The 1995 Lynch Bages was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for almost six hours and served with a roasted trip tip and brussel sprouts cooked in butter and bacon fat.
Lynch Bages has a special place in my cellar which I wrote previously about in Life Lessons, Landmarks and Lynch Bages.
Chateau Lynch Bages dates back to 1728. The winery is located in Pauillac, and is designated a 5th growth as determined by the classification of 1855. In the late 1980’s, the AXA Millésimes group began to develop a portfolio of wine property holdings, and approached Jean-Michel Cazes for help. They established Châteaux & Associates, which Cazes ran until he reached 65, and which by the end of the twentieth century owned many vineyards across Europe. Ownership of Château Lynch Bages, however, remains with the Cazes family.
Crimson in color. 13% ABV. Stunning nose of dark fruits, cedar and leather. There are plenty of soft, lush fruits and meaningful tannins. Medium body with firm acidity. Currants, cassis, plums and tobacco on the palate. The finish is long and supple. Considerably more approachable and enjoyable than the last bottle I had roughly five years ago. I managed to decant this wine for almost six hours and am sure that helped. I have another bottle in the cellar that I will pull the cork on in 2025.
My rating: 93 points.
Current vintages of Lynch Bages are some of the best wines being made in Bordeaux and any young collector should buy selectively.