Chateau Lynch Bages 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "A beautifully layered red with blackcurrant, hazelnut and lead-pencil character and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It’s like a tightly knit ball of polished tannins that are cashmere in texture. So very long and impressive. Give this time. A terrific Lynch. Better after 2027."

WEINWISSER: "Dicht verwobenes schwarzbeeriges Bouquet, Lakritze, tasmanischer Bergpfeffer und dunkles Graphit. Am satten Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, betörender Extraktfülle, tiefgründiger Mineralik und engmaschigem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale Wildkirsche, Sandelholz und tiefschürfende Terroirwürze."

DECANTER: "One of my favourite wines of the vintage, this is a wonderful example of high definition winemaking but still offering plenty of Pauillac swagger. Smells dark and slightly savoury, full of black fruit and toasted aromas. Bright and lively on the palate with clarity and precision to the berry fruit, shining and clear with juicy, mouthwatering acidity - so much energy in the glass. Chalky, graphite-laced tannins fill the mouth, giving structure and clear terroir markers with a lingering minerality on the finish. Perfectly weighted with incredible delectability and drinkability. Persistent with a long finish. Superb effort."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Ein Hauch von Lakritze und schwarzen Kirschen, feine Edelholzwürze, attraktives Bukett. Saftig, balanciert, reife Brombeeren, aber auch rote Früchte, stramme Tannine, zart blättrig im Abgang, noch nicht völlig entwickelt, sicheres Zukunftspotenzial."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The first vintage made in their brand new, state-of-the-art cellars pops with its showy display of peppery spices, mint, cigar box, cassis, blackberries, cedar, and creme de cassis. The wine is full-bodied, fresh, long, deep, intense, powerful and chewy, leaving you with an ocean of sweet, ripe, pure cassis to chew on. This refined styled vintage of Lynch Bages will age for decades. Drink from 2027-2060."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2020 Château Lynch-Bages brings even more density and depth and is another vin de garde in the vintage. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 75% new barrels, this inky hued beauty boasts a ripe, powerful, full-bodied style that carries serious concentration as well as building, ripe, velvety tannins. While it doesn't have the elegance of the 2019, it brings beautiful cassis and blackberry fruit, lots of spice, graphite, and lead pencil aromatics, terrific balance, and a blockbuster finish. It's going to need at least a decade and will have 40-50 years of prime drinking."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 20,000 cases made."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The vintage that inaugurated the estate's new state-of-the-art winery, the 2020 Lynch-Bages has turned out very nicely, offering up aromas of crème de cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings, spices and classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with good concentration, ripe, powdery tannins and a seamless, integrated profile for such a young Lynch-Bages, it shows considerable promise. The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot incorporates more Merlot than usual, reflecting relative yields in the vintage more than any stylistic shift."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deepest crimson. Dark, rich and pure-fruited aroma of black fruit. There's also a darkly oaky note but it's surprisingly well integrated in such a young wine – shows the quality of the fruit. Dark, dense, chewy and almost savoury on the palate, dark fruit, dark spice, intense but not heavy. Really gorgeous without being voluptuous. Refined and long."