1971 Château Lynch-Bages
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Tasting notes
The 1971 Lynch-Bages had a tough time following the excellent 1970, and a half-dozen bottles over the years have never really amounted to much. This ex-château bottle, poured blind at the end of lunch at the property, has a slightly fatigued, musty nose with scents of old attic and tobacco. There remains some vestige of freshness, though the fruit disappeared long ago. The palate is medium-bodied with dry and ossified tannins, quite austere and slightly harsh. A "bony" Pauillac now with some attenuation on the simple finish, bottles ought to have been drunk up by now. Tasted at the château.
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Neal Martin
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The 1971 Lynch-Bages comes from an era when the estate was in the doldrums. Coupled with a very mediocre vintage on the Left Bank, maybe unsurprisingly this was clearly in decline from what must have been a very low peak.
About the producer
Ch. Lynch-Bages is one of the largest and best properties in Pauillac, in the Médoc. While officially classified as a Fifth Growth estate, it regularly competes with the First and Second Growths when it comes to quality and ageability.