2016 Lynch Bages -- and the fate of the world -- has been uncorked.

[JimHow]

And so the time has come....

[JimHow]

I recall back in the mid to late 1990s, when my love affair with Bordeaux began, I drank many bottles of 1989 Lynch Lynch Bages, purchased at about $45 per bottle around that time. The experiences with that young wine were absolutely thrilling, and help to feed an obsession with Bordeaux that remains unabated today, going on three decades later. I have waited for decades to be thrilled by Lynch to that same degree, but nothing has come close. Will this wine meet the challenge?

[Blanquito]

I hope the 2016 can be the restoration of the once-great Lynch “Jimmie” Bages.

[JimHow]

I will not decant it, but it will be granted a full and fair hearing, with a ribeye, cole slaw, and a certain Maine chocolate delicacy that, well, will test the Pauillac from the plateau to its limits. There will be no excuses. It will be assessed with the fairness and wisdom of Solomon, with an awareness of the Second Growth consequences at stake....

[JimHow]

As an aside, you should all read this week's The New Yorker article on CeCe Moore and genetic genealogy, the big issue in my Alaska case.
I got to cross examine CeCe in one of the pretrial hearings in my case, she'll be a likely witness at the trial this winter...

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021 ... MNYR012019

[JimHow]

Ruby/purple on the rim...

[Dionysus]

The suspense!!!

As a BWE'er, I appreciate that patience is revered, but COME ON JIM!!!! WE NEED TO KNOW!!!!

[JimHow]

I'm about 55% through the bottle, Dio...
I'm being cautious here, there is a lot at stake.

[Nicklasss]

I would have never thought that this case of Lynch Bages would be judged on a Monday night... Well it is a tough job Jim, and hoping you'll stay near your eternal fairness about judging red Bordeaux wines.

the 2016 can surely give the best that Lynch Bages can give, so if it doesn't make the cut...

So I guess that decision about Lynch Bages will impact the World even more than what have been negociated and signed at the COP26...

Maybe you can give us a teaser : with 55 % of the bottle down, is it better than the 2012 Château Barde-Haut?

[Gerry M.]

With 2 mags, a six-pack and a 375ml in the cellar, the suspense is too much to take.

[JimHow]

I'm well past the 3/4 point of this bottle.
En attendant, I am waiting...
I am waiting for Godot.
You know what this is feeling like?
I remember back to the 2000 American presidential election.
I remember being on the phone with my Mom, a big Dem, it was about 11pm eastern time, we were waiting for that slam dunk from south Florida that was going to pull us over the top.... And then, suddenly, Karl Rove came on the screen.... And he said that the Bush campaign's numbers weren't matching with the networks, they had Dubya ahead, the numbers just weren't coming in as strong as expected from Brevard, Broward, Miami-Dade counties. That's kind of what I'm waiting for, here, Godot like, those final numbers to come in from south Florida....

After a while, it becomes like hoping for a miracle....

[William P]

By the time you announce this, I'll need a new heart valve replacement.

[JimHow]

2016 Lynch Bages
My first encounter with this wine.
I paid a lot of money for it, over $150, in NH, albeit tax- and shipping-free.
I have previously declared 2016 as possibly the greatest vintage ever produced in Bordeaux.
The beauty of Bordeaux, of course, is that the "greatest" may not necessarily match personal favorites, like, in my case, 2002, 2014, etc.
But nonetheless, 2016, by any measure, is a compelling vintage.
I have many bottles from the 2014, 2015, and 2016 vintages in my cellar.
They are three distinctive vintages.
One of my complaints has been that, as impeccable as the 2016 vintage may be, there is a "sameness" to the vintage.
That does not always seem to have been the case.
There have been many wines that I have consumed from 2016 that have been absolutely profound.
On the other hand, there have been numerous efforts from 2016 that, while technically correct, have struck me as having a "sameness," an "uninteresting" quality.
Chateau Lynch Bages was the wine that ultimately led to the creation of "Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts." www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com.
In the second half of the 1990s, I bought and drank many bottles of the 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, which I consider to be the greatest wine ever produced, from any vintage, in any region, in the history of the human species.
Even while drinking it so young -- less than a decade old -- it was a breathtakingly thrilling experience.Velvety. Purple. Cedar, stunningly, quintessentially Pauillac.
I'm getting NONE of that thrill here.
This wine is GPL-like, underperforming its terroir.
The nose is "nice"... but nothing approaching the 1996 Lynch, or the 2000, or... the 1989... Actually, the 1996 Lynch rivals the '89 on the nose if not in the same league on the palate....
Ian, you now I love you, man... You are a brother to me....
I am just not even close to seeing it....
This 2016 Chateau Lynch Bages is a beauty, but it is 93 points at best....
Nothing even close to approaching the 100+ effort of the 1989 Lynch, or the 98 point effort of the 1990.
I so wanted to rate this differently.
I bought one bottle, with the expectation of buying another case, based upon your reviews.
I am not going to buy even another single bottle.
At this point, I'm going to cancel my plans of buying a case of the 2019 Lynch....
I'm sorry, my man, I just haven't seen anything compelling about this estate since 1989.
The 2016 is a "nicely made" wine....
That ain't good enough, bro.
It seems to me like the son has failed the father in assuming this hallowed property.
2016 Chateau Lynch Bages should be infinitely better in this epic Bordeaux vintage. It is not.
Good, but not great.
I'll rate the 2016 Lynch, generously, at 93 points....
More importantly, I'm going to move it from ranking #41, last among the fourth growths, to #42, first among the fifth growths, in my reclassification of the 1855 wines of the Gironde...
In other words, I'm moving it back to fifth growth status.... Back to where it belongs...
Give me MANY other Bordeaux over this wine... Lafon Rochet, Sociando Mallet, Giscours, Calon Segur, Brane Cantenac, d'issan, etc., etc., etc.
The list goes on and on....
Such a disappointment.

[OrlandoRobert]

I similarly have very fond memories of 1990, 1989 and 1986, getting into Bordeaux out of law school around the same time as you developing your passion. I have not tried a Lynch more recent than a 2005, but will concur, tough to compare to those amazing, classic vintages on which we cut our teeth. Perhaps some romanticism there, too, but I often wonder whether that was the pinnacle of Bordeaux, that era.

[JimHow]

I totally agree, OB.
It’s actually kind of sad.
I was really expecting something profound from Lynch + 2016.
It ended up being nothing more than GPL + 2016, another Plain Jane.
Sigh…
The world seems to be in a bad place these days.

[JimHow]

My final Left Bank Reclassification:

First Growths

1. Lafite Rothschild
2. Margaux
3. Haut Brion
4. Mouton Rothschild
5. Latour

Second Growths

6. Pichon Longueville Baron
7. Montrose
8. La Mission Haut Brion
9. Ducru Beaucaillou
10. Leoville Las Cases
11. Palmer
12. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
13. Cos d’Estournel
14. Leoville Barton

Third Growths

15. Calon Segur
16. Smith Haut Lafitte
17. Haut Bailly
18. Brane Cantenac
19. Rausan Segla
20. Pape Clement
21. Giscours
22. d'Issan

Fourth Growths

23. Pontet Canet
24. Clerc Milon
25. Branaire Ducru
26. Gruaud Larose
27. Leoville Poyferre
28. Sociando Mallet
29. Lafon Rochet
30. Beychevelle
31. Malescot St. Exupery
32. Duhart Milon
33. du Tertre
34. Talbot
35. Lagrange
36. Lascombes
37. Prieure Lichine
38. Domaine de Chevalier
39. D’Armailhac
40. Kirwan

Fifth Growths

41. Lynch Bages
42. La Lagune
43. Gloria
44. Meyney
45. Malartic Lagraviere
46. Cantemerle
47. Chasse Spleen
48. Haut Batailley
49. Batailley
50. Langoa Barton
51. St. Pierre
52. Cantenac Brown
53. Boyd Cantenac
54. Les Ormes de Pez
55. Phelan Segur
56. de Lamarque

[Chateau Vin]

Hmmm... I wonder maybe it’s closing...

For my taste, I felt that 2009 is better than 2016, and 2016 better than 2010...

[Gerry M.]

I similarly have very fond memories of 1990, 1989 and 1986, getting into Bordeaux out of law school around the same time as you developing your passion. I have not tried a Lynch more recent than a 2005, but will concur, tough to compare to those amazing, classic vintages on which we cut our teeth. Perhaps some romanticism there, too, but I often wonder whether that was the pinnacle of Bordeaux, that era.

My wine epiphany came in the late ninties and I never really tasted wines from the eighties in their youth so I lack your perspective on comparing the evolution. However, after falling in love with wines from the eighties with their rusticity, earthiness and dark concentration, I cannot envision any wines from this century capturing those qualities as they age.

My sense is those wines from the eighties captured more of the essence of the terroir while "modern" vintages are more manipulated to achieve an end result rather than best expressing what nature offered up. I do believe climate change has come into play this century and will play an even greater factor going forward.

As a result, I'm beginning to wonder if it is really fair to compare wines from the 80's to now? The playing field has changed and will continue to change. I fear we may be looking at a future of 16-17% alchohol wines in 10 years or less unless some drastic changes are made. Your comment on "romanticism" in looking back at the 80's compared to today is quite valid I fear.

[JimHow]

There is no doubt you are correct, Gerry and OB. There is no doubt that the wines of today at the 5-10 year mark bear little resemblance of the wines of the 80s at the 5-10 year mark. It’s kind of sad. Parker and the oil and coal industries have ruined Bordeaux.

[Comte Flaneur]

I am devastated

Inconsolable

[Comte Flaneur]

Seriously though popping and pouring a wine of this calibre at the age of five almost guarantees it won’t show well.

Now I am the first to admit that 85 and 89 Lynch showed great at age five. But these are quirky wines. I am sure that the Elder and Great Sage of BWE, resident of College Station, Tx, would agree that aged five is about the worst time to drink a great classed growth from a great vintage like 2016.

I went to two 2016 tastings soon after the vintage was released. I was the first to flag on BWE its greatness. That it is the greatest modern vintage of all time, and that the word ‘modern’ is probably superfluous.

I tasted the Lynch back then 3-4 years ago next to the two Pichons and GPL. They were all wonderful, and very evenly matched 95-97 pt wines, with the pecking order being PLL, PB, Lynch, GPL. The GPL was by far the best wine that estate had ever made. I put my money where my mouth is and own all of them.

Last year I participated in quite a few zoom verticals and it was abundantly clear that the 2016s were closing down hard in 2020. I would expect them to be shut down hard now, as yours obviously was Jim.

I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams pop and pour a 2016 of this calibre, and even less so jump to wild conclusions based on a shut down wine with little opportunity to express itself. If I was the judge I would throw out the evidence as being inadmissible, and even request that the person presenting his case - masquerading as material evidence - pay the court costs for wasting everyone’s time.

A better way to do it would have been to take an older vintage. Like La Conseillante on the RB, Lynch does not make wines that could be drunk very young like they did in the 1980s, but the best way to resolve this matter is that we organise a Lynch Bages dinner - somewhere like New York City - in 2022 or even 2023 and get as many vintages as possible - and double decant the younger wines. Only then can we collectively come to an informed judgement about the deserved status of this wine.

Based on my experiences, especially my recent experiences, with the 1995 and 2004, which romped home to victory in horizontal tasting dinners, Lynch deserves its super second accolade. And the market agrees.

[Comte Flaneur]

Let’s see what the other experts say about 2016 Lynch Bages:

9/21/2019 - JEFF LEVE WROTE: 97 Points
With a nose of cedar, cigar box, tobacco leaf, smoke, red fruits and spicy aromas create the complex aromatics. Pour the wine into your glass and it only takes a single sip to know this is a stunner. The wall of juicy, ripe, sweet red fruits never quits. The wine is powerful, stoic, refined and generous. If you are a Lynch Bages fan, you need this in your cellar. Lay this down for 12-15 years and enjoy it over the next 30 years or more!.

Jeff wouldn’t agree with you Jim…but Jeff wisely notes you need to lay this down for 12-15 years and drink it over the next 30

[Comte Flaneur]

Neither does Keith Levenberg Jim

10/4/2019 - KEITH LEVENBERG favorite LIKES THIS WINE: 96 Points
Knockout of a Lynch-Bages from the very first sip. It's packed with aromas of pitch-black fruit, cigar box, and the textbook Pauillac lead-pencil shavings. The fruit on the palate is equally intense with a saturating, tongue-staining density of black fruit with a taut, curranty snap that reminds me of the best aspects of the 2014, which adds a nice counterpoint to its rich, saucy concentration. The structure clenches up a little bit with time and the tannins turn edgier and more abrupt, but the sheer richness of the fruit ought to give this a pretty nice window of pretty thrilling drinking before it closes down.

Keith noted that it hadn’t closed down when he tried it but suggested this was inevitable…

[Comte Flaneur]

How about Neal Martin?

The 2016 Lynch Bages is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot with 13.7% alcohol and an IPT of 95, the highest ever for this property and probably one of the highest on the Left Bank this vintage. It was picked between from 27-30 September for the young vines, then the picking team stopped, restarting on 3 October with the Merlot and the Cabernets finished on 12 October. This vintage is matured in 75% new oak. It has a very concentrated, almost opaque bouquet that required some coaxing from the glass, developing floral and crushed limestone scents with time: disarmingly fresh and with stunning vivacity. The palate is concentrated and tannic, although they are not obtrusive and appear neatly embroidered into the multi-layered black fruit. This is a classic Lynch Bages with ambition and recalls vintages like 1990, a Lynch Bages built for long-term ageing. That arching backbone is counterbalanced by the keen line of acidity and a freshness that knows no bounds. There is ethereal delineation and tension on the finish, but I would give this at least ten years in bottle to enjoy this audacious Lynch Bages at its peak. Maybe the biggest surprise of the vintage, this has all the makings of a sensational wine. Drink 2026 - 2060.

97/99

Hmm…97-99 pts, that is a very high score, another one who disagrees with you Jim…another who empathises them need to ‘give this at least ten years in bottle’… I see a pattern emerging here…

[OrlandoRobert]

I similarly have very fond memories of 1990, 1989 and 1986, getting into Bordeaux out of law school around the same time as you developing your passion. I have not tried a Lynch more recent than a 2005, but will concur, tough to compare to those amazing, classic vintages on which we cut our teeth. Perhaps some romanticism there, too, but I often wonder whether that was the pinnacle of Bordeaux, that era.

My wine epiphany came in the late ninties and I never really tasted wines from the eighties in their youth so I lack your perspective on comparing the evolution. However, after falling in love with wines from the eighties with their rusticity, earthiness and dark concentration, I cannot envision any wines from this century capturing those qualities as they age.

My sense is those wines from the eighties captured more of the essence of the terroir while "modern" vintages are more manipulated to achieve an end result rather than best expressing what nature offered up. I do believe climate change has come into play this century and will play an even greater factor going forward.

As a result, I'm beginning to wonder if it is really fair to compare wines from the 80's to now? The playing field has changed and will continue to change. I fear we may be looking at a future of 16-17% alchohol wines in 10 years or less unless some drastic changes are made. Your comment on "romanticism" in looking back at the 80's compared to today is quite valid I fear.

We are speaking the same language! All these advances in winemaking techniques and practices, IMHO, while perhaps making things more consistent, have also made wines more glossy and ubiquitous. Not all, of course, but many. I still seek out wines made in a more traditional, if not slightly rustic, style. Thinking Sociando, Levet Cote Rotie, Lanessan (pre-2015), Richoux Irancy, Clos Jaugueyron (Medoc and Margaux), Raffault Les Picasses, Champet Cote Rotie, Sky Vineyards Zin, et al. I also avoid the riper years, I honestly prefer vintages like 2014, 2008, 2001 etc. to the more acclaimed vintages like 2018, 2015, 2010 and 2009. Vintage preferences - personal ones, not what the critics tell us to buy - is really quite important in this new climate era.

I do agree with the following posts by Comte that 5 years out is a tough time to check in on a major classified growth in a quality vintage like 2016 (unless it’s one of the lush Rolland St Emilion concoctions that Leve loves. ).

[Racer Chris]

I agree with Comte.

Forest floor dwellers just don't know what it's like to swing in the treetops.

[OrlandoRobert]

I agree with Comte.

Forest floor dwellers just don't know what it's like to swing in the treetops.

That is sous bois dwellers, to you, sir!

[JimHow]

I have factored in the youth of the wine into my analysis. I have consumed many fine northern Medocs, including Lynch, in this window.

I have submitted my opinion. I am a mere country lawyer from Maine. My conscience is clear. I now wash my hands, and defer to the plebeians.

[marcs]

Neither does Keith Levenberg Jim

10/4/2019 - KEITH LEVENBERG favorite LIKES THIS WINE: 96 Points
Knockout of a Lynch-Bages from the very first sip. It's packed with aromas of pitch-black fruit, cigar box, and the textbook Pauillac lead-pencil shavings. The fruit on the palate is equally intense with a saturating, tongue-staining density of black fruit with a taut, curranty snap that reminds me of the best aspects of the 2014, which adds a nice counterpoint to its rich, saucy concentration. The structure clenches up a little bit with time and the tannins turn edgier and more abrupt, but the sheer richness of the fruit ought to give this a pretty nice window of pretty thrilling drinking before it closes down.

Keith noted that it hadn’t closed down when he tried it but suggested this was inevitable…

Levenberg has totally rolled over for the "new-style" engineered Bordeaux. I bought the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier based on his absolute rave review and found it to be a fruity but fairly bland / international styled wine. The guy is a fantastic writer and very smart, love his essays. but I no longer really trust my palate alignment with him. He's kind of joined the "zillion points to everything" club for recent Bordeaux.

I do have the sense that recent Bordeaux has some issues with lack of character and blandness along the lines Jim was pointing out, but I don't taste young recent Bordeaux in the volume that would be needed to make any definitive statements about that, even for my own palate.

[Musigny 151]

Let us begin by stating once more that Lynch now is no longer being run by Jean Michel Cazes. Since he basically retired, the wine has been more going through the motions, rather than aspiring to be the profound wines this estate is capable of. Not great, not bad, and somewhere for me around a third and fourth growth. Price wise, it has become almost impossible to justify buying it, Issan at a third of the price is slightly better.

I have bought four cases of Mouton 2016; three of fifths and one of magnums. This represents a huge purchase for me, but then again, I have never tasted a young claret that good. There are plenty of critics who bandy around 100 point scores for wines barely out of barrel. I don’t, I think it is ridiculous to do so, and when they do, it is not just once but several times in a single vintage. I didn’t with the Mouton although I was tempted, as it is that profound. Close is Cheval, Lafite and Ausone.

But for me, the greatness of the 2016 are in wines further down the line. Not just the Pichons, Ducru, but Issan, Giscours, Beychevelle, Malartic Sociando, Meyney and Chasse Spleen (which is the best I have ever tasted). They are not particularly cheap compared to say 2019, but as the best vintage in recent years, paying a smallish premium makes sense. Unless you are buying Lynch of course.

[Blanquito]

… the best way to resolve this matter is that we organise a Lynch Bages dinner - somewhere like New York City - in 2022 or even 2023 and get as many vintages as possible - and double decant the younger wines. Only then can we collectively come to an informed judgement about the deserved status of this wine.

This is a great idea. Maybe we throw in a contender like Pichon Baron too to serve as a foil.

[marcs]

… the best way to resolve this matter is that we organise a Lynch Bages dinner - somewhere like New York City - in 2022 or even 2023 and get as many vintages as possible - and double decant the younger wines. Only then can we collectively come to an informed judgement about the deserved status of this wine.

This is a great idea. Maybe we throw in a contender like Pichon Baron too to serve as a foil.

I have a good vertical of Pichon Baron from 2000 on (probably my best Bordeaux vertical) so I could do a lot of the heavy lifting on the PB side

In current sports fan vernacular, Pichon Baron is like a perfect “replacement level” second growth

[JimHow]

A Lynch vertical in NYC or DC sounds good to me!

Now take 2010 Pichon Baron…
Now THERE is a second growth wine!
To me, Lynch and PIchon Baron have been going in opposite directions for at least twenty, maybe thirty, years.

To me, Montrose has been making some eye popping wines in the new millennium, stuff that wows me, even at a young or awkward stage.

[Comte Flaneur]

PANOS
11/12/2018 - PANOSKAKAVIATOS LIKES THIS WINE: 97 Points
Northern Médoc sweet spots: pricey and not so pricey (The Médoc): Tasted blind with another 10 Pauillacs, this had some high tones, with the vintage’s acidity, but I got a sense of excellent ripe, dark fruit. With time, it showed much elegance, too. Indeed, the blend turns out to include – like the Pichon Comtesse – 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, but aging in more new oak at 75%. The estate likens the vintage to 2009 and even has a subtitle in its literature “If 6 was 9” (Hendrix fans?). Well, there is a (slightly more) welcoming aspect to this wine, on the attack, as compared to the Comtesse, although the length is not any more impressive. But I just loved the mid palate to what turns out to be none other than a super Château Lynch Bages in 2016 from bottle. For me, this was the wine of the blind tasting – and certainly fulfilled the promise from barrel. Actually 97+. For more information with pictures: http://wine-chronicles.com/blog/norther ... 16-bottle/

[Blanquito]

I don’t have much Lynch Bages in the cellar: the 83, 86, 88, 95, 96 and 16. Since 2000, I have more vintages of Baron.

[OrlandoRobert]

A Lynch vertical in NYC or DC sounds good to me!

Now take 2010 Pichon Baron…
Now THERE is a second growth wine!
To me, Lynch and PIchon Baron have been going in opposite directions for at least twenty, maybe thirty, years.

To me, Montrose has been making some eye popping wines in the new millennium, stuff that wows me, even at a young or awkward stage.

Montrose slays.

I just backfilled more 2005 after a killer bottle over a three hour dinner.

[Racer Chris]

In spite of Jim's opinion, Ch. Lynch-Bages is the 14th most popular wine on Wine-searcher.

[JoelD]

Fair assessment on both sides by Jim and Ian. I'm a big fan of the vintage so far as well, but the only top quality wine i've cracked is the Calon Segur. It didn't give me as much as i'd like and I think it was starting to shut down. This was last year. I think it will really come into it's own. But I could be wrong.

Out of curiosity, have you tried any other higher level 2016's lately, Jim? Say anything that costs over 100 bucks?

[JimHow]

Good question, Joel, I’ve been holding off on my 2016s lately, I drank a lot, both higher and lower end, in the first year or two after release. I had a 2016 Sociando a couple weeks ago that I thought was stunning.

[OrlandoRobert]

But for me, the greatness of the 2016 are in wines further down the line. Not just the Pichons, Ducru, but . . . Chasse Spleen (which is the best I have ever tasted).

Agree 100%. I loaded up on it in 375s.