2016 Lynch Bages

98 POINTS

Neal Martin - Wine Advocate

The 2016 Lynch Bages is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot with 13.7% alcohol and an IPT of 95, the highest ever for this property and probably one of the highest on the Left Bank this vintage. It was picked between from 27-30 September for the young vines, then the picking team stopped, restarting on 3 October with the Merlot and the Cabernets finished on 12 October. This vintage is matured in 75% new oak. It has a very concentrated, almost opaque bouquet that required some coaxing from the glass, developing floral and crushed limestone scents with time: disarmingly fresh and with stunning vivacity. The palate is concentrated and tannic, although they are not obtrusive and appear neatly embroidered into the multi-layered black fruit. This is a classic Lynch Bages with ambition and recalls vintages like 1990, a Lynch Bages built for long-term ageing. That arching backbone is counterbalanced by the keen line of acidity and a freshness that knows no bounds. There is ethereal delineation and tension on the finish, but I would give this at least ten years in bottle to enjoy this audacious Lynch Bages at its peak. Maybe the biggest surprise of the vintage, this has all the makings of a sensational wine.

97 POINTS

Yves Beck - Yvesbeck.wine

Rouge grenat dense aux reflets violets. Bouquet intense, complexe aux multiples facettes. Lynch Bages a du caractère et souligne son côté fruité auquel s'ajoutent de la minéralité et des notes de poivre. La typicité ne manque pas à l'appel au travers d'effluves de baies noires, de cèdre et de graphite. En bouche le vin allie idéalement puissance et finesse. Très belle intensité aromatique, caractère crémeux et tannins amples aux grains fins, en symbiose avec la race de la structure. Finale fruitée, intense et persistante. Un très grand Lynch Bages doté d'un bagage tannique qui lui permettra de traverser quelques décennies. 2024-2051 97/100

97 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

Barrel Sample. This wine is ripe and opulent, while still elegant. The balance is fine, showing plenty of concentration and a light touch of acidity. Black currant fruit matches the tannins and structure, making this one for the long term.

97 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2016 Lynch Bages has a wonderfully perfumed bouquet of intense black fruit laced with pencil lead, cigar box and incense aromas that soar from the glass, all displaying impressive delineation. The taut, focused palate is very well defined, with a fine line of acidity and great depth and concentration on the sophisticated, mineral-driven finish. Bon vin! Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

97 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - 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!

97 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

Powerful, concentrated and long and with depth of flavor, this wine is rich and fat, like someone wearing a gold Rolex and a diamond pinkie ring. There is a refined, stern, masculine quality to the fruit with a finish that lasts and sustains the layers of fresh, sweet black currants. This is probably the best Lynch Bages since 1989/1990. Produced from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 0.4% Cabernet Franc and 0.2% Petit Verdot, this wine is aging in 75% new French oak barrels. Reaching 13.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.69, the picking took place September 28 to October 12 and the Grand Vin represents 65% of the harvest. 

97 POINTS

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.

97 POINTS

James Molesworth - 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.   –JM