Moncharm Chateau Lynch Bages 1997 Tasting

I had the good fortune to be allowed to taste a very small glass of this wine on my lunch break here at Moncharm today. The Lynch Bages is ruby red with no sign of bricking at the rim. Although 1997 is not the greatest vintage across the board, this Fifth growth Pauillac is not disappointing and is still quite pleasant to drink now. I can imagine it pairing with any red meat quite well.  The nose is full of cassis-cedar and spice: typically Pauillac here and no great surprise. The taste is very acidic upon entry, almost too much so, as it overpowers the wine a bit however, there is a fruity blackcurrant on the palate with hardly any tannin.This wine is ready to drink and in my opinion should be consumed fairly soon.

Moncharm  

Chateau Lynch Bages 1985 Tasting

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

http://www.moncharm.co.uk/

Chateau Lynch Bages 1982 Tasting

I first tasted this British favorite on a Thursday evening coupled with a beautiful rib of beef cooked on the barbeque: the two complimented each other perfectly! The bottle was absolutely flawless which was pretty impressive considering it was a duty paid bottle that had no verifiable provenance however it came at a bargain price and would have been rude not to buy it! In hindsight I did not regret this decision one bit.  The second time I tasted this I was very kindly invited to a friends house for dinner again it was accompanied by beef.

Both times the Lynch produced consistent results on the palate and was a very dark and dense rich purple in colour slightly amber around the rim of the glass signifying that it is beginning to mature.The nose reminded me of opening the wonderful fresh box of cigars a friend kindly bought me from Cuba and my mouth was filled with a delicious spicy taste followed by fragrant blackcurrent. If you have a bottle of this I would recommend that you consume it in the next few years as it is most certainly drinking fabulously right now. 

Lynch Bages 1982 Cork

"The Lynch Bages 1982 is drinking beautifully right now"

Tasting Notes        

Lynch Bages 1982 Bottle (75cl)

Time Opened:7.30pm

Colour:Dark purple in colour, with some bricking

Nose: Massive fruit, tobacco, cedar and an earthy spice   

Comments:

“This classy elegant Pauillac is spicy, full and chunky”

“Very vibrant and powerful”

Final Comments:

Considering the market price of this wine right now, I would highly recommend you to pick up a bottle of this before it is all gone as it is quite simply an absolute bargain and punches way above its weight as a fifth growth. Its essential Bordeaux drinking.   

Moncharm