Château Lynch-Bages 2015

This has an ample core of plum, fig and blackberry compote flavors, liberally underlined with graphite and smoldering tobacco notes. Fleshy and focused, with ample grip through the juniper- and tar-accented finish. Well-built. Best from 2023 through 2038.

Beguiling fragrance of cherries and blackcurrants on the nose. Some 2015s are starting to open up but this is still on the slightly shy side; it's supple and sleek, direct and still quite lean and focused—yet showing supreme elegance. I love the purity and the clear minerality on show with a juicy acidity; it just feels as if it hasn't yet hit its stride and I get the sense that the best is still to come. One to watch.

Brambly and attractive ripe blackberries and red-plum aromas with some floral accents, too. The palate has a very plush, polished and regal shape as tannins frame up a core of ripe black fruit. Succulent, impressive finish. Best from 2022.

Tasted blind. Smudgy garnet colour. Rather stewed-fruit nose. Soft start and then the tannins and acidity kick in. Not a harmonious whole. (JR)

The 2015 Lynch Bages offers red berry fruit, wild hedgerow, game and cumin on the nose. This is nicely focused and controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It's harmonious with tobacco- and black pepper-infused red fruit. This is structured and very fine, though more evolved than its Pauillac peers. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting.

Dark in color, the wine is powerful, deep, dark, concentrated and full bodied. The palate enjoys layers of fruits that are concentrated, long, fresh and vibrant. There is a great, crisp, crunchy quality to the fruits. This will require at least a decade of age before it really starts to show its all.

Deep garnet with purple reflections and delicate rim brightening. Attractive cassis, delicate floral components, black berry fruit, subtle hints of nougat and spices. Complex, ripe cherries, a touch of mint, elegant, round tannins, long finish, very good terroir expression, fresh and lasting.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac glints at the rim. Clear Cabernet-led opening: spicy, licorice, dark fine woods and crushed peppercorns. The blue to black berry fruit only emerges on the second pass. On the palate, fleshy, with fairly fine yet well-supportive tannins; the extract is demanding and once again shows that impression of black pepper, currants, and dark fine woods, already suggesting the first traces of tobacco; a lingering finish. Remarkably profound for the vintage.

A DAVE BRUBECK–STYLE LYNCH The Lynch-Bages 2015 fact sheet reads “Take Five.” The Lynch team gives each new vintage a music title. Besides the grape varieties, the interested reader also learns details such as an acidity of 3.7 grams per liter, with the added note of H2SO2. The pH is said to be 3.62 and the IPT 76. Be that as it may, when you taste this sensationally successful Lynch-Bages, you no longer need any explanatory details. You really get the feeling there’s music in it. Whether it turns into a jazz variant will probably only become clear in a good 20 years… Barrel sample: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, lilac shimmer at the rim. Clear Cabernet-driven start, spicy, licorice, dark noble woods and crushed peppercorns. Only on the second pass does the blue-to-black fruit come through. On the palate, fleshy, fairly fine yet well-supportive tannins; the extract is demanding and again shows this impression of black pepper, currants and dark noble woods, already conveying the first hints of tobacco, with a persistent finish. For the vintage, it has turned out astonishingly profound. (19/20). 18: Incredibly dark color, violet and cherry-red at the same time. Beautiful bouquet, gently milky, light toasty notes, almost nutty, no nasal “hit,” instead approaching with a kind of noble restraint. On the palate, dense, fairly fine-textured and surprisingly juicy. Now it comes across with much more drive than on the nose. It’s at the starting blocks, yet still needs time, and will one day go down as one of the finer Lynch-Bages. Pauillac-Beautiful! (19/20). 19: Dark wine-red with ruby and gently violet highlights. Intense, direct fruit bouquet: cassis, elderberry and blueberry. On the second pass, a discreet herbal note in the form of lemon balm. Thus it shows many highly appealing primary aromas. On the palate it continues in the same vein; the tannins are anything but shy and call for at least 10 years of bottle age. On the one hand it has potential, on the other it feels popular and will likely build a strong fan club. For the moment, understandably a bit up-front and at the same time tending toward reductive. The potential easily reaches: 19/20. 21: Purple-black, no chance of seeing through the core. Brilliant bouquet. Black Currant, elderberry, blackberry jelly, minimally lactic. On the second pass: rock candy and dark chocolate. On the palate it surprises with its finesse, its juiciness and its almost silky tannins; bundled, long finish. A great Pauillac with freshness, elegance and poise. It didn’t seem unapproachable. Apparently it was going through a brilliant in-between phase. (19/20).

Concentrated, fresh, complex, elegant bouquet: cassis, plums, fine woods, dark fine woods, mocha, licorice. Dense, multi-layered, powerful yet elegant palate with plenty of fine tannins, a finely concentrated, elegant structure, dense, diverse aromatics, very long, dense, refined finish. 19/20 2023 - 2050

Slate and cocoa bean on the opening, delicious wine, soft rose petals, bilberry and cassis fruit, waves of black tea and steely tannins, great quality, not quite the depth through the mid palate of the 2014 or 2016, but this is full of Pauillac signature and will age well. 75% new oak, Daniel Llhose technical director.

The 2015 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot and has a deep garnet color. After a little swirling, it soars out with notions of crème de cassis, plum preserves, and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of cardamom, Indian spices, camphor, and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied, the palate has taut, muscular fruit with firm, chewy tannins and lively acidity, finishing long with loads of mineral and savory layers.

We never doubted the great potential of the 2015; it delivers, with a flamboyant wine of immense pedigree. Entirely in the spirit of the cru, with a finale like a gustatory firework display.

Garnet red with violet highlights. Complex, dense, filigreed bouquet; a layering of finesse with notes of cocoa beans, blueberries, and floral touches. On the palate, the density is confirmed. The body features elegant tannins that emerge on the finish and are perfectly integrated. The structure brings balance, freshness, and promise for the future. A classic Lynch-Bages, in that it is in no hurry to reveal itself—but we know it, and its promises have always lived up to the results.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, fine and pure, with ripe fruit. Juicy on the attack, then supple mid-palate, very fruity and a touch firm, the wine unfolds long and sappy on the finish, with slightly austere tannins.

This vintage was ideal for the rich style that this estate has made its own. This wine is full bodied and ripe with black-currant and dark berry fruits. The tannins fall into the cushioned wine with ease and richness. Of course, the wine should be aged, so wait until 2026.