Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2015

97 points (18.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "We never doubted the great potential of the 2015, and it's there, with a flamboyant wine of immense breed. Very much in the spirit of the vintage, with a fireworks finish. (2019)"

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "One of the finest Pauillacs of 2015, Lynch-Bages is rich, racy and voluptuous. A rush of dark red and purplish stone fruit, mint, new leather, spice and blood orange give the 2015 a very decidedly exotic character that is impossible to miss. Raspberry jam, mocha, new leather and expressive floral notes appear with time in the glass, rounding things out nicely. Even though the 2015 is quite forward and open at this stage, the wine has plenty of stuffing as well as the underlying structure to support many years of exceptional drinking. This is a stellar showing for Lynch-Bages. Drink: 2025-2055. (Feb 2018)"

96 points and 'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "This vintage was ideal for the rich style that this estate has made its own. This wine is full bodied and ripe with black-currant and dark berry fruits. The tannins fall into the cushioned wine with ease and richness. Of course, the wine should be aged, so wait until 2026. Alcohol 13.5%. (Feb 2018)"

96 points Peter Moser (Falstaff) (3/14/19).

95-96 points Michel Bettane & Thierry Desseauve (The World of Fine Wine): "(70% CS, 24% M, 4% CF, 2% PV; 44hl/ha, 13.5% ABV). Powerful, harmonious, and in the recent more elegant style, but maybe slightly less epic than in the vintages of the '90s. Lots of reserve in retro-olfaction and tannins. Tasted consistently five times, once at the château. (Issue 52; 2016)"

95 points James Suckling: "Brambly and attractive ripe blackberries and red-plum aromas with some floral accents, too. The palate has a very plush, polished and regal shape as tannins frame up a core of ripe black fruit. Succulent, impressive finish. Best from 2022. (2/2/18)"

94+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "The inky colored 2015 Château Lynch-Bages is a seriously impressive Pauillac that’s up with the crème de la crème of the appellation in 2015. Notes of ripe blackcurrants, caramelized cherries, tobacco leaf and a kiss of lead pencil all emerge from this textbook Pauillac that has medium to full-bodied richness, notable concentration, and building structure. Made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that saw 75% new barrels, it needs 5-7 years of cellaring and will be one of the longer-lived wines from the Médoc. Drink 2023-2053. (11/30/17)"

94 points Jane Anson: "(70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot). Excellent quality, but a little less depth through the mid palate than the 2014 or 2016 - making it one of the rare wines where the 2015 vintage is not beating out the 2014 in a vertical. Could simply be that it is closed down right now, as those Pauillac tannins can be pretty fierce in the early days. Certainly as it opens the texture deepens and widens, and you find coils of bilberry and raspberry fruits with waves of smoked earth, sage and saffron spice. 75% new oak. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2025-2042. (3/11/22)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "This has an ample core of plum, fig and blackberry compote flavors, underlined liberally with graphite and smoldering tobacco notes. Fleshy and focused, with ample grip through the juniper- and tar-accented finish. Well-built. Best from 2023 through 2038. (3/31/18)"

94 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "This is powerful and deep with high but careful extraction and firm tannins. At this stage it feels so much younger and more closed than almost anything else I’ve tasted from this vintage in Pauillac. This is going for a firm, impressive impact and it manages it, but it lacks some generosity in the fruit character that it has in spades in 2016. 2% Petit Verdot. 75% new oak. One-third malolactic fermentation in vats, two-thirds in barrel. Drinking Window: 2025-2040. (Nov 2018)"

94 points Tim Atkin, MW.

18.5/20 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Lynch Bages cultivates its explosive and terribly seductive style, without however lacking in class as we find in recent vintages. We have never doubted the great potential of the 2015, it is there, with a flamboyant and immensely thoroughbred wine. Everything done in the spirit of the vintage, with fireworks finish. (2019)"