LYNCH BAGES 2010

The 2010 Château Lynch-Bages is straight-up brilliant and shows the quality of this incredible château – as well as the vintage – beautifully. Still deep purple-hued, with a stunningly pure and classic Pauillac nose of cassis, darker currants, smoke tobacco, and lead pencil, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, polished yet substantial tannins, and an awesome finish. This beauty is up with the finest vintages from this château and has another 30-40 years of prime drinking. May 2023

Roasted cedar, tobacco and bay leaf notes start off this structured but lively bottling, with intense currant, blackberry and black cherry flavors at the core. The iron-laced grip and pleasantly austere plum pit and licorice snap accents fill in on the tar-tinged finish. Great range, character and typicity. If you ever need to explain Pauillac to someone, give them this. Best from 2018 through 2037.

The 2010 Lynch-Bages has a tightly wound nose: introverted black fruit, cedar and mint. Touches of iris flower and pencil box both emerge with aeration. These aromatics say: "Come back later." The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine acidity and firm grip. It feels linear towards the finish but is fresh with an attractive underlying marine note that enlivens and lends complexity to the finish. This is outstanding, but it is only for those with patience. Tasted at the Lynch-Bages vertical at the château.

A wine with great beauty and finesse. Such elegance and ethereal quality for this estate. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a juicy delicious finish. Long and beautiful. This is the best Lynch in a long, long time. I love the precision here. Try in 2018.

Still a saturated ruby-black in hue, the 2010 Lynch-Bages offers up aromas of rich cassis fruit mingled with hints of pencil shavings, loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, deep and muscular, it's rich and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit that's framed by firm, powdery tannins and lively acids. The most brooding, backward Lynch-Bages of the decade and one of the real successes of the vintage, this is a vibrant, tightly wound wine that is still an infant at age 10. Readers with bottles in their cellars might try one now out of curiosity, but this 2010 won't begin to hit its stride until age 20. 97pts WK Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Lynch Bages comes sailing out of the glass with notes of redcurrant jelly, black cherry compote and cassis plus wafts of smoked meats, tar, cigar box and dried roses. Full-bodied, the palate is stacked with red and black fruit layers, framed by ripe, firm, fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long. LPB The 2010 Lynch Bages is an absolutely brilliant wine, and somewhat reminiscent at this stage in its development of the profound 1989. Jean-Charles Cazes, who took over for his father a number of years ago, has produced a magnificent wine with the classic creme de cassis note intermixed with smoke, graphite and spring flowers. It is a massive Lynch Bages, full-bodied and very 1989-ish, with notable power, loads of tannin, and extraordinary concentration and precision. This is not a Lynch Bages to drink in its exuberant youth, but one to hold on to for 5-6 years and drink over the following three decades.