TN: 1985 Lynch Bages

Was a bit nervous when i removed the capsule. So much mold on top that the capsule actually left an impression in the mold. Cork was a bitch to remove and had to employ the homemade durand to get it out. Still lost half back into the bottle.
Amazed how clean and pure the wine was. Barely any sediment and the not cloudy at all. Only had it standing up for 3 hours or so. Right off the bat the wine just screamed Lynch Bages. Smokey, meaty, cigar, perfect balance of acidity. Still plenty of fruit but in harmony with the other notes. Hard to believe that this ins 27 yrs old. Peaking but many years ahead if properly stored. This was from a very cold cellar of my buddy in rochester. 95 pts. Even better with the lamb.

I’ve had this wine many times and all but one were great. Let me know if you want to sell any, I’ll buy them.

was my one and only 85. need to find more. much cheaper than the 89 as parker’s later score on the 1985 was a paltry 90 pts.

Sometimes it’s great having Parker around to pan good wines.

Loved the '85 Lynch…wish I still had some in the cellar. They were just so tasty. As were most of the '85’s. I wish that I hadn’t bought into the hype of the '86’s and had bought more '85’s.

'85 Bordeaux have been peaking for 20 years.

An 86 Lynch Bages 2 weeks ago was amazing.

Tom

that post inspired me. had hoped to open one sooner but have been congested for almost 2 weeks. decided on the 85 this afternoon. may hit the 86 this weekend

When it’s “on,” the 1985 Lynch Bages is a classic Pauillac with wonderful fruit/acid balance and a great pair with red meat.

Bruce

Thanks Jordan. It’s on my birthyear radar.

Thanks, Jordan. LB’s '85, '86, '89 and '90 are all amazing.

Certainly not on par with the 89 & 90 but I put the 88 in the conversation with the other vintages mentioned.

Tom
Twitter: @NWTomLee

Interesting. I’ve probably had more LB than any other classified growth, but never have a tried the '88. Consider my curiosity perked now.

Nice note, Jordan. Sounds like a great bottle! I don’t know what current pricing is, but this wine was a huge bargain in the late 90s/early 00s. In my opinion, Parker was way off, which created a great opportunity. Around the same time, I also had some good 75 Lynch Bages (and LLC for that matter), though it’s been a while, so they might be long-in-the-tooth now.

Cheers!

  • Frank [cheers.gif]

It’s a birth year wine for me and I’ve been lucky enough to taste this three times and it’s always been stellar. I still have one bottle I was given as part of a “birth year case” and it’s nice to know it’s got some time ahead of it. Thanks for sharing your notes.

The '86 is a nice wine…I still have a couple in the cellar, but in hindsight, wished that all of the $ I spent on the '86 LB would have gone towards more '85’s.

The 1985s will always give more pleasure than the '86s, IMHO.
In fact, I currently prefer the 85s over the 82s…
Always exceptions…
Paul

Hey Bruce, remember the '85 Lynch Bages I served you back in 2010? [basic-smile.gif]

See you in early June…

Paul