|
History
Lynch-Bages takes a part of its name from the very ancient hamlet of Bages. The old “Domaine de Bages” seems to have existed within the same boundaries since the 16th century (the oldest descriptive documents conserved today date back to the beginning of the 18th century).1691, John Lynch arrived in France from Ireland, and established himself as a trader of textiles, wool and leather in the bustling port of Bordeaux. He became a well known merchant, and married in 1709 a local beauty who gave him two sons, Thomas and Jean-Arthur. The estate of concern here, Lynch-Bages, actually came to the family by marriage. In 1740, Thomas Lynch married Elisabeth, daughter of Pierre Drouillard, Trésorier Général de Guyenne and proprietor of the Bages estate.At the death of Pierre Drouillard in 1749, the Bages property went naturally, to Elisabeth and Thomas Lynch. They in turn gave it to their son Jean-Baptiste, at his marriage in 1779. Jean-Baptiste Lynch was a personality. Count of the Empire in 1810, later “Pair de France”, he was mayor of Bordeaux in 1809. Often absent of Bordeaux and absorbed in public life, Court Lynch soon handed his property over to his brother Michael, who lived in Pauillac and became mayor of the town in 1797. Michael Lynch remained responsible for the Bages estate, up until 1824, where it was sold to Sebastien Jurine, a wine merchant from Geneva recently settled in Bordeaux. Thus, it was the property of fhe Bordeaux branch of the Lynch family, over a period of 75 years, from 1749 to 1824.From Jurine it passed to his son André-Louis, but following his death in 1861, by which time the estate was ranked a cinquième cru in the 1855 classification, the estate was sold in order to settle the inheritance. It was taken on by the Cayrou brothers, Jérôme-Maurice and Henri, local négociants, and was then passed down to Maurice's daughter, and then to General Félix de Vial. It was the General who sold the estate, in 1938, to Jean-Charles Cazes. Cazes had started out as a baker, and was then an insurance agent, before he began to invest in the local vineyards. Through his contact with the local vignerons to whom he sold insurance, Cazes had learnt a lot about the wine business.In 1972, when Jean-Charles Cazes died at the age of 95, his son André Cazes took over the management of the property. Soon after, Andre’s son, Jean-Michel Cazes also joined into the estate. Another slump hit the industry in 1974. Although times were very tough, the winery installation had to be modernized. Winemaking conditions steadily improved as the new facilities reached completion. Daniel Llose joined the team in 1976, and become technical manager of the family estates in 1978. An entirely modern vat room was installed at Lynch Bages, and this was followed by a whole series of other improvements: the buildings were insulated, new equipment was bought, temperature-control systems were added, storage cellars were built, and the fermentation area and barrel-ageing cellars were fully renovated. Perhaps one of the most significant events during Jean-Michel's time at Lynch-Bages was the involvement of AXA Millésimes, the wine subsidiary of AXA, which was established by Cazes' old friend Claude Bébéar. In 1987, Claude Bébéar, president of Axa insurance group, asked Jean-Michel Cazes to help him build up the portfolio of quality vineyards that Axa wanted to purchase in the Bordeaux area. They worked together to set up Axa Millésimes, which started by purchasing Château Pichon-Longueville in Pauillac, then acquired other great Bordeaux vineyards (Château Cantenac-Brown, Château Petit-Village, Château Suduiraut), and now have interest in Portugal and Hungary. The two established Chateaux et Associates, and together they manage both the Cazes and AXA-Millésimes vineyards were managed by a team headed by Jean-Michel Cazes and Daniel LLose until December 2000. Sylvie Cazes-Regimbeau, Jean-Michel Cazes younger sister was in charge of public relations for all the vineyard estates from 1991.Today, Jean-Michel Cazes manages the family properties, always join by Daniel LLose and Sylvie and is also in charge of the Relais & Châteaux Cordeillan-Bages, a 4 stars hotel-restaurant. Since 2006, a new generation, led by Sylvie Cazes-Régimbeau and Jean-Charles Cazes (his son), has been looking after the future of the property.
Nowadays’ Owner: Cazes Family
Technique Information
Location: Lynch Bages's vineyards are superbly sited on a plateau west of Pauillac town, in the small village of Bages
Appellation: Appellation Pauillac Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Haut-Batailly(5th Growth of Pauillac in 1855)
Acreage: 90 ha under red vine, 4.5 ha under white vine
Soil: consists mainly of Garonne gravel. The sub-soil (marl, chalk, and thick clay-sand gravel, or hardpan) forms a solid, but fairly disjointed foundation.
Grape Varieties:
Red varieties: 73 % Cabernet-Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernet-Franc, 2 % Petit-Verdot.
White varieties: 40 % Sémillon, 40 % Sauvignon Blanc, 20 % Muscadelle
Average age of vines: 30-35 years
Cultivation density: 9,000 vine / hectare
Viticulture: The plantation is traditional-short pruning, green harvesting, thinning-out, hand-picking with highly selective sorting.
Winemaking:
Chateau Lynch-Bages (First Label): The fruit is harvested manually, then destemmed and crushed before fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel.The wine macerates in vat for a total of three weeks with malolactic in tank, before the wine aged in French oak barrels, 70 % of which are renewed each year.
Chateau Haut-Bages Averous(Second Label): Aged in oak for up to 12-15 months.
Blanc de Lynch-Bages (White Wine): Vinified in oak barrels at low temperatures.
Yield: 40-50hl/ha
Brand: Chateau Lynch-Bages(First Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Chateau Haut-Bages Averous(Second Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Blanc de Lynch-Bages(White Wine)(A.O.C. Bordeaux)
Annually production: Chateau Lynch-Bages(First Label): 25,000 cases
Chateau Haut-Bages Averous(Second Label): 10,000 cases
Blanc de Lynch-Bages(White Wine): 3,000 cases
Character:
Chateau Lynch-Bages(First Label): Lynch-Bages made primarily from Cabernet- Sauvignon, is famous for its fine bouquet and rich tannin, which becomes soft and delicious with age. Lynch-Bages is powerful with a long aftertaste. It is typical of the greatest wines of Pauillac.
Chateau Haut-Bages Averous(Second Label): The style of Haut-Bages Averous is close to that of Lynch-Bages, with a typical Pauillac structure. Its wines bloom earlier than those of its elder sibling and allow earlier drinking as well.
Best vintages:
Chateau Lynch-Bages(First Label):1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2006
Award: 5th Growth of Pauillac in 1855
Website: http://www.lynchbages.com
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 ℃
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: 10-15 years
Food match:
Chateau Lynch-Bages (First Label):
Western Food: Beef, poultry, cheese (Saint Nectaire, Edam, and Gouda), pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game. For red meat dishes. Well cooked and strongly flavored. Will also accompany a cheese platter quite well.
Next Chateau Lynch-Moussas
Pre Chateau Camensac
|
