CHÂTEAU LYNCH BAGES

Inky plum in colour, you can see this is rich and textured even before going anywhere near the nose, which then displays ripe fruit. Gorgeous quality, a wine that is packed full of graphite, pencil lead, waves of violet, cassis, liqourice, and chewy but well defined tannins. Leaps out of the glass and is clear proof that, when it gets it right, the 2014 vintage equals the 2015 in this northern sector of the Médoc. Good value also compared to the 2015 and 2016 - a must buy for me. 70% new oak, Eric Boissenot consultant. Drinking range: 2024 - 2044 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2022)

Deep crimson. Rather rich and glamorous. Dense and velvety but not at all sweet. Dry minerally finish. Very Pauillac! Just as it should be. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)

The 2014 Lynch-Bages is just as powerful and dense from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and bold, it possesses remarkable richness in all of its dimensions. Ripe red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and rose petal all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's sheer amplitude today that is quite remarkable. It will need quite a bit of cellaring to be at its best, and is clearly built to age. This is a terrific showing from the Cazes family. The blend is 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2024 - 2044 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)

This has beguiling hints of plum cake and melted licorice peeking out, while a core of cassis and blackberry confiture waits in reserve. There’s ample grip, but this remains very polished and integrated, with lovely echoes of anise and fruitcake showing through the very lengthy finish. Will be hard to keep your hands off this while it ages. Drinking range: 2019 - 2035 Rating: 94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2017)

The Château Lynch Bages 2014 is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot matured in 75% new oak. Yields were a respectable 40 hectoliters per hectare, although that figure is less than Jean-Charles Cazes predicted earlier in the season. The nose is well defined with veins of graphite infusing the black fruit: quite strict for Lynch Bages, a little reserved at this early stage. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin, racy acidity although the pH is around 3.7, linear and a little austere on the finish. This is tightly coiled at the moment, gritty in the mouth but I like the Pauillac typicité here – not a million miles away from Grand Puy Lacoste in style. This deserves respect and I suspect it will age with the style of Jean-Charles's father, who turned 80 on the day of my visit. Drinking range: 2018 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

Very well-expressed natural concentration of fruit, very ripe tannins and lots of complexity to come. A richly textured, firmly structured wine with the Lynch-Bages hallmarks for the future. (Highly Recommended Pauillac, Decanter.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 92 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)

A huge, dense wine, the 2014 Lynch-Bages rips out of the glass with layers of intense fruit. Huge swaths of tannin provide the framework for a decidedly extroverted, boisterous Pauillac. Hints of dark red and purplish-hued fruit, spices, new leather and cedar gradually open up, but it is the wine's explosive personality that speaks most loudly at this stage. I don't quite see the finesse of the very best Pauillacs. It will be interesting to see if that develops in the coming years. The blend is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. At present, the 2014 is aging in 75% new barrels. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)

Blackish crimson. Sweet and luscious and almost with black-cherry super-ripe aromas! A note of something charred here. Pretty interesting. Lots of work to overpower the tannins. Should make very good old bones to chew over. Long and glamorous. Tasting it blind, I guessed it was Lynch. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)

Fresh, fragrant, violets, mint the nose has a floral charm the start of the palate fresh. Rich in the middle with sweet ripe fruit fine tannins suppleness and fleshiness. The rich mix of black fruits gives depth at the back the finish although full of rich black fruits has brightness and elegance. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 92-95 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)

Fans of this château, of whom there are many, should be delighted with the quality of its 2014 release, which is up there with the super second growths. It's a very complete, harmonious wine, even at this young age, with superb oak integration, noble tannins and impressive fruit density. A 20 year wine. (One of Tim's Top 10 Left Bank Reds.) Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)

This has fascinating aromas already with blackcurrants and cassis. Hints of spices. It’s full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and a long, focused finish. Muscular but toned and beautiful. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2015)

Offers lovely weight and feel, with a big core of plum, blackberry and black currant fruit that manages to show refinement, while ample charcoal and warm stone notes flow underneath. This is displaying terrific depth and purity today. Rating: 93-96 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2015)