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Open 3 hours – not decanted.
The color is showing its age with an orange rim.
Beautifully complex tertiary bouquet of forest floor, sandalwood, cedar, and musk.
Earthy and spicy on the palate, however the tannin has not completely integrated. Good length with a slightly disturbing phenolic taste on the finish.
Seems to be past its peak. Drink now.

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Decanted 4 hours beforehand.
Dark garnet-red color.
At first, the bouquet was rather resinous with hints of tar. I was worried that the wine might be cooked but, in fact, it was just slightly closed and soon releases wonderful aromas of licorice, mocha, and spice.
Well-balanced and concentrated on the palate. Good grip and tannin that sticks to your teeth. Surprisingly short finish. One wonders whether the tannin will ever totally integrate before the fruit fades.
I am beginning to see more and more similarities between the 1986 and 1975 vintages.

Attractive, rather dark color.
The fruity (plum) and menthol aromas give way to more earthy overtones after swirling in the glass.
Enjoyable and round on the palate, but slightly imbalanced due to the acidity.
Decanting this wine was a mistake. It turned out to be much better just after opening than after decanting.
A charming wine to start with, but quickly showing signs of exhaustion.

Decanted for 4 hours.
This 1989 Lynch was prodigious immediately after opening. Sweet, concentrated aromas of ripe fruit with complex tertiary aromas of truffle, sandalwood, and leather, and the wine enveloped the entire palate. Hugely concentrated and perfectly balanced, with a finish that just went on and on. I decided to decant the wine four hours ahead of time the same way I did for the 1986, 1996, and 2000 Lynch. What a terrible mistake!
Four hours later the color had turned orange and the aromas had completely lost their magic.
Admittedly, spicy, musky hints emerged on the bouquet, as well as slightly roasted flavors on the palate but, unfortunately, wet floor cloth and acetic aromas also appeared, dramatically detracting from the wine. The full-bodied structure remained, however the finish had become more astringent.
All in all, this was a hard, but valuable lesson. In the future, I will be much more wary of decanting 15 year old wines too long in advance!

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Open for 3 hours – not decanted.
Ruby-red color.
Rather unpleasant, metallic bouquet with hints of musk.
Fortunately, after warming in the glass, hints of cherry and almond paste came to the fore. Rough, with a rather thin body and a watery, herbaceous finish.
Would undoubtedly go well with a good steak, but there is nothing great to expect from this wine.
The least exciting bottle of the evening.
Drink now.

Decanted for 3-4 hours.
This is the second time within the past 6 months that I have tasted 1995 Lynch-Bages. Alas, this second tasting also failed to impress me, in spite of the vintage's excellent reputation!
Attractive ruby red color. Behind the initial blackcurrant aromas, one finds unpleasant hints of rubber.
Excellent ripe fruit on the palate, but disappointingly imbalanced. The tannin is too aggressive and the aftertaste seems very alcoholic.
This wine does not sing at all. Furthermore, I have difficulties spotting its potential for future improvement.

I tasted the 95 about two months ago at home. But more interestingly I was at Bordeaux last week and we were warmly welcomed at Lynch-Bages. I was surprised to see that, together with a sample of 2004 Lynch-Bages, they proposed 1999 and.. 1995 (we also had interesting Ormes de Pez 04 and 02). While Lynch-Bages 1999 seemed in a better shape than the one I had a couple of months ago, the 1995 disappointed me for the 3rd time in a row. Now I know what I will do with my 10 remaining bottles.. Sell !!

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Decanted for 4 hours.
Ruby-red color.
Gained depth after decanting.
Beautiful ripe fruit bouquet with aromas of blackcurrant, prune, truffle, and cedarwood.
Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and well-balanced on the palate with soft tannin and very pure fruit. Very long, concentrated aftertaste.
An excellent, traditional Médoc. Should age magnificently for 10-15 years. A very solid Pauillac.

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Open for 3 hours – not decanted.
Ruby-red color with a slight orange rim.
Bouquet of ripe fruit, mint, and roasted aromas.
Round on the palate, although lacking in depth. Ripe cherry and green pepper flavors. Somewhat hollow on the middle palate.
Enjoyable to drink over the next 3-4 years.

Tasted at the Château.

Ruby hue with mint aromas, ripe fruits, spices. Nice tannins and mocha in mouth. More tannic than other wines of the vintage. The 1997 Lynch Bages should drink perfectly well in 2006 - 2010.

Decanted for 3-4 hours.
Beautiful, opaque, crimson color.
Bouquet still overwhelmed by oak, spice, and cedar with attractive hints of cherry and violet.
Foursquare, solid structure on the palate with fine tannin. The ripe fruit balances out the slightly dry tannin by the end. Quite austere at this stage, but with great potential for the next decade or so.
Will probably soften slightly within the next couple of years. A wine for the long-term.

Decanted 3-4 hours.
Dark color.
Muted bouquet with hints of musk and green pepper.
Unfortunately, this bottle is very slightly corked, although happily, this does not affect the taste too much. Slightly rough tannin on the palate, but this is compensated by ripe fruit (plum flavors). Mineral taste, graphite nuances, and a slight astringency on the finish.
A much more traditional Pauillac than I expected. The wine is pleasant, but currently seems to be going through an awkward phase. Another bottle, without the cork problem, deserves to be reviewed again in a few months.

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Decanted 4 hours.
The color is incredibly opaque, I could hardly see the candle flame through the bottle as I decanted it!
Four hours later, what a symphony of aromas – red fruit, spice, tobacco, cigar box, and ripe cherry!
The palate is particularly silky, with enormous richness – very concentrated and pure.
This almost seems like a blend of the 1996 and 2001 Lynch-Bages, but much more complex. This wine has plenty of body and a chewy texture. However, one wonders how this wine will turn out 15 years from now.
For the moment, it is pure pleasure and seduction! I strongly suggest long decanting.

71% Cabernet-Sauvignon – 16% Merlot – 11% Cabernet-Franc – 2% Petit Verdot
Very deep purple color.
Amazingly complex bouquet of vanilla, cedarwood, roast mocha, and ripe fruit (cherry and other red fruit) – no one aroma dominates the others.
The aromatics from the bouquet carry over to the palate, where the aristocratic tannin is marvelously balanced by an impression of pure, round, concentrated fruit. Superb finish.
Could this 2000 challenge the great 1989 as the "best Lynch-Bages of the last 20 years"?

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Decanted 3-4 hours.
Crimson color.
Initially reticent on the nose but, after three hours decanting, shows wonderfully concentrated buttery, toasty oak, cedarwood, vanilla, and blackberry jam aromas.
Excellent balance between pure fruit and elegant tannin on the middle palate. Slight bitterness on the long finish. An easy wine to enjoy thanks to the fruitiness.
Slightly too "international" in style and probably lacks sufficient personality to enter the estate’s Hall of Fame.

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