2009 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux

The 2009 Lynch-Bages has an intense bouquet which is more forward than Grand Puy Lacoste, albeit without the same complexity. Layers of blackberry, bilberry, brine and a touch of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, slightly lower in acidity than the 2010 Lynch Bages, dense and quite sinewy towards the finish. It might miss the class of its peers but you cannot help but admire the brawn underneath its aristocratic coat. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.Drink 2021 - 2036Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (March 2019)

The medium to deep garnet colored 2009 Lynch Bages is boldly scented of crme de cassis, blackberry pie and baked plums with chocolate box, incense and underbrush suggestions plus a waft of bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, taut and well sustained in the mouth, it has a firm, grainy texture and a lively backbone lifting the black fruit core to a nice long finish.Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 14/03/2019

Dense crimson. Rich and spicy and lifted. Really rather flirtatious. Not heavy or dense but very nicely balanced without aggressive notes of rough tannin or greenness. jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com - Apr 2010

Dense purple red, concentrated Cabernet cassis plus rich spiciness, big volume on the palate, expressive elegance over the natural vigour, lifted and long.

The nose shows amazing aromas of mint, spices and currant, with underlying licorice and tar. Full-bodied, with amazing fruit and a long, long finish. Powerful. Blockbuster, but balanced. So structured. ... james_suckling - Wine Spectator - April 2010

Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, this appears to be the finest Lynch Bages since the 2000, 1990 and 1989. According to the chateau, the 2009 has the highest level of polyphenols ever measured as well as high alcohol (nearly 13.5%). A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest largely Merlot with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it is an expressive, voluptuously textured effort with unctuosity and powerful, juicy, succulent blackberry and black currant flavors, low acids, a layered, massive mouthfeel, but no sense of heaviness or fatigue. This exquisite Lynch Bages should drink well for 30+ years. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - February 2012

This is a little more subdued than some right now, needing a good five minutes in the glass before revealing layers of rich olive, cassis, exotic spices, cracked pepper and garrigue. You get the heat of the vintage and the ripeness of the fruit, balanced by muscular, chewy tannins and gorgeous chocolate notes. This is great, although for me the 2010 just pips it.Drink 2020 - 2040jane_anson_mw, Decanter.com (February 2019)