Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2022 - 5ème Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

World-renowned for its opulence and consistency, this Pauillac fifth growth has belonged to the Cazes family since the 1930s and has gained considerable renown since Jean-Michel Cazes took over its management in 1973. Following the successful handover from Jean-Michel to his son Jean-Charles, the wine has maintained all its vigor and health in recent vintages, retaining its depth and gaining in tannic precision. The château produces an increasingly stylish dry white Bordeaux, but we are still waiting for a more precise wine for the second selection, Echo. A new cuvier is under construction, and it promises to be monumental, because it is important to maintain one's standing in a highly competitive world!

Decanter

About wine:

Ripe and generous on the palate, this wine is mellow, crisp, and lively. It offers notes of ripe fruit—blackcurrant and sweet, mellow cherries—which are fleshy and ample, as is the concentration of flavors. A delicate layering of elements structures the wine on the palate, giving it power, precision, and concentration. It is still a little shy, with tension in the diffusion of flavors and a relatively lively finish, but this will lengthen with time. Fresh blueberries, wet stone, pencil lead, and graphite add a mineral touch. There is no excessive heat, oak, or spice, which is also excellent. A wine with great aging potential, designed for aging, I think. 2030-2050

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

The name of this wine combines that of the Irish merchants who owned it in the 18th century with that of a hamlet located at the southern gates of Pauillac. Its success since the 1930s is the result of the continuous work of three generations of Cazes: Jean-Charles, André, and Jean-Michel. The contribution of the latter, who has now handed over the reins to his son Jean-Charles, has been essential. Its success is linked to the quality of the wines, produced from a vast 100-hectare vineyard, and also to a genuine development strategy, including wine trading and tourist infrastructure (hotel-restaurant, shops).

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

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

About wine:

This is perhaps the most impressive Lynch-Bages we tasted during the en primeur season. Such intensity, such brilliance! With its enormous concentration, it compensates with its balance and lively freshness, expressed through the salinity of its finish. Its definition is unprecedented.

About the estate:

Jean-Charles Cazes is now responsible for managing this prestigious Pauillac estate. However, his father, Jean-Michel, an exceptional figure in the Médoc region, tireless ambassador for Bordeaux wines, and architect of this fifth growth's reputation, is never far away. The magnificent family estate, superbly located on the Bages plateau, has produced an impressive series of wines without a single weak point since the early 1970s, imposing its rich, seductive and immediately accessible style, while being capable of aging with grace. Now equipped with 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 to be expected.

James Suckling

About wine:

A superb Lynch from a hot vintage, with notes of blackcurrant, mint, dried lavender, graphite, and thyme on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied, it has fantastic tannins and a pleasant texture reminiscent of cashmere, becoming slightly mellow on the finish. Let it age for 4 to 5 years in the bottle. Best enjoyed after 2028.

Jeb Dunnuck

About wine:

Château Lynch-Bages 2022 is composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its intense purple color reveals a sensational Pauillac, with a breathtaking (and classic Lynch-Bages) style, featuring aromas of dark blackcurrant, smoked tobacco, pencil lead, and crushed stone. These notes linger in a full-bodied, powerful, and extremely concentrated 2022, with a dense and complex mid-palate, velvety tannins, perfect balance, and a rare combination of power and elegance. This estate is clearly in great shape, and this magical beauty will need a decade (or more) to reach its peak. Not to be missed! 2035-2075

Terre de Vins

About wine:

The finesse and smoothness of the tannins are the hallmarks of this vintage, as is the palette, which is richer than usual for this stage of development. The deep purple color and nose of candied red cherry, cocoa, roasted coffee, licorice, waxed leather, blackcurrant, and peppermint are endlessly seductive, and the fine acidity promises long aging potential.