Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Lynch-Bages 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A powerful, structurally driven Pauillac showing serious depth and long-term ambition, built on a 71% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot support. The wine carries muscular architecture, dark fruit density, and firm tannic authority, currently showing some youthful rough edges but clearly positioned for future greatness with proper cellaring.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis liqueur, blackberry skin, graphite, cedar plank, crushed gravel, tobacco leaf, dark cocoa and subtle savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, youthful tannins, strong mid-palate grip, vibrant supporting acidity, dense core concentration, and a long, structured finish that signals serious aging capacity.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, grilled lamb chops, beef short ribs, rosemary-crusted venison, aged hard cheeses, slow-braised meats.

Verdict
A high-potential Pauillac still in its formative phase. The structure, depth, and terroir signature are undeniable, but integration will require time. A climber rather than a polished performer today, patience will be rewarded handsomely.

🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a future star in development, powerful, slightly raw, but absolutely loaded with upside. Not a wine for instant gratification, but one that will evolve into something truly special with time. I’d happily cellar this and revisit around 2029 when the polish finally matches the horsepower. — a day ago

Conrad Green

9.7

From mag. Beautiful stuff. Lime, slate, honeysuckle, pear. Fresh and bright with a light salinity. Great texture and mouthfeel. Delicious and long. This is all in place- the best mdt I’ve tasted. Lovely. — 3 months ago

with Bex, Walker and 1 other

Chris Zitzman

9.0

The 2024 Ameztoi “Rubentis” carries a subtle, almost rose gold hue in the glass. The nose contains bright red berry notes, but it’s on the palate where this wine absolutely shines.

The blend of hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza are at the heart of the wine, but its real beauty stems from the method to its marriage.

Both grapes are hand-picked, but then placed in hoppers from where they are de-stemmed together, then pressed together, then allowed to naturally ferment together. Towards the end of the process the tanks are closed to preserve the naturally occurring carbonation.

As is traditional/preferred method in Getaria, the tanks themselves are kept near freezing to solidify the blend’s effervescent character.

The result is a robust-yet-effervescent rose whose roots date back to the late 1800’s.

The craft used to make this very wine made rose popular in the Baque region of Spain LONG before rose became so popular around the world. — 3 months ago

with Beth

M S

9.0

Bright and cloudy with a slight funk finish — a month ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.7

Music ‘n Magnum tasting..
🎶 Monty Python - Always look on the bright side of life. — 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.4

From mag. Bright and sharp and light. Distinguished. Very good — 2 months ago

with Bex

Conrad Green

9.7

Outrageous. Intense pretty and bright. Lemon curd, orange rind, lifted zesty fruit. Just spectacular — 3 months ago

with Matt and David

Sagee Aran

8.9

A medium body, bright red in color. Pleasant nose, mild. On the palate spices and bright red fruits.
Was a little off balance, maybe the specific bottle. — a month ago

Ken Venezio

9.1

This 2018 is 100% Merlot. Opens to a subtle floral note with black cherry and cranberries. Medium body with a nice mouthfeel. The finish is a little smoky and bit of a back of the throat spice. — 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.5

From mag. Delicious- sweet with bright light citrus, fresh corn, a lush mouthfeel. Very sexy and long — 3 months ago

with Matt