2018 Château Lynch Bages Pauillac Grand Cru Classé

The founder of Lynch-Bages is the Irish John Lynch who settled in Bordeaux in the 17th century. The village of Bages is the home base of the château. Since 1933, Lynch-Bages has been managed by the Cazes family, an institution in the Médoc and a famous name in the world of wine. Third generation André Cazes was mayor of the municipality of Pauillac from 1947 to 1991. His son Jean-Michel has been managing the family estate for several decades. His motto is; "great wine in search of the absolute". Given the appreciation for and status of Lynch-Bages, this 'absolute' has been reasonably achieved. Officially, the château has the status of 5th Grand Cru Classé, but unofficially it is considered to be one of the greatest in the Médoc. The other parts of the family business can also be described as very successful. Cordeillan-Bages, winery, hotel and best restaurant in the area and restaurant/caterer Le Chapon Fin in Bordeaux are good examples of this. Father André founded the Commanderie du Bontemps de Médoc in the late 1940s and Jean-Michel can call himself the founder of the École du Bordeaux. In short, a moving family in the world of wine.

After a particularly wet winter with variable temperatures, the wine season started with a slightly late bud break. However, thanks to the mild temperatures in early April, it followed a normal pattern. The 2018 vintage was then characterised by two periods. The first had relatively mild temperatures but heavy rainfall, from March to early July. The second period started in mid-July with beautiful summer weather, high temperatures and abundant sunshine. Full flowering took place in line with the 20-year average. Thanks to ideal weather conditions, the harvest started on 19 September with Merlot and was followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot until 9 October. On arrival in the cellar, the hygienic state of the grapes was perfect, with a rich sugar content and exceptional polyphenols. The alcoholic fermentation was simple and homogeneous and the average fermentation time was 21 days. During the discharge from 15 to 29 October, the barrels produced juice yields below expectations. Then came the time for malolactic fermentation, one third of which took place in barrels and two thirds in casks. It was completed in November. In December the first blends were carried out.

The Lynch Bages 2018 is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The wine has matured for 18 months in French oak barrels (75% new). Lynch-Bages 2018 offers a seductive mouthfeel with powerful yet silky tannins. On the palate there is a strong prelude of dark chocolate, rosemary and spices on a fresh core, leading to a long finish.

FACT : In the Tab: Attachment you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send it to you when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to collect the wine you will often also receive a nice discount. You will see the possible discount immediately if you choose Collection on the Checkout page. We are located almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for address.