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The 1986 is finally emerging from the dormant stage that many of the wines from this vintage (especially the Medocs) have been going through. It is a full-bodied, still backward wine that will appeal to classicists and old line traditionalists given its firm structure and austere tannins. Nevertheless, the color is a healthy deep garnet and the wine exhibits wonderful freshness along with notes of underbrush, damp earth, black currants, cedar and new saddle leather. Well-balanced with good depth, medium to full body, and a tannic (although not excessively so) finish, this may not be the most finesse-styled, elegant Lynch Bages ever produced, but it is an interesting Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. While it may never hit the peaks achieved by great Lynch Bages vintages, it will be one of those rare wines that will last 40+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP5.3 g/l total acidity; 13.1% alcohol): Garnet-tinged dark ruby-red. Black fruits, candied red cherry, licorice, minerals, cedar and iron on the complex, still-reticent nose. Then more approachable on the palate, displaying a lovely restrained sweetness to the blackberry and blueberry fruit and excellent lift and clarity from lively acidity and solid underlying minerality. The finish features noble, fine-grained tannins and subtle persistence. An unusually accessible 1986 but very typical of the fleshy Lynch-Bages personality, this boasts lovely concentration and sneaky depth. Very well done.Vinous Media | 93 VMDark in color, with intense aromas of ripe black cherry, cedar and light herbs. Medium- to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit lean today, but there’s lots going on here.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Beginning to open magnificently, the still dense purple-colored 2000 reveals a blossoming bouquet of blackberries, cassis, graphite and pen ink. Full-bodied with velvety tannins that have resolved themselves beautifully over the last eleven years, this wine is still an adolescent, but it exhibits admirable purity, texture, mouthfeel and power combined with elegance. One of the all-time great examples of Lynch Bages, the 2000 is just beginning to drink well yet promises to last for another 20-25+ years.Robert Parker | 97 RPThis has a dense but well-defined core of currant and fig paste flavors supported by a gorgeous graphite spine. Long and authoritative, with notes of bay, pepper, leather and juniper slowly emerging on the finish. Terrific structure and integration give this a chiseled feel. No rush here.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2033.Wine Spectator | 96 WSFinally rounding the corner, the 2000 Château Lynch-Bages is mature, with classic Pauillac darker currants, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and spice-laced aromatics. With a deep plum color and slight lightening at the edges, it’s medium to full-bodied and has a layered texture as well as integrated tannins. A classic, elegant, yet still powerful Lynch-Bages, it delivers plenty of sweet fruit and a great finish. It benefits from an hour of air and will certainly hold at this stage for another 10-15 years with no issues.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDAnother wonderful 2000 coming out of its long sleep. Beautiful aromas of berry, tobacco, herb and spice that follow through to a full palate with round, textured tannins and lots of fruit.James Suckling | 95 JSTypical of Lynch-Bages in its sumptuous rich style, this is a resounding success for the team of Jean-Michel Cazes. With its sweet fruit, opulent but balanced wood and red and black fruit flavors, it is a wine that will develop relatively quickly but will certainly age.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE71% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 11% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot; 5.5 g/l total acidity; 13.3% alcohol): Deep ruby-red. Knockout aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, mocha and cedar complicated by scorched earth and tobacco. Big, ripe and dense, with flavors similar to the aromas and a seamless, rich texture. Though powerful and rich, with a sensual mouthfeel, it maintains a graceful, light-on-its-feet quality. Finishes with ripe, fine-grained tannins and excellent length. Still an infant, but clearly a great vintage for this property.Vinous Media | 94+ VMNo written review provided. | 92 W&S

A meaty and decadent Lynch with very ripe currant aromas on the nose. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a powerful finish. It shows so much structure and fruit yet remains polished and focused. Lovely now to drink but better in 2017.James Suckling | 96 JSTextbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 35,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSClassic Lynch-Bages with just a bit of extra power and richness. While the tannins are structured, it is the velvety fruit that rolls around the mouth that is the most dominant character. It is coming together into a wine that will be big and dense, but never over the top.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2005 Lynch-Bages is a surprising wine. Whereas so many 2005s have begun to enter their first plateau of early maturity, the 2005 comes across as still young and in need of further cellaring! The purity of the fruit is striking. Readers who want to get the full Lynch-Bages experience will have to wait at least a few more years. The 2005 is a wine of substance and depth, with all of the raciness that is typical of this wine. It is one of the dark horses of the vintage, and still has room to go. Impressive.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGAlmost forward but still young; spicy cassis lifts and lengthens its rich dark berry flavours. One of the best Lynch-Bages ever.Decanter | 94 DECAs for the 2005 Lynch-Bages, it is a sexy, surprisingly soft and accessible style of wine, with a deep ruby/purple color, loads of crème de cassis, cedar wood and forest floor notes, medium to full body, ripe tannin and a long, fleshy finish. Drink it over the next 15+ years.Robert Parker | 92 RP

This classic, powerful, firm Lynch Bages may be as concentrated (if not more so) than the 2005. It possesses a dense purple-tinged color, tell-tale cassis notes interwoven with hints of roast beef, savory herbs, spice box and subtle oak, good acidity and ripe tannin. The result is a full-bodied, fleshy Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. It is capable of lasting 20-25 more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPYear after year, Lynch-Bages is able to produce sumptuous wines, typically rich, powerful and structured. This is solid, the blackberry ripe fruit enveloping this structure with a velvet sheen. This is developing into one of the successes of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESlowly and confidently inching towards its drinking window, but needs another three to five years before it gets there. Deep plush fruit with tight liquorice root and menthol edging against rich blackberry coulis. Beautiful subtle tension and complexity on display. Really a huge amount that uncurls slowly in the glass. Very seductive. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Lynch Bages) The 2006 Lynch Bages was raised in eighty percent new oak, which intuitively would have seen a bit excessive in a vintage such as ’06, but the wine has worked out well and looks to be a fine example of the year. The nose is deep and lovely, as it offers up a complex mélange of cassis, black cherries, tobacco, herb tones, gravel, espresso and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, long and suave on the attack, with a fine core of fruit, plenty of ripe, well-integrated tannins and fine length and grip on the nascently complex finish. (Drink between 2019-2035)John Gilman | 92 JGVery focused and pretty now, with currants, minerals and hints of dried flowers. Full body with super-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Beautiful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSBlackberry, licorice and mint aromas lead to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and lots of blackberry and mineral fruit character. Shows outstanding concentration and balance. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(a blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot; 3.54 pH; 6.03 g/l total acidity; 81 IPT; 13.2% alcohol): Fully saturated bright ruby. Currently in a slightly dumb phase and aromatically compressed on the nose, revealing cool blackberry and cassis aromas with extended aeration, complicated by notes of cola, flowers, red cherry and sweet spices. Then soft, round and ripe in the mouth, with persistent flavors of black cherry, cassis and cinnamon. A very serious wine offering impressive definition and very good balance, turning almost austere at the back, but with a pretty, pristine quality to its repeating floral and black fruit notes. Finishes with smooth, building tannins: don’t even think of opening this beauty for another eight to ten years. One of the best vintage for Lynch-Bages in recent memory.Vinous Media | 91+ VMWhile the cedary scent shows this wine’s potential complexity, the tannins bury it for now in extract. It’s as black as ATV tires ripping roots out of the earth as it lays tracks over dark, blueberry flavors. A tough vintage of Lynch-Bages, this needs time to develop past its initial reduction and allow the fruit to come up.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2009 Cantemerle finally shows the potential that it displayed out of barrel. It has a delightful, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, cedar and tobacco aromas, vigorous with impressive delineation and class. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, and a taut line of acidity. Fresh and vibrant with a poised and quite tensile finish. This is a wonderfully crafted 2009 Left Bank. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Cantemerle) In contrast to the hot and rustic personality of the 2010 Cantemerle, the 2009 is a superb example of this excellent terroir in a ripe and buxom vintage, and this wine is quite strong. The superb nose shows far more purity than its 2010 counterpart, wafting from the glass in a generous mélange of cassis, sweet dark berries, tobacco leaf, lovely, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper and a bit of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, plush and primary, with a fine core, ripe, chewy tannins and very good focus and grip on the long, youthful and very well-balanced finish. This is a lovely, broad-shouldered Cantemerle in the making, but give it plenty of time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92 JGVery structured wine, with black currant fruit and dense acidity. The tannins are dark, firm, solid. This is a fine wine from Cantemerle, reveling in the richness of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEReaders looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years.Robert Parker | 91+ RPThis broad, fleshy style delivers toasty spice and tobacco notes up front, followed by dark cocoa, crushed plum and mulled blackberry fruit flavors. This really stretches out nicely in the glass, with alluring dark fruit and a velvety feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2017. 33,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, this appears to be the finest Lynch Bages since the 2000, 1990 and 1989. According to the chateau, the 2009 has the highest level of polyphenols ever measured as well as high alcohol (nearly 13.5%). A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest largely Merlot with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it is an expressive, voluptuously textured effort with unctuosity and powerful, juicy, succulent blackberry and black currant flavors, low acids, a layered, massive mouthfeel, but no sense of heaviness or fatigue. This exquisite Lynch Bages should drink well for 30+ years.Robert Parker | 98 RPA powerful and ripe wine with a wide-screen personality, this makes a very bold statement without becoming a jot heavy. Serious tannins at the long finish suggest this has long-term aging potential. Drink now with a big steak or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 96 JSA dense, immense, solidly powerful wine. The ripest fruit overflows, paralleling the dark, solid tannins. As so often, Lynch-Bages is a blockbuster, dark and concentrated, with immense aging potential.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WETight and backward, this has dense, almost chewy layers of fig, currant and plum cake behind a very solid wall of cedar, roasted vanilla and charcoal notes. There’s serious grip on the finish, with an iron edge that won’t quit. Best from 2015 through 2035. 31,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis is a little more subdued than some right now, needing a good five minutes in the glass before revealing layers of rich olive, cassis, exotic spices, cracked pepper and garrigue. You get the heat of the vintage and the ripeness of the fruit, balanced by muscular, chewy tannins and gorgeous chocolate notes. This is great, although for me the 2010 just pips it. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECThe 2009 Lynch-Bages has an intense bouquet which is more forward than Grand Puy Lacoste, albeit without the same complexity. Layers of blackberry, bilberry, brine and a touch of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, slightly lower in acidity than the 2010 Lynch Bages, dense and quite sinewy towards the finish. It might miss the class of its peers but you cannot help but admire the brawn underneath its aristocratic coat. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Lynch Bages) I tasted two sample bottles of the Lynch Bages at the UGC tasting at Branaire-Ducru, but probably neither bottle was a pristine example. I tried to find time to swing by the château and taste another sample, but could not squeeze it into my already densely packed schedule, sop this note will have to suffice. I have given a wider range than customary for a sound wine, and I suspect that the ’09 Lynch Bages is probably likely to reside at the upper end of the range when all is said and done. The nose is deep, complex and classy, as it offers up notes of cassis, espresso, tobacco leaf, cigar smoke and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full, long and complex, with ripe tannins and quite a bit of structure on the finish. These samples were just not as vibrant or as long as I would expect from the ’09 Lynch, particularly based on the fine quality of the nose, and hence my equivocation on the score. (Drink between 2018-2050)John Gilman | 87-92+ JG

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. A strong performance from Batailley under blind conditions, easily surpassing its showing at the UGC in London last year. The 2010 has a very elegant bouquet with blackberry, cedar and leather, well defined and very nicely focused, though not the most vigorous amongst its peers. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannins, perfectly judged acidity and a very appealing "classic" style of Pauillac very the top drawer. What a superb Pauillac - a benchmark Batailley. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP-NM(Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Well-integrated 55% new oak and a great vintage from this 60ha estate, reflecting the precision in vineyard selection and winemaking that has only improved as second and third wines have been introduced. Fresh and refined, evoking subtle power, yet with a smooth texture, like satin. Sensual cassis, kirsch and forest strawberry jam aromatics. Try with roast quail in rosemary and thyme. (Drink between 2021-2050)Decanter | 95 DECAromas of freshly sliced mushrooms and dark fruits. Full body, with an incredible depth of fruit and finesse here. The tannins are amazing quality. Love the texture. Give it four to five years of bottle age.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2010 Batailley has a vivacious, outgoing and quintessentially Pauillac nose with blackberry, mint and graphite bursting from the glass and demanding attention! The palate is medium-bodied with ample black fruit laced with graphite, sage and cracked black pepper. Wonderful depth and grip here, fanning out nicely towards the finish where there is a soupçon of oak still to be subsumed, therefore give this another three or four years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMWith advice from consultant and Bordeaux University professor Denis Dubourdieu, Batailley has improved immensely in the past few years. This 2010 reinforces that trend, revealing a wine that is structured with Cabernet Sauvignon and is attractive with black currant fruitiness. Age for the medium-term.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis sports suave, mocha-infused toast, showing notes of dark plum, blackberry sauce and steeped fig. The dense, cocoa-coated finish has a smoldering tobacco note in the background. Rustic and slightly chewy in the end, but a bit of cellaring should tame this easily. Best from 2014 through 2026.Wine Spectator | 91 WS