2009 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

In the running for the greatest vintage ever from this château, the 2009 Château Lynch-Bages is pure Pauillac magic, offering a powerful bouquet of blackcurrants, freshly sharpened pencils, smoked tobacco, and gravelly earth. It's full-bodied, has a concentrated, structured mouthfeel, building yet beautifully integrated tannins, and a great, great finish. It's just now at the early stages of its prime drinking window and has another 30 years of prime drinking ahead of it. I wish I'd bought more on release.

I remember first tasting this wine with the late, great Jean-Michel Cazes, whose generosity and character filled the room wherever he went. He was an icon in the Bordeaux community and one of the region’s great ambassadors, and I can’t help but think of him whenever I taste this wine. His 2009 Lynch-Bages was simply stunning on that occasion, and it has continued to get better and better with each passing year. What’s so impressive about this wine is that, while it carries a touch of the richness of the 2009 vintage, it’s the Pauillac side of the wine that takes center stage. There are decadent Cabernet flavors, striking structure that has integrated beautifully into the wine, and a combination of concentration and acidity that keeps it youthful and lively. As Jean-Michel said at that tasting, “great wines are never tiring, they are thirst-quenching and invite another sip.” Such is the case with the 2009 today, and seeing how it is evolving, I expect it to remain just as dynamic, if not even more so, over the next few decades. I hope every Bordeaux cellar has a strong complement of Lynch-Bages, and for me, the 2009 is not to be missed.