Tonight I am going to drink a 1989 Chateau Lynch-Bages.

[JimHow]

We only live once, I say....

[rdaytonjr]

I heard the 89 Pichon Baron was good too.

[JimHow]

Lol...

Hey we missed you and Susan in DC, Mr. Dayton. The 1990 Purple Baron was one of the wines of the weekend.

[rdaytonjr]

I saw that.
Susan has a brain aneurysm we dealing with.

[JimHow]

Oh no. I'm sad to hear that, we'll keep her in our thoughts, let us know if you need anything.

[JimHow]

The capsule is spinning, the ullage is in the neck, and the $89.99 + tax tag is still on the bottle....

[JimHow]

Struggled a bit with the cork but the wine is in the decanter and the bouquet is filling the room.

[JimHow]

Oh my, this is absolutely gorgeous on the nose, very similar to that 1990 Pichon Baron from the DC convention. Very open on the nose from the beginning. The first sip is amazing. I'm gonna let this breathe for a bit but man first impressions are that it is ready to rock and roll.

[JimHow]

The color is interesting, similar to that of the bottle in DC, with a slight fading at the rim.

[Nicklasss]

Wooooo, opened a BWE legend tonight. Did you had a ‘’non guilty’’ call from the Court today?

Hope it is not damaged like the one in DC.

[JimHow]

OMG this wine is absolutely stunning.

Yes a good week in court this week, Nicola, but the celebration tonight is that I am going into a three week fast before my upcoming murder trial starting on December 3rd, I usually try to get in shape before these big trials, eat right, exercise, lose a little weight, sleep well, etc. It is the first of three back to back murder trials, the beginning of a rugged three months in court.

This 1989 Lynch Bages is absolutely brilliant, it has been smoking from the start.

[JimHow]

Mmmm an absolutely beautiful tobacco component.

[JimHow]

If anybody knows how I can get this for under $350 all in anywhere, please let me know.
Michael, I think it is time you sell me your case, you aren't going to net more than that at auction after all the premiums, taxes, fees.
Let's cut out the middle man.

1989 Chateau Lynch Bages is the greatest wine ever produced....

I'm just about to get the sirloin off the grill and we'll see how it performs with steak....

Wow.

[JimHow]

I gotta admit, I got a little tear in my eye from this post election Bruce Springsteen video in Toronto. My brother Tom and sister in law Barbara saw him in Montreal the other night for like the gazillionth time, were pretty amazed at the 75 year old New Jerseyite....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23fLpIHZLKo

By the way, did you see those Trump numbers in New Jersey (lost by 5 points last I heard), and Illinois (only 4 points last I heard).

My Joe Manchin-like Maine Democratic congressman Jared Golden is clinging to like a 700 vote lead with like 98% of the vote in, it is going to rank choice....

[JimHow]

It had been a while since I fully analyzed a full bottle of 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, "the greatest wine ever produced in the history of mankind." I have had this wine over 100 times. Jean-Michel Cazes himself wrote me a letter congratulating my love of this wine. He is on record that the 1989 Lynch Bages is his favorite vintage of Lynch, along with the 1959. His daughter this past year told me that it was her father's favorite vintage. It was the apotheosis of the 1980s decade of Lynch Bages, the golden decade of Bordeaux, where wines like Lynch, Gruaud Larose, Leoville Las Cases, and others achieved levels that they have not matched in the Parker era or since. These wines were 12.5% alcohol (like the '89 Lynch), balanced, the perfect combination of power and elegance. Perhaps in part because it has been traded so much, one in ten bottles of 1989 Lynch Bages is off. But when you get one of the good ones, like tonight, it is as magical as it gets. There is no better, more complete wine produced in the history of mankind than the 1989 Chateau Lynch-Bages. It is a 200 year wine that is drinking well now and for the next 150 years. It is a miracle. It is the personification, poster child of Bordeaux, Pauillac at its absolute zenith, before Parker, money, global warming, and erratic alcohol levels started to erode it. For the past decade it seemed to go into another funk, pretty closed for business. Just last week I had a flawed bottle in Washington, DC, with the Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts crowd. But tonight.... Oh baby. It was smoking from the get go. I decanted it but I'm not sure it was even necessary. The bouquet filled the room immediately upon uncorking. The color was deep ruby slightly fading at the rim. It was amazingly forthcoming on the palate from beginning to end, continued to grow in the glass right to the last sip. It displayed a smoothness and subtely that wasn't there ten years ago, but this should not be interpreted as any sign of a more medium effort, this will always be a bruiser. It was smoking with cherries, cedar, spices, cigar box, a tobacco element that really seems to have come to the fore. Cherry + cedar, OMG. The ultimate Pauillac. Grace, beauty, elegance, with the proverbial velvet glove of power. Wow. An amazing, amazing, stunningly complex wine. The personification of Pauillac. I have nine bottles of this left in my cellar. This bottle was obviously superb provenance, with the ullage in the neck, the capsule spinning, the $89.99 plus tax original tag still on the bottle. this is what Bordeaux is all about. The personification of balance. It simply does not get better. Rating: 100+++ points.

[Claudius2]

Jim
Have you tried the 2019 and 2020 Lynch Bages?
The local auctioneer is offering cases of each and I may be able to pick them up at reasonable prices.
Further, there are cases of 2019 and 2020 Montrose, the first you raved about and rated at 100 points.
Also lots of recent vintages of Pichon Baron and Comtesse, Ducru B, LLC, Rauzan Segla, Carmes HB, Mouton and Lafite.

I just bought 6 cases of 2019/2020 classed growths thus I really don't need more, but the Lynch Bages may be had for half the local retail price.
cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

With the possible exception of the 1996 and 2000, Claudius, Lynch Bages has never again matched the greatness of the Jean Michel Cazes era of the 1980s. The 2019 is a good solid B/B+, I have not tried the 2020.

[Nicklasss]

In my book, the young 2019 Lynch Bages is what remind me the most the young 12 yo 1989 Lynch Bages.

The 2019 needs time but is a very concentrated, tannic, and genuine Pauîlac.

[rdaytonjr]

Don't forget Cazes had a hand on Pichon Baron of that era.

[JimHow]

Indeed he did. They don't make them like that anymore.

[DavidG]

Oh no, Rob. Give our best to Susan, wishing her smooth sailing.

Jim, I love your enthusiasm for a good bottle of 1989 Lynch Bages. I may have/have had more bottles of that than any other single wine. I went big on release when it was $33/bottle and loaded up further at about $100. I’ve drunk through about 2 cases over the years and still have 9 bottles in the cellar. It is an immortal wine. Sometimes as perfect as your bottle this time, sometimes still tightly wound. I have not yet come across a damaged bottle, though I didn’t taste the one in DC last month.

[Claudius2]

Guys
I did bid on the 19 Lynch Bages but gave up as the price rose.
it's an online auction so when the buyer's reserve is met, it trades immediately.
I still have my eye on 19 Montrose, 19 and 20 Rauzan Segla, a few vintages of LLC, 19 Conseillante and 20 Canon.
Whilst a bit more expensive than I hoped for, I may up my bids on the 19 Pichon Baron which seems to get good reviews from everyone, as well as the 20 Carmes haut Brion.

cheers
Mark

[stefan]

Lynch-Bages was sooo good in the 1980s and even earlier. Last night we drank 1978 and 1983 Lynch-Bages as well as 1986 Pichon-Lalande, the first with cheese and the latter two with hanger steak. The '78 had a mild off smell that might have been slight TCA, but probably just funk (the cork was soaked through but had no TCA smell), but the 1983 was so good that it rivaled the great 1986 Comtesse. While the once powerful nose of the 1983 Lynch has lessened, the developed pencil lead, cassis, and tobacco are just right for a fine Pauillac of this age. I have enjoyed drinking 1986 Pichon-Lalande for over 20 years. The sterness is now gone, but not the deep black fruited flavor.

[JimHow]

Oh man those are some 1980s Pauillac beauties Stefan.
I had some problems with a case of 1978 Lynch and issues with funkiness, although that '78 Lynch we had at lunch a few years back was a beauty, where were we, in SF or Denver?

[stefan]

I think it was in Denver.

This was not the first challenged bottle of 1978 Lynch we have drunk.

[Claudius2]

Guys
In the mid 90s I bought a full case of the 78 Lynch Bages.
It was a light to medium bodied wine, very autumnal, it could have been confused with Burgundy with its softness, fruitiness, Low tannin and perfumed nose.
It was a very nice wine but I never expected it to last beyond 20 years - it never had the structure for it. I did enjoy this wine - but I sipped it down within a few months after buying it.

I also bought several other vintages of LB - 75, 81, 82, 83 and 85, and by 2000, they were all gone and I don’t regret drinking them at that age. The 81 was quite earthy from memory though all were nice.

Cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

Indeed, Claudius, 1982 was a turning point for Lynch Bages stylistically. The wines before that are earthy, mushrooms, tobacco, old school claret. 1982-1990 are some of the most stunning wines ever produced, a lot of the old school traits but with a new richness of fruit balanced by velvety tannins. Very differently styled from the 1970s Lynches. We can probably say that about most Bordeaux but it seemed especially pronounced to me in the case of Lynch Bages. This 1989 Lynch the other night had a tobacco component that has always been there and has been among the many reasons why I've rated this 100 points over and over, but on this night it was especially pronounced in all its glory.

[Claudius2]

Jim
I will keep my eye out for older vintages of LB but I won’t buy unless the condition is fine.
The eighties were something of a swan song for Bordeaux.
Sure there have been many good vintages since then but the style of wine made then was remarkable.
Cheers
Mark

[DavidG]

The 1988 Lynch Bages is no 1989 but is drinking beautifully now. A somewhat underappreciated vintage if you like classic Bordeaux. I managed to snag 9 of them in excellent shape at auction a few years ago at $124/btl all in.

[stefan]

David, I also am a fan of 1988 Lynch Bages. Sure, it is not at the level of the 1989, but it is a wonderful example of an excellent Pauillac.

Tonight we will drink more Pauillac with stefanJr and Irena with a beef stew Lucie is preparing. We'll start with another 1978; this time Pichon Lalande, and also drink a very young Pichon Baron, the 2014. Not sure what else. This is in preparation for receiving half our Texas household goods tomorrow. This afternoon I will put away 77 bottles of auction wines, mostly Bordeaux, that should be dumped on us within an hour.

[hautbrionlover]

I, too, am a big fan of the 1988 Lynch Bages.
I had bought six bottles for a song back in the ‘90s, but sadly they’re all gone now. It was my daughter’s birth year, and the last one was opened to celebrate a birthday - I think her 30th.