Chateau Lynch Bages 2015

WEINWISSER: "70 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 % Merlot, 4 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot. Sattes Purpur- Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Deutlicher Cabernetauftakt, würzig, Lakritze, dunkle Edelhölzer und zerdrückte Pfefferkörner. Erst im zweiten Ansatz kommt die blau- bis schwarzbeerige Frucht zum Tragen. Im Gaumen fleischig, recht feine und doch gut stützende Tannine, das Extrakt ist verlangend und zeigt wieder diesen Eindruck von schwarzem Pfeffer, Korinthen und dunklen Edelhölzern, bereits erste Tabakspuren vermittelnd, nachhaltiges Finale. Für den Jahrgang ist er erstaunlich tiefgründig ausgefallen."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktives Cassis, zarte florale Komponenten, schwarze Beerenfrucht, zart nach Nougat und Gewürzen. Komplex, reife Kirschen, ein Hauch von Minze, elegant, runde Tannine, bleibt gut haften, sehr guter Terroirausdruck, frisch und anhaftend."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This vintage was ideal for the rich style that this estate has made its own. This wine is full bodied and ripe with black-currant and dark berry fruits. The tannins fall into the cushioned wine with ease and richness. Of course, the wine should be aged, so wait until 2026."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Brambly and attractive ripe blackberries and red-plum aromas with some floral accents, too. The palate has a very plush, polished and regal shape as tannins frame up a core of ripe black fruit. Succulent, impressive finish. Best from 2022."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Dark in color, the wine is powerful, deep, dark, concentrated and full bodied. The palate enjoys layers of fruits that are concentrated, long, fresh and vibrant. There is a great, crisp, crunchy quality to the fruits.. This will require at least a decade of age before it really starts to show its all."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The inky colored 2015 Château Lynch-Bages is a seriously impressive Pauillac that’s up with the crème de la crème of the appellation in 2015. Notes of ripe blackcurrants, caramelized cherries, tobacco leaf and a kiss of lead pencil all emerge from this textbook Pauillac that has medium to full-bodied richness, notable concentration, and building structure. Made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that saw 75% new barrels, it needs 5-7 years of cellaring and will be one of the longer-lived wines from the Médoc."

DECANTER: "This is powerful and deep with high but careful extraction and firm tannins. At this stage it feels so much younger and more closed than almost anything else I’ve tasted from this vintage in Pauillac. This is going for a firm, impressive impact and it manages it, but it lacks some generosity in the fruit character that it has in spades in 2016. 2% Petit Verdot. 75% new oak. One-third malolactic fermentation in vats, two-thirds in barrel. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040"

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has an ample core of plum, fig and blackberry compote flavors, underlined liberally with graphite and smoldering tobacco notes. Fleshy and focused, with ample grip through the juniper- and tar-accented finish. Well-built. Best from 2023 through 2038."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Lynch Bages offers up crushed black berries, black cherries and dried herbs with an earthy undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate is firm and taut with lively fruit and a chewy finish."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Glowing crimson. Seductively ripe on the nose. Sweet start with some green grace notes. Edgy. Chunky."