Chateau Lynch Bages 2000

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Beginning to open magnificently, the still dense purple-colored 2000 reveals a blossoming bouquet of blackberries, cassis, graphite and pen ink. Full-bodied with velvety tannins that have resolved themselves beautifully over the last eleven years, this wine is still an adolescent, but it exhibits admirable purity, texture, mouthfeel and power combined with elegance. One of the all-time great examples of Lynch Bages, the 2000 is just beginning to drink well yet promises to last for another 20-25+ years."

WEINWISSER: "Sehr dunkles, dichtes Granat, noch keine Reifeschimmer. Tiefes, dichtes Bouquet, aus dem Untergrund Trüffel und Backpflaumen, dunkle Edelhölzer und Kaffee, im oberen Teil immer noch erfrischende Minztöne und Cassisresten spürbar, enorm dicht und gleichzeitig verschwenderisch vielschichtig. Im Gaumen erste Rundungen in den Tanninen, eine traumhafte Cabernet-Terroirsüsse freigebend, fleischig, mit ausgeglichener Adstringenz, weitere Reserven verleihend. Der Wein hat seine Primeurversprechungen gehalten und befindet sich auf einem derartigen Qualitätsniveau, dass man sich fragen darf, ob er in ein paar Jahren sogar die Maximalnote erreichen kann."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "This bottle was quite forward, which surprised me. With its nose of spearmint, cedar, tobacco, cigar box, and cassis, the full-bodied, concentrated, generous wine was balanced and easy to enjoy, even with its judicious tannic backbone. The bright, fresh, chewy, currant-filled finish kept on going. Another 3-5 years in the cellar and this should be fully ready to go."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has a dense but well-defined core of currant and fig paste flavors supported by a gorgeous graphite spine. Long and authoritative, with notes of bay, pepper, leather and juniper slowly emerging on the finish. Terrific structure and integration give this a chiseled feel. No rush here.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2033."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Another wonderful 2000 coming out of its long sleep. Beautiful aromas of berry, tobacco, herb and spice that follow through to a full palate with round, textured tannins and lots of fruit."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Finally rounding the corner, the 2000 Château Lynch-Bages is mature, with classic Pauillac darker currants, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and spice-laced aromatics. With a deep plum color and slight lightening at the edges, it's medium to full-bodied and has a layered texture as well as integrated tannins. A classic, elegant, yet still powerful Lynch-Bages, it delivers plenty of sweet fruit and a great finish. It benefits from an hour of air and will certainly hold at this stage for another 10-15 years with no issues."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Typical of Lynch-Bages in its sumptuous rich style, this is a resounding success for the team of Jean-Michel Cazes. With its sweet fruit, opulent but balanced wood and red and black fruit flavors, it is a wine that will develop relatively quickly but will certainly age."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, zarte Randaufhellung. Reife Frucht, zarte Dörrobstanklänge, feiner Gewürzanklang, zart nach Biskuit, Minze, mit dunklen Beeren unterlegt. Süß, fast opulent wirkend, saftig und bereits sehr zugänglich, bereits gut antrinkbar, attraktive Länge, eine offenere Flasche als im Vorjahr."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very dark ruby with some evolution. Toasty and appetising. Very appealing subtlety and complexity on the nose though on the palate it is clearly not as ripe as some. Maybe higher yields? An attractive drink but far from intense."