1978 Lynch Bages

[JimHow]

So I "won" a case of 1978 Lynch Bages at a recent K&L auction.
I was the only bidder! Most likely because the descriptions of the bottles indicated that some of them were damaged.
MichaelP was kind enough to pick up my wines and have them shipped to me.
Upon receiving them, i just saw nothing that looked like they were damaged in any way.
Eight of the capsules spinned nicely, maybe a little scuffing on some of the labels, but levels looked fine to me, everything looked great.
I uncorked one bottle, the wine was magnificent!
It was a little acerbic at first sip, but then after about 15 minutes it just blossomed beautifully into a classic old styled Pauillac from Lynch.
Just beautiful, elegant, medium bodied, aged, cedary, with tobacco and leather, everything you would expect from a 41 year old Pauillac.
I uncorked a second bottle this past Friday night for our annual gathering of our law school "study group" <rolls eyes>, and it was brilliant again, just a beautiful, medium weight aged Lynch.
Great stuff, I am VERY happy to have ten more bottles!
And thanks again MichaelP for helping me out!

[DavidG]

Well done!

[AKR]

very nice

[dstgolf]

Sounds great and nice to roll the dice and get lucky!

[stefan]

I did not bid because of the condition of the bottles. Glad I did not as you were able to get a good score.

[JimHow]

Indeed, I'm happy with K&L so far, it really looks to me like they erred on the side of being overly negative.
Each bottle is consistently low neck.

[Blanquito]

I thought the bottle of this that Stefan and Lucie brought to the wine lunch at BWE Denver was really outstanding and requiring no further Blanquitoing.

[JimHow]

Yes that's why I bidded on this case!
Ok we will Howquito the wine soon!

[DavidG]

Those look top shoulder. Is that concerning for a 1978, or was there something else about them that concerned you Stefan?
Glad they turned out so well!

[stefan]

Not especially, David. I might have bid if the lot contained just a few bottles, especially since the wine showed well in Denver.

[Comte Flaneur]

Well done Jim, make sure you bring one to France in March...

[JimHow]

Will do!

[robert goulet]

Boooom!! Pristine looking labels..Well done, nice score!

[Claudius2]

Jim
I am rather surprised that after 41 years, the wine is still in such good shape.
I bought a case (OWC) of the exact same wine at auction in Sydney during the 90's and I distinctly remember the style.
Drunk in the mid to late 90's, it was Burgundy coloured, translucent in the glass, a bit lighter than expected, with an autumnal character of forest floor, cedar and red fruit.
From memory, 78 was the first so-called "miracle" vintage that was saved by warm dry weather late in the season, following poor weather for much of it.
I imagine that the fruit has changed to more tertiary characters, but I drank the entire case over a few years, often with French food, without expecting that it would last another 20 or so years.
You notes suggest that weight is not necessary to enable long keeping.

[OrlandoRobert]

I uncorked a second bottle this past Friday night for our annual gathering of our law school "study group" <rolls eyes>

#nerds

I never did join a study group, didn’t want collective thought bringing down my IQ. I did start a wine group, however. Did that at my firm when I started as well, and some of us still get together. This is is beauty of wine, brings good people together. I keep a wine fridge in my office, partly for storage and partly for the social.

When are you down to FL?

[JimHow]

Yeah, Orlando, the "study group" met exactly once to study.
The rest of the time it met to drink heavily.
I'll be in FLA in February, hopefully I can schedule time to get together.

Claudius:
Indeed, I was reluctant to bid on it, but I figured the price would be right if nobody else bid.
Parker originally gave this a low score but the scores have actually increased over the years.
Like Patrick said, Stefan brought one in Denver and it was a beauty.
It is certainly a medium bodied wine but I don't recall looking too carefully at the color.
The first two bottles anyway have been very lovely. They have achieved Howquito.
I'll bring one to France 2020!

[Claudius2]

Jim
I must admit I think I under-rated it too.
Over here in Singapore or even when living in Australia, I was always cautious of buying older wines at auction for the simple reason that both countries are not ideal for storage.
I started buying wine at auctions in the 80's and had more disappointments than successes, but with a few gems mixed in.
You are lucky that there is a supply of old wines that have been well stored and have matured gracefully.
cheers
Mark