Chateau Lynch Bages 2016

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Lynch Bages comes charging out of the gate with pronounced cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and menthol notions, backed up by scents of garrigue, tilled soil and a waft of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fantastically concentrated, the generous fruit is superbly framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins with tons of pepper, cinnamon and cloves layers coming through on the finish. Truly, a legendary Lynch Bages!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Very rich and exotic with blackberry, black-tea, graphite and lead-pencil aromas. Full-bodied, dense and structured with lots of ripe tannins and a long, flavorful finish of currants and forest floor, combined with fresh mushrooms and bark. Needs four to five years to show its true potential. Try after 2024."

WEINWISSER: "75 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 % Merlot, 4 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot, mit dem höchst erreichten IPT-Wert (Tanninkonzentration) von 95 gegenüber 76 im Vorjahr. 75% neue Barriques. Tiefes, sattes Purpur mit Granatschimmer am Rand. Konzentrierter, blaubeeriger Duft mit Heidelbeeren und Kokos, dahinter Veilchen, dunkler Tabak sowie Schokonoten. Am kräftigen Körper mit engmaschigem Gerüst, viel Power zeigend, bleibt trotzdem elegant; dank der Frische endet der Bulldozer in einem langen aromatischen Finale, das mit Wildkirschen und dunklem Edelholz lange nachhallt. Im Übrigen: Die komplette Kellereinrichtung wurde an einer anderen Stelle im Ort aufgebaut, im Juli 2019 soll das komplett neue Château eröffnet werden."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, reife Kirschen, feines Brombeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Edelholz und kandierten Orangenzesten. Komplex, sehr saftig, reife Herzkirschen, gut integrierte Tannine, entwickelten noch mehr Druck nach hinten, sehr gute Länge und Präzision, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "With a nose of cedar, cigar box, tobacco leaf, smoke, red fruits and spicy aromas create the complex aromatics. Pour the wine into your glass and it only takes a single sip to know this is a stunner. The wall of juicy, ripe, sweet red fruits never quits. The wine is powerful, stoic, refined and generous. If you are a Lynch Bages fan, you need this in your cellar. Lay this down for 12-15 years and enjoy it over the next 30 years or more!"

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is built for the cellar, with a generous core of kirsch, raspberry paste and plum preserve flavors waiting to unfurl. Will take time, due to the licorice snap, roasted apple wood and sweet tobacco elements draped over the fruit. Should meld with age, as the structure is invigorating in feel, showing both acidity and tannins in lockstep with the fruit. Best from 2025 through 2040."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The flagship 2016 Château Lynch Bages is a powerhouse, checking in as 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot raised in 75% new French oak. This deep, concentrated, powerful 2016 is going to be one for the ages, but if you’re looking for instant gratification, this isn’t for you. Saturated purple-colored, with thick black fruits, graphite, and scorched earth aromas and flavors, it fills the mouth with fruit, has masses of tannins, and beautiful overall balance. Don’t even think about opening bottles before 7-8 years from now, and it’s going to have 3-4 decades of longevity."

DECANTER: "One of the best Lynch-Bages since 1990. Powerful, full-bodied, dark in colour and fruit character, this has intense, exotic, spicy fruit notes adding extra layers of complexity to the structured palate. A classic Pauillac with some lead-pencil notes and great focus, this will be a long-lived wine capable of ageing for several decades. Drinking Window 2024 - 2050"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Rich, jammy and powerful, this wine is all about concentration and firm tannins. Ripe black-currant flavors add great juiciness at the end. The wine has magnificent potential. Drink from 2025."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Pretty heady, verging on volatile! A little sweet, oily and flashy. But then it tightens up on the palate and is really very impressive. Inky but correct. Dry finish – maybe just too dry. Rather St-Estèphe-like. A long life ahead!"