2024 Ch Lynch-Bages 5eme Cru, Pauillac

DUE OCT/NOV 2027

Ruby with violet edging, opens to show chalk and slate tannins, giving a sense of restraint and grip, this is savoury and juicy with plenty of cassis fruits, delivers Pauillac consistency in an inconsistent vintage, and also it is just rather delicious. 75% new oak. 3.67 pH, Nicolas Labenne technical director.

94 points janeanson.com

Cropped at 30 hectoliters per hectare (the lowest yield at this address since 1991), the 2024 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Opening in the glass with aromas of minty berries and creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, dense and heavily extracted, with firm, chalky tannins that assert themselves on the mouth-puckering finish. Lynch-Bages has historically performed well in challenging vintages, but the 2024 will demand considerable patience.

87-88 points robertparker.com

2024 Château Lynch-Bages is exactly what fans of this muscular Pauillac Fifth Growth want — a bold, broad-shouldered Cabernet blend with depth, density, and real ageing potential. It doesn’t reinvent itself in 2024, nor should it. This is Lynch-Bages doing what it does best: delivering power, polish and classic Left Bank gravitas at a level that consistently punches above its cru classé ranking.

The vintage was favourable for Lynch-Bages. The clay-gravel soils in Bages helped retain moisture through the warm summer, and careful vineyard work meant optimal ripeness without overripeness. Harvest was done parcel by parcel, with impressive precision. The final blend leans heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon (75–76%), supported by Merlot, and smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

In barrel sample, the wine is rich and compact. Aromatics of blackcurrant, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaf and dried herbs lead the way, with background notes of dark chocolate and pencil shavings. The palate is firm, layered and driven by dark fruit and savoury oak. There’s plenty of tannin here, but it’s ripe and well-shaped — not harsh. The finish is long, stony and quietly intense. This isn’t the most opulent wine of the vintage, but it’s among the most structured and serious.

Winemaker Nicolas Labenne continues to refine the estate’s style without softening its core identity. This is still very much a wine that demands time, food, and a cellar.

Food pairing: grilled ribeye with béarnaise, slow-braised beef cheeks, duck with peppercorn sauce, or hard cheeses like aged Comté or English Cheddar

Cellar potential: 2032–2055. Classic long-haul Lynch with all the bones to age 25+ years, gaining leather, graphite and cigar box complexity