Chateau Lynch Bages 2014

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of currants, blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of chocolate and spices. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Juicy and muscular wine. Needs three or four years to open. Beautiful."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Fragrant and perfumed, this wine is the epitome of great Cabernet Sauvignon. It is fruity, juicy yet with serious concentrated tannins. There is spice from the wood aging along with a dash of pepper, all the while just bringing out the beautiful black-currant flavors. Drink this wine from 2024."

WEINWISSER: "Es ist das erste Mal, dass der Cabernet-Anteil im Blend unter 70 % sinkt. Normalerweise liegt dieser Wert etwa bei 74 % und bei Jahrgang 2004 war der Anteil mit 84 % der interne Cabernetrekord. Die Ursache lag aber nicht darin, dass man grosse Teile des Cabernets deklassieren musste, sondern darin, dass die Beeren extrem klein waren. So war der Saftanteil gering und ergab dann in der Folge logischerweise auch weniger Wein. Der Rest vom Blend: 21 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc und 2 % Petit Verdot. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Eines der würzigsten Bouquets aller verkosteten Pauillac's. So würzig, dass die Frucht, welche sich fast ausschliesslich im schwarzbeerigen Bereich befindet und eher im Hintergrund abspielt. Im zweiten Ansatz; Lakritze, Rauch und sehr dunkle Edelhölzer. Der Gaumen zeigt einen markanten Körper mit Konzentration und Kraft und tief schürfender Aromatik. Er gehört ganz sicher nicht zu den seidigen 2014er Typen, sondern schon eher zu den kraftvolleren Editionen. Aber das ist ja schliesslich auch typisch für einen meist etwas barocken Lynch-Bages."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Rather rich and glamorous. Dense and velvety but not at all sweet. Dry minerally finish. Very Pauillac! Just as it should be."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has beguiling hints of plum cake and melted licorice peeking out, while a core of cassis and blackberry confiture waits in reserve. There's ample grip, but this remains very polished and integrated, with lovely echoes of anise and fruitcake showing through the very lengthy finish. Will be hard to keep your hands off this while it ages. Best from 2019 through 2035."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Produced from 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this classically styled Pauillac has bite, lift, fruit, tobacco, cassis and all the tannin and structure needed to age for decades."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2014 Lynch Bages was actually similar to the 2014 Pichon Baron on the nose: tight and surly at first, demanding a lot of coaxing from the glass. It eventually opens up with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and tobacco, gaining more harmony and intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite linear and focused at the moment, precise if just needing a little more body and depth to evolve on the straight-laced finish. Give this Pauillac 4-5 years in bottle and it is likely to repay you."

DECANTER: ""Very well-expressed natural concentration of fruit, very ripe tannins and lots of complexity to come. A richly textured, firmly structured wine with the Lynch-Bages hallmarks for the future."