WE 96 WS&M 96 NM 96 JS 96
WSM 96 DEC 94 WS 93 VAG 93
RPWA 92 JL 94 JG 94 TC 94
ST 93 JMQ 93 CG 90 RG 19/20
GM 18/20 LR 18/20 VWM 17.5/20 JR 17.5/20
B&D 16/20

Grape/Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot

Tasting Notes
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.

• 96 Wine Enthusiast

  Classic Lynch-Bages with just a bit of extra power and richness. While the tannins are structured, it is the velvety fruit that rolls around the mouth that is the most dominant character. It is coming together into a wine that will be big and dense, but never over the top. (RV) (6/2008)

• 96 Wine Spirits & Magazine

  There’s a relaxed feel to this wine. Cazes’s team can dress Lynch-Bages in the black-tie formality of a first growth, but the wine is still lovely-a touch of gaminess makes it friendly rather than ponderous. There’s something ethereal about its tannins, like a chocolate truffle melting in the mouth…. Pure black cherry flavor saturates the wine with freshness; the complexity is intriguing and silken rather than aggressive. This should be readily accessible at ten to 20 years of age and should thrive for years after.

• 96 Neal Martin

  “The Château Lynch Bages 2005 has an enthralling graphite and cedar scented bouquet, like a young cousin of the Grand Puy Lacoste. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, one of the most feminine and elegant Lynch Bages in recent years with a lightness of touch on the finish. That is not to say it lacks fruit intensity, but the balance is so assured that is just seems to glide over the mouth. Stylish, assured and meticulous winemaking here.” (Wine Journal, 2/2015)

• 96 James Suckling

  A meaty and decadent Lynch with very ripe currant aromas on the nose. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a powerful finish. It shows so much structure and fruit yet remains polished and focused. Lovely now to drink but better in 2017.

• 96 Wine Spectator (James Molesworth)

  Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out. Best from 2020 through 2040.(6/12/2018)

• 94 Decanter

  Almost forward but still young; spicy cassis lifts and lengthens its rich dark berry flavours. One of the best Lynch-Bages ever. (ID) (10/2014)

• 93 Wine Spectator

  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. Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. (JM, Web Only-2018)

• 93 Vinous Antonio Galloni

  Deep ruby. Delicate aromas of blackcurrant, mocha and graphite are lifted by minerals and violet. Enters pure, dense and round, then shows lively, precise flavors of black fruits, dried nuts, ink and minerals. This has greater volume and flesh than the 2006, along with a brooding, sneaky concentration and a very long, supple finish. The best Lynch-Bages in years, this should prove to be a great wine in time, and a huge success for this estate. (ID) 93+ (1/2012)

• 92 Robert Parker Wine Advocate

  As for the 2005 Lynch-Bages, it is a sexy, surprisingly soft and accessible style of wine, with a deep ruby/purple color, loads of crème de cassis, cedar wood and forest floor notes, medium to full body, ripe tannin and a long, fleshy finish. Drink it over the next 15+ years.

• 94 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
• 94 Jamie Goode
• 94 Tom Cannavan
• 93 Stephen Tanzer
• 93 Jean-Marc Quarin
• 90 Connoisseurs' Guide
• 19/20 Rene Gabriel
• 18/20 Gault & Millau
• 18/20 La Revue du Vin de France
• 17.5/20 Vinum Wine Magazine
• 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson
• 16/20 Bettane & Desseauve