2015 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

“The 2015 Lynch-Bages has a very complex bouquet with layers of blackberry and bilberry fruit, crushed stone, cedar and graphite. It becomes earthier with aeration, with a hint of cough candy in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. This is intense, backward, almost surly, yet the finish has incredible precision and persistence. Not to be underrated. (NM)” (07/2023)

“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. *Cellar Selection* (RV)” (12/2017)

“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.” (02/2018)

“Beguiling fragrance of cherries and blackcurrants on the nose. Some 2015s are starting to open up but this is still on the slightly shy side, it's supple and sleek, direct and still quite lean and focussed - yet showing supreme elegance. I love the purity and the clear minerality on show with a juicy acidity, it just feels as if it hasn't yet hit its stride and I get the sense that the best is still to come. One to watch. (GH)” (11/2022)

“Excellent quality, but a little less depth through the mid palate than the 2014 or 2016 - making it one of the rare wines where the 2015 vintage is not beating out the 2014 in a vertical. Could simply be that it is closed down right now, as those Pauillac tannins can be pretty fierce in the early days. Certainly as it opens the texture deepens and widens, and you find coils of bilberry and raspberry fruits with waves of smoked earth, sage and saffron spice.” (11/2022)

“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. 94+” (11/2017)

“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. (JM)” (03/2018)

“The 2015 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot and has a deep garnet color. After a little swirling, it soars out with notions of crème de cassis, plum preserves, and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of cardamom, Indian spices, camphor, and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied, the palate has taut, muscular fruit with firm, chewy tannins and lively acidity, finishing long with loads of mineral and savory layers. (LPB)” (11/2022)

“We fully confess to liking Lynch-Bages going back to our early days as collectors and believe that the 2015 version ranks with the estate's better examples of recent year. It is a very rich and wonderfully expressive wine chock full of extracted, cassis-like fruit that is highlighted with wholly complementary oak spice and complexing notes of tobacco, cedar and briar, and, while a fairly solid and sturdy working, it is never so tough that it fails to offer a clear look at beauty to come. It needs time and may well prove to be quite long-lived, so be in no hurry to drink it any time soon and heed our advice to hide it away in a far corner of the cellar for six to ten years.” (06/2018)

“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. (LPB) 92+” (02/2018)