauillac’s most compelling names—a 5ème Cru Classé with a reputation that far exceeds its official ranking.

Renowned for its generosity of fruit and unmistakable structure, this estate's wines combine the precision of modern technique with the soul of Bordeaux tradition, delivering bottles that age with grace and authority.

Overlooking the Gironde estuary at the entrance to Pauillac, the vines of Lynch-Bages are located on the Bages plateau, spreading across 100 hectares in the region on one of the finest gravelly rises in the appellation. The estate once belonged to the famous Lynch family, of Irish origin, and was acquired by Jean-Charles Cazes in 1934. His grandson, Jean-Michel Cazes restructured the estate in 1974, adding state-of-the-art winemaking equipment, while keeping the former wooden vats as a reminder of the 19th century.

Marking four centuries of history and the culmination of four years’ hard work, the 2020 vintage, the first in the renovated cellars, has opened a new chapter in the life of the estate – and attained #3 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list for 2023.

About this Wine:
Soil: Garonne Gravel
Harvest: Hand-picked and sorted at the vineyard
Ageing: French oak barrels for 18 months (75% new wood)
Blend:  69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Tasting Notes: ''With its deep garnet colour and purple hues, Château Lynch-Bages 2022 
has a pleasant and complex nose. The wine displays a rich aromatic palette of black and red fruits (blackcurrant, Morello cherry...) topped by spicy notes and is marked by impressively mature tannins and remarkable  acidity.'" Nicolas Labenne, technical director, May 2023

Ratings & Reviews:

99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:

"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!

98 Points - James Suckling:

"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."

97 Points - Decanter:

"Ripe and generous on the palate, this is chewy, crunchy and alive. Ripe fruit is there - chewy and sweet black currants and cherries - fleshy and filling - as is concentration of flavours, but there's a delicate layering of elements which builds the wine on the palate giving power but also focus and precision. Still feels a little shy, with tension there in the funnelling of flavours and a relatively crisp finish but this will elongate in time. Cool blueberries, wet stones, pencil lead and graphite give the mineral touches. No overt heat, oak or spice which also is excellent. One for the long haul. Built with ageing in mind I think. (GH)"

96 Points - Vinous:

"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."(NM)

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast:

"A plump wine that has a big, bold rounded texture, blackberry aromas and dense fruits. It has intense tannins, juicy black fruits and great richness. Its ripeness is typical of this estate. *Cellar Selection* (RV)"