Château Lynch-Bages
Although classified as a fifth growth, Château Lynch-Bages is one of those properties which illustrates the single most important failing of the 1855 classification; although some aspects of the classification remain quite applicable today, many do not, and the track record of over-performance exhibited by Château Lynch-Bages in many vintages is one such aberration.
When I first set about learning about Bordeaux, Château Lynch-Bages was an insider’s wine; those with more experienced palates than my own at my local tasting group – surely the best way to learn about these increasingly expensive wines – would rave about Lynch-Bages, or “Lunch-Bags” as it was affectionately known. These old sages clearly knew a good wine when they tasted it, and had long recognised that under the tenure of the Cazes family this grand cru classé estate, ranked as a cinquième cru, was in fact turning out wines more befitting of a deuxième cru. Indeed, some regarded a number of older vintages from this estate as capable of challenging the first growths, when tasted alongside.
Today the property remains in the hands of the Cazes family, and quality can still hit the occasional high, although sadly it is no longer the insider’s wine it was once. But before I explore the wines of the modern-day estate, first a little history and other relevant information. If any of the words below feel familiar, it is perhaps because of the estate’s shared history with Château Lynch-Moussas.
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