Chateau Lynch Bages 2014

This brilliant and approachably drinkable Lynch Bages is a balance of dark fruit, blackcurrants and developing spice on the nose. The palate is full-bodied for Lynch, soft and concentrated with a gorgeous mouthfeel that is seductive, nuanced and polished. The finish is spectacular. This vintage sees the blend use 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, which is high for a vintage that saw lesser properties unable to cope with the water stress from the unbalanced growing season.

"It has a very attractive bouquet with crisp blackberry, sous-bois and graphite aromas that are very controlled. No frills here, but it does not need them. The palate is medium-bodied with taut tannins and again, crisp acidity. I like the line here - nicely focused with a grainy finish. Very fine." Tasted April 2013. Neal Martin, 92 Points

"A fruity wine for the vintage with dense tannins. Full body, with impressive structure. Long finish. Generous and attractive. I like the balance and precision for the vintage" James Suckling 94 Points

Chateau Lynch Bages nearly sells itself. Seriously good and immensely long-living, this is one of the finest red Bordeaux properties of the last four decades and with only one or two vintages that could ever be considered to be anything other than excellent, they have a serious pedigree to back up their reputation. Classified by the awful hand of fate as only a fifth growth in the 1855 classification, they have consistently proven their worth to be of much higher worth and it is widely agreed that if any reclassification were ever to be done again (it won't), Lynch Bages would be very much the beneficiary of it.

2014 was the smallest vintage in size since 1991, which was particularly difficult for most Bordeaux Chateaux. As ever, the Cazes' patience was properly rewarded. It is a powerful, complex, elegant and classically structured Lynch Bages that is reminiscent of the excellent 2006.