2005 Ch. Lynch Bages, Pauillac

There is depth here to the fruit, and hidden power too. A complete wine with splendid middle palate, dense and packed. And a long, ripe finish.

5/5 Stars - Medoc 2005 - Decanter Award Winners - July 08

A sublime masculine heavyweight Lynch. It is Pauillac personified with an impenetrable but incredibly ripe nose bursting with pure, minerally cassis. Mouthfilling creamy black cherry and blackcurrant fruit is phenomenally smooth and boasts great structure with hints of tobacco, coffee, leather and mint. The tannins are rich and silky with a rare freshness. The wine is aged in 80% new oak which is the most they have ever used, feeling it necessary to cloak the exceptional fruit and powerful tannins. This is set to be a legendary Lynch so don't miss out.Château Lynch Bages

There is depth here to the fruit, and hidden power too. A complete wine with splendid middle palate, dense and packed. And a long, ripe finish.

5/5 Stars - Medoc 2005 - Decanter Award Winners - July 08
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Intense crimson. Lightly fragrant. Soft, spicy, slightly tarry start and then iron hand in that appealing velvet glove. Very nicely done wine but I could do with just slightly more freshness. Competent certainly... A little bit of a fade on the finish. When I tasted it non-blind next to its second wine Haut Bages Averous, I was surprised not to see a greater difference in quality between them. It is certainly denser and drier - in fact the tannins are currently pretty inky on the finish.
(Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - 12-Apr-2006)

As one might suspect, the dense purple-hued 2005 is still tannic, firm and young, with concentrated blackberry and cassis fruit, beautiful ripeness, a full-bodied mouthfeel and undeniable youthfulness. Tasting like a 2-3 year old wine rather one that has passed its sixth birthday, it is potentially one of the longest lived Lynch Bages since the remarkable 1989 and 2000. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030+. 94+ points.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - September 2011)

This outstanding effort is slightly lighter, more streamlined and delicate than followers of Lynch Bages have come to expect after such great vintages as 1982, 1989, 1990, 1996, and 2000. A deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by a classic Medoc nose of tapenade, roasted herbs, licorice, cedar, black currants, and damp earth. Medium-bodied with moderate tannin, sweet fruit, and surprising softness as well as forwardness for a 2005 northern Medoc, it can be drunk now and over the next 20 years.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - 30-Apr-2008)

Tasted single blind at Southwold. This is lacking the same level of fruit intensity as the other wines in this flight. Blackberry, bilberry, a touch of fig, but lacks a little harmony. The palate is very concentrated, tight grip, quite toasty with blackberry, briary, a touch of melted tar and cedar with a nice austerity coming through on the long understated finish. Awesome. Drink 2015-2035. Tasted January 2009.
(Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate)

Displays very beautiful aromas of crushed blackberry and dark chocolate, with a hint of coffee. Full-bodied, with a tightly wound palate of ripe tannins. Long and caressing. Best after 2015. 35,000 cases made.
(James Suckling - Wine Spectator - 31-Mar-2008)