2010 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2010
Château Lynch-Bages (Pauillac)
Just an infant in its development, the wine is all about its potential. Powerful, full-bodied, concentrated and quite bright, fresh and tannic, the wine is not in a fun place to drink. The fruit is bright, lifted, fresh and firm, and there is a lot of it. But the structure and tannins are so front and center today that it demands at least a decade of aging before becoming civilized. For classic Pauillac fans, this is going to be worth the wait. But patience is warranted. 11,386 Views Tasted Oct 18, 2019Dark ruby in color, blackberry, mint, cedar, smoke, jam and earthy scents took some effort to find, as the wine is beginning to close down. Powerful, full bodied, tannic, dense, the wine is packed with fresh, crisp, spicy cassis berries. The wine is long, deep, fresh and polished, with a lot of tannin and structure to the wine. Consumers will need to exercise patience, as this will demand at least 10 or more years before it’s fun to drink. 11,187 Views Tasted May 8, 20132010 Lynch Bages is a deep, powerful, tannic, concentrated wine with a dark, ruby color. Creme de cassis, blackberry jam, flowers and earthy scents fill the perfume. In the mouth, this big, full bodied, powerful, rich, intense, tannic wine will require 15-20 years before becoming civilized and revealing all its charms. From a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Franc this Bordeaux wine makes a good contrast in style to the more opulent 2009 Lynch Bages. 94-95 Pts 12,620 Views Tasted Jun 15, 20122010 Lynch Bages 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Franc made up the blend for 2010. Visually, the wine sports a deep ruby color. It’s big, fat and concentrated, sweet ripe, blackberries and cassis. This is a masculine, powerful, structured vintage for Lynch Bages. The tannins are ripe, but this wine will require serious aging before becoming civilized. The wine ends with a blast of ripe, chewy cabernet fruit. Yields were close to 10% less across the board than in 2009 at 50 hectoliters per hectare. 94-95 Pts 11,905 Views Tasted Apr 20, 2011 |
When to Drink Chateau Lynch Bages, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Lynch Bages needs time in the cellar before it can truly be enjoyed, as the wine is quite powerful and tannic in its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-4 hours, or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Lynch Bages is usually better with at least 10-15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Lynch Bages offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-50 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Lynch Bages with Wine, Food and Pairing Tips
Chateau Lynch Bages is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Chateau Lynch Bages is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.
Chateau Lynch Bages is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.
The white wine, Blanc de Lynch-Bages is perfect for a wide variety of seafood dishes, raw and cooked, chicken, veal, pork, and of course, cheese.
The Cazes family owns vineyards in several regions outside of Bordeaux. Since 2006 the Cazes family owns vines in the Rhone Valley, in Chateauneuf du Pape they own Domaine des Senechaux and they also make wine at Domaine de L’Ostal Cazes in Minervois. They have a partnership in the Douro with the Roquette family to produce Xisto Roquette E Cazes.
Wine, food, and hospitality are not the only things the Cazes family is invested in. In 2015, Jean Michel Cazes announced he was producing beer as well. The first beer from the Cazes family Brasserie de Bages beer is aptly named "D2," which takes its name from the famous Route de Medoc highway in Bordeaux that runs north to south in the Left Bank. Three beers are being made, Le Cask, which is aged in old, used Lynch Bages barrels, and a 100% wheat beer, La Beneze.
The Cazes family is also involved in arranging for customers to produce their own wine through their company, VINIV. Customers can purchase grapes from either the Right Bank or the Left Bank, and with the help of winemakers at Chateau Lynch Bages, they can create their own custom blend and label it as they wish, provided they purchase at least one barrel, which is 25 cases of wine.
Starting with the 2015 vintage, Chateau Lynch Bages upped their technology game when they became the first estate in Bordeaux to use the "Winegrid" system. Wine grid monitors the development of the wine inside the barrel or vat, keeping track of the wine's alcohol level, sugar content, color, and ambient temperature. The technology is being developed with the help of Jean Charles Cazes.