Château Lynch-Bages

Château Lynch-Bages is located at the entrance to Pauillac, overlooking the Gironde estuary in the Médoc region of Bordeaux in France. The first written references to the Batges estate date back to the 16th century. Thomas Lynch acquired the Domaine de Bages on 9 June 1750 through marriage. The Cazes family took over Lynch-Bages in 1939; Jean-Charles Cazes has been running the family estates since 2007.

The vineyard extends to the south and south-west of Pauillac and lies on a gravelly hill. The soils consist mainly of deep Garonne gravel with stones and sand. They feature strong drainage as well as the ability to store heat and encourage deep rooting of the vines. The site is influenced by the Atlantic, the Gironde estuary and the forest of Landes. Following a vineyard study begun in 2006, 90 plots were divided into 200 sub-plots, to which the grape varieties are assigned according to their respective characteristics.

The documented sustainable measures include geolocated fertilisation, controlled grass cover and weed management between the plots, flowering fallow areas, and the increased use of environmentally friendly products. Château Lynch-Bages has held High Environmental Value certification at Level 3 since 2018.

The red wine, classified as an 1855 Grand Cru Classé, is produced under the Pauillac appellation. The 2022 vintage data sheet states 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The wine shows a deep garnet-red colour, aromas of black and red fruit, spicy notes, ripe tannins and pronounced acidity. The 105-hectare vineyard is harvested by hand; the grapes were selected in the vineyard and at the sorting table.

Blanc de Lynch-Bages is produced under the Bordeaux Blanc appellation from Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Sémillon. The 2024 vintage consists of 77% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Muscadelle and 11% Sémillon. The vineyard covers 7 hectares; here too, hand harvesting and sorting took place in the vineyard as well as at the sorting table.

The 2022 vintage red wine matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, 75% of which in new wood. Blanc de Lynch-Bages matures for six months on fine lees in barrels, 50% in new oak. For the 2024 vintage, fermentation took place mostly in barrels, with the remaining portion in tanks. The renovated winery took up operations with the 2020 vintage following a conversion started in 2017 and includes, among other things, destemmers, crushers, horizontal presses, stainless-steel tanks, as well as systems for measuring and regulating temperature.