| Region of Production: | Pauillac AOP |
| Winery Location: | Pauillac |
| Year Established: | early 1700s |
| Classification: | fifth growth, Médoc 1855 |
Vineyard Holdings
110 ha (104 ha red, 6 ha white)
- 76% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 15% Merlot
- 7% Cabernet Franc
- 2% Petit Verdot
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Château Lynch-Bages
- Echo de Lynch-Bages (2008): The domaine’s second wine, formerly known as Haut-Bages-Averous (1976).
- Blanc de Lynch Bages (Bordeaux AOC) (1990)
Average Total Production
- 480,000 bottles
Summary
Château Lynch-Bages is widely viewed to over-deliver and outperform its status as an 1855 fifth growth, particularly among American Bordeaux drinkers. The 2009 Liv-Ex re-creation of the price-based classification promoted Lynch-Bages to second growth, ranking it as the Left Bank’s 16th most expensive bottle of wine.
The estate may have produced wine before the 18th century, but its modern story begins with the arrival of Thomas Lynch, son of an Irish soldier, in 1749. He presided over the property near the old hamlet of Bages for almost a quarter-century and established its reputation. The Lynch family sold the château in 1824, and the estate sifted through several hands for the following century. Jean-Charles Cazes, an insurance agent hired to manage the estate in 1933, bought the property in 1939. The Cazes family has been at the helm ever since. Jean-Charles’ son André added to the Lynch-Bages holdings by acquiring nearby cru bourgeois estate Haut-Bages-Averous in the early 1970s, but he ultimately devoted more attention to local politics and insurance than wine. At his request, his son Jean-Michel assumed management in 1973 and brought the estate up to its present standards and status. (He excelled at both family businesses: Jean-Michel Cazes created and managed AXA Millésimes, the insurance giant’s subsidiary portfolio of wine properties.)
Style & Vinification Techniques
Château Lynch-Bages is made in an unrepentantly modern and immediate style. The grand vin is aged in 70% new oak and typically contains 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Producer Website: Château Lynch-Bages