2018 Ch. Lynch Bages - Pauillac GCC | € 123,00 (€ 148,83) |
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Een jonge Lynch Bages hoort compact te zijn. Dieppurper kleurt het glas. Een rijkelijke neus betovert toch al met cassis, munt en ceder. Classicisme vervolgt in de attaque: evenwicht onderbouwt overvloedige densiteit. Grijpklare tannine omsingelt een explosieve fruitige kern. De finale is bestand tegen de tand des tijds want de reserve is ontzagwekkend. Lynch Bages blijft austère tot de magie zich openbaart... Jean-Charles Cazes omschrijft de 2018 als "2016 met een vleugje 2010". It says it all. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc en 3% Petit Verdot. De oogst begon met de 10 hectare Merlot op 19 september. Deze proloog nam zes dagen in beslag. Negen dagen waren nodig voor de Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc en Petit Verdot. De sécateurs werden opgeborgen op 9 oktober. 14,1%vol. Elevage in 75% nieuwe eik. Het emblematische Lynch Bages is steevast een intelligente primeurreservatie. IN DE PERS 96 Antonio Galloni - vinous.com (Maart 2021) An utterly fabulous wine, the 2018 Lynch-Bages captures all of the richness and generosity that make the year so appealing, and yet doesn’t stray too far from its classic feel. Rose petal, lavender, spice, sweet red berry fruit and mint are all beautifully lifted in the glass. Racy and silky to the core, the 2018 is a real head-turner from the very first taste. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. Readers will have a very hard time keeping their hands off this jewel of a wine. Drink 2028-2048. 93-96 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (April 2019) The 2018 Lynch-Bages is a potent, racy wine endowed with real textural depth and intensity. Even so, it retains terrific nuance and vibrancy. All the classic Lynch-Bages signatures are present, but amped up, with huge tannins and equally huge fruit. The 2018 is going to need at least a few years to shed some of its baby fat. Today, it is decidedly rich and unctuous in style. Rose petal, lavender, mint and sweet spice add striking layers of aromatic nuance. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. 97-98 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (April 2019) This is incredibly powerful and structured with so much tannin backbone and length, yet it’s cool and fresh with a compact palate and great length. Muscular. 97 Jane Anson – decanter.com (April 2019) This is hugely impressive right from the off - strap on your walking boots, get your crampons at the ready, there is a wall to climb - not one that you ever hit by the way, because contrary to expectations this unfurls slowly, keeping the peak just out of sight. It’s great quality and one of my favourites from this property because it’s full of power but with a caress, so much tannic power too and yet so light of foot. It’s filled with absolutely delicious black chocolate, rosemary, cardamom and pepper but also lets the light in thanks for a fresh core running through. Having tasted it a few times it’s clear it’s going to age extremely well. A yield of 38hl/ha. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040 96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown – roberparker.com (Maart 2021) Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lynch-Bages was aged in 75% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple in color, it soars out of the glass with a magnificently expressive nose of blueberry compote, black cherry preserves and blackcurrant pastilles, plus suggestions of dark chocolate, licorice, tar and violets with a waft of hoisin. The medium to full-bodied palate is just as impactful as the nose, coating the mouth with juicy black berry and spicy layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a refreshing earthiness coming through at the end. Drink 2026-2055. 96-98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown – roberparker.com (April 2019) The 2018 Lynch Bages is made up of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot aging in 75% new barriques. Very deep purple-black in color, the nose is quite coy and restrained to begin, fanning out to offer pure, ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and preserved plums with wafts of red roses, cigar box, incense, cardamom and fenugreek with savory touches of black olives, Marmite toast and smoked meats. Full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, with a solid foundation of very firm, very ripe, grainy tannins and superb freshness supporting the generous black fruit layers, finishing long with provocative ferrous suggestions. 96-98 James Molesworth – winespectator.com (April 2019) Dark cassis, plum and cherry fruit flavors stream through in this red, harnessed well by bolts of iron along the way. Sweet tobacco detail echoes through the finish, which is seriously long. An extremely rock-solid wine in the making here. 98+ Jeb Dunnuck – jebdunnuck.com (Maart 2021) 96-98+ Jeb Dunnuck – jebdunnuck.com (April 2019) Cassis, graphite, blackberries, scorched earth, and graphite notes all emerge from the 2018 Château Lynch-Bages, which is a rich, blockbuster style beauty up with the finest vintages to date from this historic estate, which by the way, is just about complete with a massive new cellar construction project. Checking in as a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, brought up in 75% new French oak, it's incredibly concentrated, opulent, and sexy on the palate, with building underlying structure, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It reminds me of the 2009 with its fleshy, powerful style. The IPT, or amount of tannins, is a through the roof 95 and it hit 14.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.66. It’s going to live for just about forever. 94 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Maart 2021) The 2018 Lynch-Bages has a wonderful bouquet of supremely well-defined blackberry, briar, crushed rock and pencil lead aromas that develop more floral scents with continued aeration (the samples were monitored over 6–8 hours). The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins and superb acidity. Fresh and focused with a touch of graphite toward the finish. There is a swagger, a bit of brio, about this Lynch-Bages, one that will age over 30–40 years with style. Bravo, l’equipe Cazes! Drink 2024-2050. 93-95 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Oktober 2019) The 2018 Lynch-Bages was picked from September 19, the Cabernet starting six days later and continuing until October 9, and matured for 18 months in 75% new oak. It has a charming, pure bouquet of black cherries, blueberry, violet and iris petals, almost Margaux-like in style. The medium-bodied palate is quite dense and grippy, offering slightly grainy tannins, moderate acidity and a powerful, saline finish. It is a little monolithic when compared to, say, the outstanding 2016, although I appreciate its length and it should age well in bottle. It just needs to muster a bit more charm, and maybe that will appear once in bottle. I will remain prudent with my score for now. Drink 2024-2050. 18/20 Bettane & Desseauve (April 2019) 97 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.com (April 2019) 95-97 Roger Voss – wineenthusiast.com (April 2019) 17/20 Julia Harding – jancisrobinson.com (April 2019) 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot; 75% new oak. pH 3.66. Barrel sample. Black core. Spicy, intense cassis nose. Imposing grip in the tannins holding everything prisoner at the moment but they are compact and dense rather than tough. Chewy, dense, powerful and 'masculine'. Highly structured and muscular but well balanced. Not a charmer but finely built in its power. 14.1%. Drink 2028-2040. 18-19/20 Revue des Vins de France – rvf.com (April 2019) 96-98 Jeff Leve – winecellarinsider.com (April 2019) Blue-black with purple accents, the pure crème de cassis aromas stand out easily. This wine combines power with layers of ready, succulent, dark penetrating fruits. Even though this is probably the densest Lynch Bages I recall tasting, the unique vintage character keeps the wine light on its feet. All this strength and purity is wrapped up nicely with ripe tannins and a long finish. Clearly, 2018 is a contender for the best vintage of Lynch Bages ever produced -- and with their string of hits, that's a real statement! Produced from 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 14.1% alcohol. The picking took place September 18 to October 9 and 65% of the harvest was used to produce the Grand Vin. 18/20 Le Point (April 2019) 18+/20 Matthew Jukes – matthewjukes.com (April 2019) (72 Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 Merlot, 6 Cabernet Franc, 3 Petit Verdot) | 75% new oak for 18 months | 14 alc | 95 IPT A stunning Cabernet nose leads the way and this signals the start of a rather imposing wine. Exquisite fruit concentration coupled with prodigious length make this a bit of a beast and I found myself searching for detail among the power and extraction. Big and just about balanced with rather racy tannins and a lot of oak, this is a monolithic Lynch Bages and I hope that it starts to unravel soon for fear that it will always be a little bit too muscular and tough. Lynch BagesLynch Bages hoeft geen inleiding. Het is één van die wijnen die jaarlijks uw aankoop waard zijn. Dit illuster Château bevindt zich ten Westen dan de Route du Vin (D2), onder het saai stadje Pauillac, op het toepasselijk genaamd “Plateau de Bages”. De wijngaard ligt halverwege tussen Lafite en Mouton in het Noorden, en tussen Latour en de twee Pichons in het Zuiden. Lynch Bages is een oud domein, waarvan de geschiedenis teruggaat tot de XVIde Eeuw. Het Château draagt de naam van Thomas Lynch en zijn Ierse familie die het Château bezat in de XVIIde XVIIIde Eeuw. In 1855 werd Lynch Bages gecatalogeerd als Cinquième Grand Cru Classé, terwijl het vandaag eerder aanzien worden als Deuxième of Troisième Grand Cru Classé. CazesJean-Michel Cazes is een bijzonder aimabel man die gestudeerd heeft in de Verenigde Staten en een carrière wist uit te bouwen bij IBM, voor hij naar de Médoc terugkeerde. Deze wereldburger zoekt open, heerlijke, moderne wijnen, vertolkt de klasse en het karakter van Pauillac en is als voorzitter van de Commanderie du Bontemps de beste ambassadeur van de hedendaagse Médoc. Lynch Bages is op vandaag één van de meest herkende en erkende Médocwijnen wereldwijd en een essentiële Pauillac door het toedoen van Jean Michel Cazes. Vandaag wordt hij opgevolgd door zijn capabele zoon Jean Charles Cazes. |