1985 Lynch Bages

The 1985 Lynch-Bages has long been one of my favorite vintages from this decade. The bouquet is very elegant—one of the best I have encountered—with mint and cassis aromas on the nose along with pencil shavings joining the chorus line with time. The palate is medium-bodied with plenty of freshness, salinity and lovely symmetry on the finish. This is superb. Tasted at the WIMPS X-mas lunch at La Trompette.

From well-stored bottles, the 1985 Lynch-Bages continues to offer immensely charming drinking, bursting with aromas of sweet cassis and red berries mingled with cedarwood and loamy soil. Medium-bodied, supple and suave, with a sweet core of fruit and melting tannins, its seamless, elegant and expressive profile makes it hard to resist.

We had a case of this once but finished it ages ago, it was so delicious. Three bottles, all bought recently from Berry Bros, were opened. The first was stunning, absolutely all the subtlety, balance and ripe fruit you expect from a top claret. The second was just like it but at 85% intensity. The third was slightly tainted by TCA. The cork of the first was damp, dark and soiled. The cork on the second was very clean and pale. The cork from the third was pale but smelt a bit suspect. (Though of course there are many instances of gorgeous wines having stinky corks.) The score relates to the first bottle. (JR)