Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2020 - 5ème Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

World-famous for its opulence and consistency, this fifth classified growth of Pauillac has belonged to the Cazes family since the 1930s, and has acquired great renown since Jean-Michel Cazes took over its management in 1973. After the successful handover from Jean-Michel to his son Jean-Charles, the cru has maintained its ardor and health in recent vintages, retaining its depth and gaining in tannic precision. The château produces an increasingly stylish dry white Bordeaux, but we're still waiting for a more precise wine for the second selection, echo. A new vat room is under construction, and it promises to be monumental, as we have to hold our own in a highly competitive world!

Decanter

About the wine:

One of my favorite wines of the vintage, this is a wonderful example of high-definition winemaking, still offering plenty of Pauillac boldness. The nose is dark and slightly salty, full of black fruits and toasty aromas. The palate is bright and lively, with clarity and precision in the berries, juicy, mouth-watering acidity - there's so much energy in the glass. Chalky, graphite tannins fill the mouth, giving structure and clear terroir markers with a lingering minerality on the finish. Perfectly balanced, with incredible delectability and drinkability. Persistent with a long finish. Superb effort. 2027-2058

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

The name of this cru combines that of the Irish merchants who owned it in the 18th century and that of a hamlet on the southern outskirts of Pauillac. Since the 1930s, its success has been the result of the continuous work of three generations of Cazes: Jean-Charles, André and Jean-Michel. The latter, who has now handed over to his son Jean-Charles, plays an essential role. Its success is linked to the quality of its wines, produced from a vast 100-hectare vineyard, and also to a real development strategy, including a trading business and tourist infrastructures (hotel-restaurant, shops).

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The first vintage to be vinified in the new vat room is no trial run. The wine is spectacular, driven by brilliant fruit and notes of spice and white pepper. The finish is perfectly sapid.

About the domain :

Jean-Charles Cazes is now in charge of this prestigious Pauillac cru. His father, Jean-Michel, an exceptional Medoc personality, tireless ambassador for Bordeaux wines and the architect of this fifth growth's renown, is never far away. The magnificent family estate, excellently situated on the Bages plateau, has produced an impressive series of wines without any weak points since the early 1970s, imposing its rich, seductive and immediately accessible style, while being able to age gracefully. Now boasting a spectacular, brand-new, state-of-the-art winery, the cru is more on track than ever, and its popularity with many wine lovers is only fitting.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A beautifully layered red wine with notes of blackcurrant, hazelnut and pencil lead, and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It's like a ball of polished, well-knit tannins with a cashmere texture. Very long and impressive. Give it time. A formidable Lynch. Best after 2027.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

This is the first vintage to be vinified in the new Lynch-Bages winery. The quest for precision has thus been optimized thanks to tools that enable more pertinent vinifications. The result lives up to expectations - or rather, projections, as the ambitions were already well set beforehand! The wine has density, pep and tannins of rare precision. It's this last point that probably highlights the ambitions of the Cazes family. The wine is deep, linear, compact and has a tannic structure that will take it a long way. What serenity and quiet strength in Lynch-Bages! A great success! 2028-2050

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is fresh, fruity and offers concentration, fine grain, concentration (in elegance) as well as fine uprightness and complexity. Notes of bright/fresh black berries, morello cherry, violet and, more lightly, wild strawberry are combined with hints of ripe wild red fruit, blueberry and fine hints of cardamom, black tea, cherry blossom, graphite, discreet hints of dark chocolate, toast and an imperceptible hint of cumin. The palate is fruity, fresh, well-balanced and precise, offering juiciness, minerality, definition, a certain darkness and greediness, energy, a discreetly tight structure, aromatic purity, fullness/harmony, complexity, multi-layering and energy. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, bright boysenberry and, more lightly, wild strawberry, combined with touches of violet, juicy blueberry, bright violet plum, racy minerality (almost discreetly iodized), blueberry, star anise, zan, as well as discreet hints of tobacco, cardamom and black licorice stick. The tannins are elegant, precise, massive yet delicate and mellow. Beautiful/good bitterness on the finish/persistence. Notes of chocolate and a hint of caramelization/ brown sugar in the background/persistence. A rich, fresh wine with subtlety and harmony.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

The first vintage made in their brand-new, state-of-the-art cellars stands out with its showy display of peppery spice, mint, cigar box, blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar and crème de cassis. The wine is full-bodied, fresh, long, deep, intense, powerful and mellow, leaving you with an ocean of sweet, ripe, pure cassis to chew on. This vintage in the refined Lynch-Bages style will age for decades. Drink between 2027 and 2060.