Ron Siegel

9.2

Perfect sitting in the lobby lounge of George’s V after an overnight flight waiting for our room to be ready. — 7 years ago

Jessica Barker

9.2

Deep fruit and long vanilla finish, warm spice — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The 2000 is delicious but, it is evolving at a glacial pace. Out of magnum.

On the nose, touch of barnyard, glycerin, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, strawberries & cherries. Vanilla, dry clay, limestone, river stones, just a touch of pyrazines & bandaid, dark,,turned, moist earth, dry grass and dry & fresh dark florals.

The body is full, round & sexy. Dry softened, sweet tannins. ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, strawberries & cherries. Vanilla, dry clay, limestone, river stones, just a touch of pyrazines & bandaid, fresh tobacco leaf, saddle-wood, dry underbrush, dark, turned, moist earth, dry grass and dry & fresh dark florals. The acidity is magnificent. The structure, tension, length and balance are sensational. The finish is drop dead gorgeous. I’d still hold mine another 5 years as long as you have 3-4 bottles for more 5 year increments.

Photos of, their Estate vines, Clyde Beffa-Owner of K&L Wine Merchants, Owner of Chateau Lynch Bages - Jean-Michel Cazes, guests of the dinner and a sunset view from their Estate.

Producer notes and history...Lynch Bages takes its name from the local area where the Chateau is located in Bages. The vineyard of what was to become Lynch Bages was established and then expanded by the Dejean family who sold it in 1728 to Pierre Drouillard.

In 1749, Drouillard bequeathed the estate to his daughter Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Lynch. This is how the estate came to belong to the Lynch family, where it remained for seventy-five years and received the name Lynch Bages. However, it was not always known under that name.

For a while the wines were sold under the name of Jurine Bages. In fact, when the estate was Classified in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, the wines were selling under the name of Chateau Jurine Bages. That is because the property was owned at the time by a Swiss wine merchant, Sebastien Jurine.

In 1862, the property was sold to the Cayrou brothers who restored the estate’s name to Chateau Lynch family.

Around 1870, Lou Janou Cazes and his wife Angelique were living in Pauillac, close to Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron. It was here that Jean-Charles Cazes, the couple’s second son, was born in 1877.

In the 1930’s, Jean-Charles Cazes, who was already in charge of Les-Ormes-de-Pez in St. Estephe agreed to lease the vines of Lynch Bages. By that time, the Cazes family had history in Bordeaux dating back to the second half of the nineteenth century.

This agreement to take over Lynch Bages was good for both the owner and Jean Charles Cazes. Because, the vineyards had become dilapidated and were in need of expensive replanting, which was too expensive for the owner. However, for Cazes, this represented an opportunity, as he had the time, and the ability to manage Lynch Bages, but he lacked the funds to buy the vineyard.

Jean-Charles Cazes eventually purchased both properties on the eve of the Second World War. Lynch Bages and Les-Ormes-de-Pez have been run by the Cazes family ever since. In 1988, the Cazes family added to their holdings in Bordeaux when they purchased an estate in the Graves region, Chateau Villa Bel Air.

Around 1970, they increased their vineyards with the purchase of Haut-Bages Averous and Saussus. By the late 1990’s their holdings had expanded to nearly 100 hectares! Jean-Michel Cazes who had been employed as an engineer in Paris, joined the wine trade in 1973. In a short time, Jean Michel Cazes modernized everything at Lynch Bages.

He installed a new vat room, insulated the buildings, developing new technologies and equipment, built storage cellars, restored the loading areas and wine storehouses over the next fifteen years. During that time period, Jean Michel Cazes was the unofficial ambassador of not just the Left Bank, but all of Bordeaux. Jean Michel Cazes was one of the first Chateau owners to begin promoting their wine in China back in 1986.

Bages became the first wine sent into space, when a French astronaut carried a bottle of 1975 Lynch Bages with him on the joint American/French space flight!

Beginning in 1987, Jean-Michel Cazes joined the team at the insurance company AXA, who wanted to build an investment portfolio of quality vineyards in the Medoc, Pomerol, Sauternes, Portugal and Hungary.

Jean-Michel Cazes was named the director of the wine division and all the estates including of course, the neighboring, Second Growth, Chateau Pichon Baron.

June 1989 marked the inauguration of the new wine making facilities at Lynch Bages, which was on of their best vintages. 1989 also marked the debut of the Cordeillan- hotel and restaurant where Sofia and I had one of our best dinners ever. A few years after that, the Village de Bages with its shops was born.

The following year, in 1990, the estate began making white wine, Blanc de Lynch Bages. In 2001, the Cazes family company bought vineyards in the Rhone Valley in the Languedoc appellation, as well as in Australia and Portugal. They added to their holdings a few years later when they purchased a vineyard in Chateauneuf du Pape.

In 2006, Jean-Charles Cazes took over as the managing director of Chateau Lynch Bages. Jean-Michel Cazes continues to lead the wine and tourism division of the family’s activities. Due to their constant promotion in the Asian market, Chateau Lynch Bages remains one of the strongest brands in the Asian market, especially in China.

In 2017, Chateau Lynch Bages began a massive renovation and modernization, focusing on their wine making, and technical facilities. The project, headed by the noted architects Chien Chung Pei and Li Chung Pei, the sons of the famous architect that designed the glass pyramid for the Louvre in Paris as well as several other important buildings.

The project will be completed in 2019. This includes a new grape, reception center, gravity flow wine cellar and the vat rooms, which will house at least, 80 stainless steel vats in various sizes allowing for parcel by parcel vinification.

The new cellars will feature a glass roof, terraces with 360 degree views and completely modernized reception areas and offices. They are not seeing visitors until it’s completion.

In March, 2017, they purchased Chateau Haut Batailley from Françoise Des Brest Borie giving the Cazes family over 120 hectares of vines in Pauillac!

The 100 hectare vineyard of Lynch Bages is planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The vineyard has a terroir of gravel, chalk and sand soils.

The vineyard can be divided into two main sections, with a large portion of the vines being planted close to the Chateau on the Bages plateau. At their peak, the vineyard reaches an elevation of 20 meters. The other section of the vineyard lies further north, with its key terroir placed on the Monferan plateau.

They also own vines in the far southwest of the appellation, next Chateau Pichon Lalande, on the St. Julien border, which can be used in the Grand Vin. The vineyard can be split into four main blocks, which can be further subdivided into 140 separate parcels.

The average age of the vines is about 30 years old. But they have old vines, some of which are close to 90 years old.

The vineyards are planted to a vine density of 9,000 vines per hectare. The average age of the vines is about 30 years old. But they have old vines, some of which are close to 90 years old.

Lynch Bages also six hectares of vine are reserved for the production of the white Bordeaux wine of Chateau Lynch Bages. Those vines are located to the west of the estate. They are planted to 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Semillon and 15% Muscadelle. On average, those vines are about 20 years of age. Lynch Bages Blanc made its debut in 1990.

To produce the wine of Chateau Lynch Bages, vinification takes place 35 stainless steel vats that vary in size. Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of 30% French, oak barrels with the remainder taking place in tank.

The wine of Chateau Lynch Bages is aged in an average of 70% new, French oak barrels for between 12 and 15 months. Due to the appellation laws of Pauillac, the wine is sold as a generic AOC Bordeaux Blanc, because Pauillac does not allow for the plantings of white wine grapes.

For the vinification of their white, Bordeaux wine, Blanc de Lynch-Bages is vinified in a combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, 20% in one year old barrels and the remaining 30% is vinified in vats. The wine is aged on its lees for at least six months. The white wine is sold an AOC Bordeaux wine.

The annual production at Lynch Bages is close to 35,000 cases depending on the vintage.

The also make a 2nd wine, which was previously known as Chateau Chateau Haut Bages Averous. However, the estate changed its name to Echo de Lynch Bages beginning with the 2007 vintage. The estate recently added a third wine, Pauillac de Lynch-Bages.



— 8 years ago

Rafael Docavo

9.0

Best red from Osprey's so far. Floral bouquet with berries and a hint of tobacco. No discordant notes with a lingering, pleasant finish. Standing up to and getting along just fine with blue cheese. A keeper. #everydaygems — 11 years ago

Dan Petroski

Owner/Winemaker Massican Wines

8.9

A runner up in the flight. Seductive on the char/smokey and savory side, with compact, juicy fruit that filled the palate. Showing well. — 12 years ago

Sean Nelson

9.2

21st Amendment IPA. In a can. — 12 years ago

Gavin Baum

9.3

Third time trying this. Tightly coiled and reminiscent of young Meursault on popping the cork, with a certain reductive flintiness to its wonderfully pure Jonagold apple fruit. After being open for a couple days the wine is altogether more expressive, with creme brulee, almond, and bread dough aromas complementing its still vibrant core of orchard fruit and minerality. Strikingly rich and sumptuous for its relatively modest alcohol and lip-smacking acid structure. Given how positively it evolved and unfurled with a few days worth of oxygen, I'd lay this down for at least a couple years. Hats off. — 7 years ago

Sandeep palit

9.0

Like any ‘9.0’ wine, patience and a lot of swirling is needed to appreciate it! — 7 years ago

Solomon Jones

8.9

free run verdelho is a lovely drop. Would happily drink with or without food. — 8 years ago

Andrej Simcenko

9.5

Highly recommended wine with very rich and round taste. — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.5

Pichon Dinner. Flight 3, Wine 3. Red Wine of the Night for me. Still dark red, subtle cigar box, smooth and balanced. All the reds were excellent l, but this was a step above the others. Thank you to Spectrum crew Chris, Kerry, Jason and Dan for setting this up. A great evening of food and wine. — 9 years ago

with Kerry, Christopher and 1 other

James Parker Huston, CWE

Sommelier Charlie Palmer

9.6

Keep on rocking in the free world! — 10 years ago

Jusden Aumand

9.1

I loved this wine. Very bright and crisp. Perfect for 85 degrees. — 10 years ago

Lisa Andrews

9.0

Love that is organic and preservative free less of a hangover — 10 years ago

Raul Puga

9.0

Nice and refreshing. #flakeys #2016 — 10 years ago

Mark Oldman

10

Dom Perignon 1964, in magnum, shared today with Jacques Pepin on a Global Express 5000 to the Aspen Classic. I brought a Spanish porron (i.e., wine bong) and Jacques was game. Incredibly, the Champagne still had bubble, along with terrific hazelnut, brioche flavors. The landing was extra smooth and Jacques – In his cool broken English – said he thought it was because the flight attendant must have slipped him some of the DP. Fine by me. Best pre-1970's Champagne I've had.
— 11 years ago

Jon Christensen

9.4

Delicious — 11 years ago

Rob Gardner

9.6

Great wine for very little money. — 12 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.7

Another beautiful btl that shows no signs of slowing down. This was exotic & rich showing cherry, plum fruits, cassis, violets, truffle, fruit cake spice & tobacco. Everyone’s favorite of the Bordeaux flight. — 7 years ago

Türküler Oltulu

9.3

hit me baby one more time! — 7 years ago

Michael Piaker

9.0

3 January 2018. ANA Flight 10. — 8 years ago

Mark Eastom

9.3

Holy rotie! Pepper, boysenberry, cured meats, smoke, dried herbs, med tannin and nice acid. After smelling another wine in the flight and going back to the cote, it was total peppered beef jerky. Amazing! Thanks for sharing Doug! — 8 years ago

with Douglas

Jason

Winemaker Futo Wines

9.4

Blind Napa 14 tasting, 1st flight. Maybe the most forward young Togni I have tried- layered with plenty of nuance. Would like to revisit the Dominus- as this was not a good showing and may have been an off bottle — 8 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Great Cali wine! Was the consensus number one wine of a tough Cali flight including 94 Dominus. Unlike the 91 Dominus you know that this is new world from California. Well made with great structure and balance. — 9 years ago

Daniel Leslie

9.4

Although very sweet, still s fantastic Pinot Gris. — 10 years ago

Dave Harris

9.4

Great pre-flight beverage. — 10 years ago

MJ Tsay

10

amazingly so young! favorite of the flight of 2000s — 10 years ago

Jasmine Hirsch

Sales & Marketing Hirsch Vineyards, founder In Pursuit of Balance

9.4

Last night's Rousseau flight. 1993 was my favorite. — 11 years ago

Melissa Marrapese

9.0

My perfect Chardonnay! Crisp, fruity and pairs well with risotto ! — 11 years ago

with Alex

Chantal Forthun

Winemaker Flowers Vineyard & Winery

9.7

Favorite of barbaresco flight. So fresh. Good drinking. — 13 years ago