Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac 5. Cru Classé 2020 i trækasse

James Suckling

A beautifully layered red with blackcurrant, hazelnut and lead-pencil character and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It’s like a tightly knit ball of polished tannins that are cashmere in texture. So very long and impressive. Give this time. A terrific Lynch.

James Suckling

Decanter

One of my favourite wines of the vintage, this is a wonderful example of high definition winemaking but still offering plenty of Pauillac swagger. Smells dark and slightly savoury, full of black fruit and toasted aromas. Bright and lively on the palate with clarity and precision to the berry fruit, shining and clear with juicy, mouthwatering acidity - so much energy in the glass. Chalky, graphite-laced tannins fill the mouth, giving structure and clear terroir markers with a lingering minerality on the finish. Perfectly weighted with incredible delectability and drinkability. Persistent with a long finish. Superb effort.

Falstaff

Dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate edge lightening. A hint of licorice and black cherries, fine exotic wood spices, attractive bouquet. Juicy, balanced, ripe blackberries, but also red fruits, firm tannins, delicately leafy finish, not yet fully developed, secure future potential.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

A superb Lynch Bages that grabs you and carries you through the palate, slowly edging forward. Poised with a ton of slate and pencil lead on the finish, this is pure Pauillac, just so precise and full of character, so much grip, it's classic with a mouthwatering finish, feels profound but thoroughly approachable.

Vert de Vin Magazine

The nose is fresh, fruity and offers concentration, a fine grain, concentration (elegance) as well as a fine straightness as well as complexity. It reveals notes of small bright/fresh black currants, sour cherry, violet, small notes of wild strawberry associated with touches of wild red ripe fruits, blueberry as well as fine hints of cardamom, dark tea, cherry flower, graphite, a discreet hint of dark chocolate, toasted and an imperceptible hint of cumin. The mouth is fruity, fresh, balanced, all in precision and offers juiciness, minerality, a nice definition, a certain darkness as well as gourmandize, a nice energy, a discreetly tight structure, an aromatic purity, plenitude/harmony, a nice complexity, a multi-layer side and energy. On the palate this wine expresses notes of juicy/pulpy cassis, bright Boysen berry, small notes of wild strawberry associated with touches of violet, juicy/fresh blueberry, purple bright plum, racy minerality (nearly discreetly iodized), cornflower, star anis, zan as well as a discreet hint of tabaco, cardamom and liquorish stick. The tannins are elegant, precise, massive but delicate and mellow. A very nice/good bitterness in the finish/persistence. Notes of chocolate and a hint of caramelization/ ginger sugar in the background/persistence. A very rich wine, in freshness, all in subtility and harmony

La Revue du Vin de France

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

The first vintage made in their brand new, state-of-the-art cellars pops with its showy display of peppery spices, mint, cigar box, cassis, blackberries, cedar, and creme de cassis. The wine is full-bodied, fresh, long, deep, intense, powerful and chewy, leaving you with an ocean of sweet, ripe, pure cassis to chew on. This refined styled vintage of Lynch Bages will age for decades.

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Château Lynch-Bages brings even more density and depth and is another vin de garde in the vintage. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 75% new barrels, this inky hued beauty boasts a ripe, powerful, full-bodied style that carries serious concentration as well as building, ripe, velvety tannins. While it doesn't have the elegance of the 2019, it brings beautiful cassis and blackberry fruit, lots of spice, graphite, and lead pencil aromatics, terrific balance, and a blockbuster finish. It's going to need at least a decade and will have 40-50 years of prime drinking.

Vinous

The 2020 Lynch-Bages, the first vintage vinified at the new winery, has a beautifully-defined bouquet with a strong estuarine influence, brine and seaweed infusing the black fruit. It's almost understated at first, but it opens wonderfully in the glass - quintessentially Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite concentrated that is counterbalanced by a fine bead of acidity. The saline note on the finish is superb, lingering in the mouth. What an absolutely delicious Lynch-Bages for the long-term.

VV Wine

Open nose, a great scent, deep, smoky, leather, spices, lots of dark fruit, cherry, cassis, blackberry jam, complex. The palate is powerful, masculine, lots of power, a power wine, yet with finesse, rich fruit, masses of the finest tannins, precise, with energy, character and great length. Will mature excellently and should not be uncorked too early.

Wine Spectator

Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can.

The Wine Independent

Robert Parker

The vintage that inaugurated the estate's new state-of-the-art winery, the 2020 Lynch-Bages has turned out very nicely, offering up aromas of crème de cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings, spices and classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with good concentration, ripe, powdery tannins and a seamless, integrated profile for such a young Lynch-Bages, it shows considerable promise. The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot incorporates more Merlot than usual, reflecting relative yields in the vintage more than any stylistic shift.

Anthocyanes Yohan Castaing

Bernard Burtschy

Le Figaro Vin

Bettane et Desseauve

Bettane et Desseauve

Wine Maniacs

The wine is very packed and charged, exuberant in style. Vivid fruits are flowing out in waves, juicy, fleshy and inviting. Tannins are quite angular in shape, but with good ripeness level. Oak is evident but destined for long ageing to finally illustrate a solemn style with depth and complexity.

Wine Enthusiast

Bold black fruits and dense, textured tannins are very much in the style of the estate. What is new in this vintage is the extra precision that lifts the wine, bringing together the beautiful black currant flavors of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a refined texture of sophisticated tannins. This is an impressive wine, sure to age over many years.

Bettane & Desseauve