Château Lynch Bages is named after Thomas Lynch, which was the son of an Irish immigrant. His father inherited an estate in the small village of Bages, near Pauillac in the Bordeaux area through his wife Elisabeth in 1749. It was classified as a 5th growth in the official Bordeaux Classification of 1855.
After Thomas Lynch sold Château Lynch Bages in 1824, it passed through the hands of several wine merchants, before being purchased in 1937 by Jean-Charles Cazes. He was the grandfather of Jean-Michel Cazes, who run the business from 1973 until 2006.
Jean-Michel, a man with a global vision, made further improvements to the estate and the wine produced and at present Château Lynch Bages belongs to the best Bordeaux has to offer. Many wine critics consider this property of 2nd growth level. For all his efforts, Jean-Michel Cazes received the “Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” in 2002, the highest French order of merit. In 2006 Jean-Michel handed over the management to his son Jean-Charles Cazes.
The estate has 90 Ha under vine, located just outside the town of Pauillac, looking down over the Gironde Estuary and planted with the red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and a little bit of Petit Verdot. The white grapes are: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, used for the rare “Blanc de Lynch Bages” (since 1990).
Château Lynch Bages also produces a second wine since 2008, named “Echo de Lynch Bages” which was formerly known as “Haut Bages Averous” and a 3rd wine “Pauillac de Lynch Bages”.
Topvintages for Lynch Bages are frequently found during the last 60 years, but pay special attention to the 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010. Also, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 are of excellent quality and still reasonably priced.
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