Château Lynch-Bages, 2020
Château Lynch-Bages, 2020
- 75cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
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Optimal drinking window: 2029 - 2055
Daring, innovative and with a reputation for often being the last to harvest, Jean-Charles Cazes defined the style of Lynch-Bages in the 1930's.
The wine's distinctive character has earned it a place amongst Pauillac's greatest. It combines structure, finesse and elegance, offering generous aromas in its youth and developing deeper complexities with bottle age.
This wine is offered in individual original wooden boxes.
What the critics say:
"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."
"A superb Lynch Bages that grabs you and carries you through the palate, slowly edging forward. Poised with a ton of slate and pencil lead on the finish, this is pure Pauillac, just so precise and full of character, so much grip, it's classic with a mouthwatering finish, feels profound but thoroughly approachable. 75% new oak, 3.73ph. First vintage in new winery."
The Lynch-Bages vineyards sit on classic Pauillac gravel beds over limestone and clay subsoils, positioned on the Bages plateau just outside the town. This well-draining terroir forces the vines to dig deep, concentrating flavours whilst the gravel stores heat to aid ripening. The maritime influence from the Gironde estuary moderates temperatures, creating the perfect conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon to achieve full phenolic ripeness whilst retaining the graphite minerality that defines great Pauillac.
Pauillac sits at the heart of the Médoc's gravelly Left Bank, home to three of Bordeaux's five First Growths and a constellation of exceptional estates. The appellation demands a minimum 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc combined, though the best properties lean heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and longevity. Where St-Julien offers elegance and St-Estèphe delivers power, Pauillac strikes the perfect balance between both, producing wines with immediate appeal yet decades of aging potential.
The 2020 Bordeaux vintage began with one of the wettest winters on record, followed by a scorching summer that nearly broke temperature records across the region. What could have been a disaster became salvation: those deep winter water reserves carried the vines through the heat, while the dry conditions from July onwards concentrated flavours beautifully. The harvest started early and moved quickly, with most châteaux picking under ideal September skies.
We find 2020 Bordeaux surprisingly charming for such a hot year - the wines show ripe, generous fruit without the baked character you might expect. The Merlot-based Right Bank wines are particularly successful, displaying plush damson and blackberry flavours with enough freshness to keep them lively. Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank delivers power and concentration, though some properties struggled more than others with the heat. Most 2020s are drinking beautifully now - this isn't a vintage that demands decades of patience, and we rather like that about it.
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