I was very much looking forward to tasting
this wine as it had been recommended to me by a friend who holds it in high
regard-in the same league as the legendary 1989, apparently, which I have yet
to try. Upon opening the bottle the cork was nice and soft: this was obviously
a very well kept bottle of wine. The Lynch Bages’s nose immediately after
opening was the unmistakable smell of mature claret with delicious peppery,
spicy scents. The wine itself was a beautiful and vibrant garnet red in colour
and I also noticed that, surprisingly, this bottle did not throw much sediment
at all which is unusual for a wine of this age. Within roughly five minutes of
pouring my first glass, the Lynch started to close up which started to rectify
itself after fifteen minutes or so. At this point there was not much cedar in
either the nose or mouth which was also quite surprising as this is a classic trait
of the Pauilliac Appellation of which Lynch Bages is a part. Nevertheless,
there were hints of it at times as the wine finally opened up to a lovely spicy
palate with strong hints of cassis on the finish.
The balance between acidity and tannins is
virtually non-existent and it was very acidic indeed having thrown off its
youthful tannins. Should it be consumed right now? I think so! It should also
be noted that towards the end of the bottle the wine suddenly changed and
became tannic for a few minutes leaving us at Moncharm scratching our heads.
This wine needs to be opened, decanted and consumed reasonably quickly as it
will not get any better with time.
Although it was not the best bottle of wine
I have had (I did not expect it to be) it was certainly a pleasure to drink and
a bit of a challenge on the senses at points in the evening-a diversion we all
relished.
 |
| "The Lynch Bages 1985 was very acidic" |
Tasting
Notes
Chateau Lynch Bages 1985 bottle (75cl)
Time
Opened: 19.20pm
Colour:
Garnet Red, slightly starting to show bricking
around the rim but it’s so subtle that you would be forgiven for missing it.
Nose:
Cassis, mature, peppery
Palate:
More pleasant on the palate than the nose, with
nuances of spice box leading up to an acidic, cassis finish.
Final
Comments:
Although quite a challenge and a pleasure
at the same time, it is of my opinion that this Lynch Bages should be
consumed within the next few years as all of us at Moncharm
unanimously agreed that without the tannins the’ 85 would
dry out within about five years. I believe
it to be at its peak right now and cannot see it getting any better in the
future.
Moncharm Ltd
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