Wine: 2006 Lynch Bages
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 92 RP
Wine: 2006 Certan de May
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 94-96 RP-NM
2006 Bordeaux Tasting - We decided to take a quick look at a Left and Right bank wine in a vintage with very little hype but very intriguing scores.
First the expert - "I did not expect the highlights of 2006 to be as promising as they turned out. There was little talk about the vintage following the harvest, and after the wine press and the proprietors exhausted themselves with their praise of the 2005s, there was little need to start additional speculative fires. However, the 2006 vintage has produced many fine wines, and overall, it is superior to 2004." Robert Parker
Followed by the legendary 2005 vintage, which is thought to be one of the best vintages ever produced, this tasting of 2 wines from the 2006 vintage was more impressive than we had anticipated. At a dinner party, 4 of our staff members were blind-tested on 2006 Lynch Bages, a Left Bank wine from the Pauillac region, and 2006 Certan de May, a Right Bank wine from the Pomerol region. A little history -- Chateau Lynch Bages, once classified as a fifth-growth wine, is now referred to as a "super second" after it consistently produced some stellar vintages within the last 20 years. Its production is also a lot bigger than Chateau Certan de May - there are 35,000 cases of Lynch Bages produced to 2,000 cases of Certan de May.
After a several hour decant of each wine, the general and immediate consensus based on the bouquet was that both of these wines were reminiscent of the Bordeaux region. Both wines, dark ruby in color, gave off lovely scents of dark fruit, saddle leather, lead pencil with hints of spice. Considering their youth, both wines were pleasurable to drink but definitely need another 6-8 years in the bottle to really show well. The Certan de May was much more approachable and appeared to the blind tasters that this wine was older than a 2006. Its finish was softer and overall, less tannic on the palate than the Lynch Bages. Don't get us wrong, the underlying structure of the Lynch Bages provides ample belief that it will be a great wine to drink over the next 20 years, but at this tasting it was just closed down.
Our recommendation: If you are a Bordeaux enthusiast and are looking for some value-oriented, high scoring wines for your cellar, both of these wines are marvelous selections. At $54.95/btl, put these away and know that you have 20-30 years to drink them. After all, is this not the mystique and charm of Bordeaux?