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Lynch Bages 2011

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

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Label

Tasting Notes

The medium-bodied 2011 Lynch Bages possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as beautiful creme de cassis notes, a generous, concentrated, well-made, medium to full-bodied style and supple tannins. A successful effort in 2011, it should be drinkable in 3-4 years and last for 15+. It is a sleeper of the vintage. Drink 2017-2032.

90
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (212), April 2014

The 2011 Lynch-Bages is quite savoury on the nose with dried blood and meat juices intermixed with the black fruit. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry, quite dense and muscular for a Pauillac, grippy towards the finish where I am seeking more elegance and precision. Not bad, though not the best wine that the Cazes family have overseen this decade. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. 2022 - 2038

90
Neal Martin, vinous.com, April 2022

A dense, chewy wine for the vintage, with plum, currant and blackberry character. Full body, polished tannic texture and a bright finish. Very pretty indeed. This needs time to soften. Try in 2019.

93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2014

Young, poised black fruits, blackberry and bilberry that are ripe but still laced with fresh acidities, giving a slight angularity to the tannins. This is good quaility, with signature Lynch Bages confidence, but does not expand through the palate as the vintages on either side do, holding itself back. I suggest waiting for another few years before drinking to really allow things to soften up. 65% new oak, with an optical sorter used for the first time in this vintage, and 65% of overall production making it into the 1st wine.

94
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, April 2022

Lynch Bages is one of the most popular and reliable Châteaux of Bordeaux. Release prices of this classic Pauillac are usually modest compared to those that consumers are happy to pay for mature vintages. This much-loved Chateau consistently makes one of our most demanded and biggest selling wines and we are fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the Cazes family and good allocations which we have built up over many years. A wine to buy en primeur every year. If you are thinking of only buying a few cases en primeur then Lynch Bages should always be one of them. Jean-Michel Cazes' son Jean-Charles is now in charge here and recent vintages have been really outstanding. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in 75% new oak. This has a really black colour and an intense nose of sweet ripe cassis, raising, and cigar box. Stylistically it is reminiscent of Mouton Rothschild. Big, grippy, tarry and seriously built. This is classic Lynch Bages. Strapping stuff, really powerful and stacked with some firm tannins. Set to be a long term classic claret. This is like the 1996 Lynch Bages but better.

In 2011, Lynch Bages has clearly made one of Pauillac's finest wines that, for us, showed better than Lafite. One of the very best wines of the vintage.

94
Farr Vintners, March 2012

There is a lot of power on the nose with black cherry and cassis to the fore. The palate has depth of flavour structure from the firm tannins the fruit enriched by liquorice and coffee. Towards the back there is richness of fruit but enough bilberry and bramble freshness to give an elegant twist to the finish.

92/94
Derek Smedley MW, April 2012

Like Pontet-Canet, this is a château that continues to make a mockery of the 1855 classification. There's much more Merlot in the blend than usual because it suffered less from the drought than the other varieties, according to Jérôme Le Roux, and 75% new oak because of the "tannic structure". The result is a rich, hedonistic red blend, bursting with blackcurrant and liquorice flavours and dense, yet supple tannins. 10+ years.

95
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2012

Fine density of blackcurrant Cabernet fruit, very good natural richness and very ripe tannins. Drink 2016-2030.

17
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2012
Read more tasting notes...

Another strong effort produced under the administration of Jean-Charles Cazes (the son of Jean-Michel Cazes, who spent decades building Lynch Bages into one of the most popular Bordeaux estates), the 2011 boasts an inky/purple hue in addition to copious aromas of black currants, incense, forest floor and ink. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied and layered with supple tannins as well as the vintage-s freshness and vibrancy, it should age easily for 20 years.

90/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200), April 2012

The 2011 Lynch Bages is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot raised in 75% new oak. It has an elegant, understated bouquet compared to its peers, with pure blackberry and cedar aromas, linear and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a gentle but firm grip, with a harmonious crisp quintessential Pauillac finish with graphite lingering on the aftertaste. This is a stylish Lynch Bages, born to be drunk and enjoyed. Tasted April 2012.

90/92
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2012

This is quite wonderful with a beautiful balance of ultra-fine tannins and pretty fruits from currant to blueberries. Full-bodied. Delicious to taste. Deft winemaking here for the vintage.

93/94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2012
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.