Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 35,000 cases made. — JM

Dark rich ruby, smoked campfire and grilled cedar aromatics, a brilliant Pauillac that is still full of tannic archicture and frame. I had this out of half bottle last year and it was tasting more approachable than this, no doubt because the bottle size helped things to evolve. One of the few where I would suggest not drinking this yet, even the fruit feels muscular right now, and it needs another few years to translate this hidden power into the seductive, rip-roaring wine that is so clearly in there. 80% new oak, Daniel LLose winemaker. This was the last year that Jean-Michel Cazes was in charge before handing over to his son Jean-Charles.

There's a relaxed feel to this wine. Cazes's team can dress Lynch-Bages in the black-tie formality of a first growth, but the wine is still lovely-a touch of gaminess makes it friendly rather than ponderous. There's something ethereal about its tannins, like a chocolate truffle melting in the mouth. (Daniel Llose used 80 percent new oak for this vintage; the yields were short so there were more new barrels to go around, and at a tannic index of 82, the wine could handle it). Pure black cherry flavor saturates the wine with freshness; the complexity is intriguing and silken rather than aggressive. This should be readily accessible at ten to 20 years of age and should thrive for years after.

Classic Lynch-Bages with just a bit of extra power and richness. While the tannins are structured, it is the velvety fruit that rolls around the mouth that is the most dominant character. It is coming together into a wine that will be big and dense, but never over the top. ROGER VOSS

Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out.--Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. –JM

The Château Lynch Bages 2005 has an enthralling graphite and cedar scented bouquet, like a young cousin of the Grand Puy Lacoste. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, one of the most feminine and elegant Lynch Bages in recent years with a lightness of touch on the finish. That is not to say it lacks fruit intensity, but the balance is so assured that is just seems to glide over the mouth. Stylish, assured and meticulous winemaking here.

The 2005 Château Lynch-Bages is terrific, with a ripe, yet also surprisingly elegant profile in its medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and leather. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, it has ripe, nicely integrated tannins, good balance, and is already surprisingly accessible. I would drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years.

Tight, firm, reserved, strict and tannic, the wine remains quite youthful at this stage. Clearly there is a wealth of ripe fruit here, but the tannins need at least a decade to soften before this is fun to drink. 93 Points Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2005&wine=Chateau%20Lynch-Bages

The 2005 Lynch-Bages is more opulent on the nose with camphor-tinged black and red fruit, desiccated orange peel and sage. With time, it develops a lovely floral component. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, bold and brassy with plenty of substance. This is no shy retiring wallflower but rather a demonstrative, almost flamboyant Pauillac with layers of black fruit laced with white pepper on the finish. Maybe it is a bit brash for some? But give this time because it will ultimately mellow. Tasted at the Lynch-Bages vertical at the château. -- Neal Martin

As for the 2005 Lynch-Bages, it is a sexy, surprisingly soft and accessible style of wine, with a deep ruby/purple color, loads of crème de cassis, cedar wood and forest floor notes, medium to full body, ripe tannin and a long, fleshy finish. Drink it over the next 15+ years.- RP