Wow. Blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins that melt into the wine. Persistent and precise. A fantastic wine for the cellar. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.

The 2022 Lynch-Bages was picked 12 September, around 15 days earlier than usual until 24 September at around 35hL/ha. Aged for 18 months in 75% new oak, it has a backward nose that demands a lot of encouragement. This is not as immediate as the 2016 or 2019 at the same stage. Powerful blackberry and boysenberry fruit, cedar and light tobacco notes, this feels like an edifice of aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, beautifully balanced, very harmonious yet there is an enormous backbone here that (again) is reminiscent of Mouton. Extremely long on the finish, this will need its barrel maturation to fully knit together and it is going to be a Pauillac for the long haul.

One of the vintage's most powerful, muscular wines is the 2022 Lynch-Bages, a full-bodied, broad-shouldered Pauillac that unfurls in the glass with aromas of cassis, cherries, mint, pencil shavings and petroleum jelly, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Liberally extracted, its deep core of fruit is underpinned by an imposing chassis of rich, powdery tannin and lively acids. Always rather forbidding from barrel, Lynch Bages always seems to come together in bottle, and the 2022 has the makings of another success for this address.

A terrific Lynch from a hot vintage with blackcurrants, mint, dried lavender, graphite and thyme on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, it shows fantastic tannins with a lovely texture that reminds me of cashmere, becoming slightly chewy in the finish.

There's an iron spine buried in this red, providing a sleek grounding wire for the core of succulent blackberry and black currant preserves. Singed alder, chestnut leaf and ink notes fill in along the way. Ends with authority thanks to the precise, fine-grained finish, which sports a regal mouthfeel. Offers exactly what this vintage is all about -- ripeness and freshness. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

The 2022 Lynch-Bages has a showstopping bouquet that is well defined, very pure and focused, displaying black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. Hints of pressed violet emerge with aeration. This has actually gained pixelation in barrel. The palate is taut and crisp, with touches of graphite flourishing with aeration so that it could only come from Pauillac. There's plenty of energy coiled up in this Lynch Bages. The 2022 will give a lot of pleasure over the next 30 years or more. Superb.

The 2022 Lynch-Bages is one of the most muscular, chunky wines of the vintage in the Medoc, offering up aromas of dark berries, cherry preserve, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and extracted palate that's dense and blocky. While Lynch-Bages always seems to come together with time, the 2022 is certainly going to require some patience.

A terrific Lynch from a hot vintage with blackcurrants, mint, dried lavender, graphite and thyme on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, it shows fantastic tannins with a lovely texture that reminds me of cashmere, becoming slightly chewy in the finish.

The 2022 Lynch-Bages has a showstopping bouquet that is well defined, very pure and focused, displaying black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. Hints of pressed violet emerge with aeration. This has actually gained pixelation in barrel. The palate is taut and crisp, with touches of graphite flourishing with aeration so that it could only come from Pauillac. There's plenty of energy coiled up in this Lynch Bages. The 2022 will give a lot of pleasure over the next 30 years or more. Superb.

The 2022 Lynch-Bages is one of the most muscular, chunky wines of the vintage in the Medoc, offering up aromas of dark berries, cherry preserve, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and extracted palate that's dense and blocky. While Lynch-Bages always seems to come together with time, the 2022 is certainly going to require some patience.

There's an iron spine buried in this red, providing a sleek grounding wire for the core of succulent blackberry and black currant preserves. Singed alder, chestnut leaf and ink notes fill in along the way. Ends with authority thanks to the precise, fine-grained finish, which sports a regal mouthfeel. Offers exactly what this vintage is all about -- ripeness and freshness. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.