CHATEAU LYNCH-BAGES Pauillac Grand Cru

WS: 94

This vintage was a modern benchmark for the estate. Intense aromas and flavors of berry, currant, mint and light toasty oak. Full, round and refined, with a long, long finish. Gorgeous. Drinking beautifully.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now.

WA:94

My last bottle of the 1982 Lynch-Bages continues to drink very well indeed, exhibiting rich aromas of crème de cassis, blackberries, licorice, sweet loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, broad and unctuous, it's fleshy and textural, with sweet, ripe tannins, low acidity and a long, expansive finish. It's fully mature, but it hasn't evolved much over the last decade; so, there appears to be no danger of imminent decline.

VN: 95

I tasted the 1982 Lynch-Bages twice within a month, both at a private dinner in London and at the château, from bottle and double-magnum on separate occasions. Both vindicate an exceptionally fine 1982, perhaps a bit overlooked in a vintage full of stars. Curiously, the bottle in Bordeaux does not fully deliver the mesmerizing freshness and energy compared to the bottle in London: pencil-lead-tinged black fruit intermixed with clove and freshly-rolled tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, perhaps just a little austere compared to its peers. Yet, indeed, the bottle in London exudes class and composure with a detailed, mineral-driven vintage belying that year's unseasonably warm period. Superb. Tasted both in London at a private dinner and at the château.