Chateau Lynch Bages 1995 - 750ml

94pts Wine Spectator

A wine that continues to improve with age. Shows loads of ripe plum, almost prune, with hints of vanilla and mineral. Full, chewy and tight. Still needs time.

91pts Vinous

The 1995 Lynch-Bages has a well-defined bouquet with intense blackberry, undergrowth and tobacco scents. Bold and lifted, this is a nose that wants to make an impression. The palate has more concentration and tannic backbone than others in this era. Dark berry fruit mixes with cola and black pepper, and tobacco comes through toward the finish with an austere, grippy finish. This would benefit from decanting for a couple of hours and is a bit of a bruiser, though not without charm.

Winemaker Notes

Daring, innovative and with a reputation for often being the last to harvest, Jean-Charles Cazes defined the style of Lynch Bages in the 1930's. The wine's distinctive character has earned it a place amongst Pauillac's greatest. It combines structure, finesse and elegance, offering generous aromas in its youth and developing deeper complexities with bottle age.

Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Winery Notes

Overlooking the Gironde estuary at the entrance to Pauillac, the vines of Lynch-Bages are located on the Bages plateau, 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.
The grapes are all hand picked and then carefully sorted before crushing. A very strict selection is made prior to blending and the wine is traditionally aged in oak barrels before bottling.