Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lynch-Bages was aged in 75% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple in color, it soars out of the glass with a magnificently expressive nose of blueberry compote, black cherry preserves and blackcurrant pastilles, plus suggestions of dark chocolate, licorice, tar and violets with a waft of hoisin. The medium to full-bodied palate is just as impactful as the nose, coating the mouth with juicy black berry and spicy layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a refreshing earthiness coming through at the end.

James Suckling

Aromas of blackberries, cloves, licorice, dried leaves, graphite and black olives. It’s full-bodied with firm, tight tannins. Structured and tannic with beautiful austerity and a long, mineral and layered finish. The tannins grow on the palate. Try from 2026.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Wine Spectator

VertdeVin

The nose is fruity, full of elegance and offers power, intensity, a beautiful finesse of the grain as well as deepness. It reveals notes of black cherry, small ripe wild berries and small notes of crushed raspberry associated with touches of crushed redcurrant, blackberry, a racy minerality (hot gravels/terroir), cardamom, liquorice stick, tobacco, a hint of black pepper. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a juicy/mineral frame, a good definition, gourmandize, tension, a beautiful finesse of the grain, fat as well as a fine straightness and a justly controlled power. On the palate this wine expresses notes of pulpy wild cassis, small wild black fruits and small notes of wild raspberry associated with touches of red cherry, tobacco, camphor as well as hints of toasted/caramelized oak, vanilla pod, almond and a very discreet hint of hazelnut. Tannins are well-built, delicate, fine and very finely tight. Good length and persistence.

Wine Enthusiast

The Lynch-Bages style is unmistakeable in this wine's richness and the density of its structure and tannins. In addition it conveys a great sense of style, restrained power and opulence. Drink this wine from 2027.

Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Jeb Dunnuck

One of the finest vintages I've ever tasted from this address, the 2018 Château Lynch-Bages has everything you look for in a great wine: incredible aromatics, richness without weight, perfect balance, and a purity of fruit that's just about off the charts. Dense purple, it reveals a glorious perfume of blackcurrants and blackberry fruits, a deep, unctuous mouthfeel, building tannins, and a complex array of cedar pencil, tobacco, wood smoke, and chocolate. A true blockbuster in every sense, with masses of fruit and tannins as well as moderate acidity, it will probably merit a triple-digit score in a decade and is a 50+-year wine from this team.