2006 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Ch. Lynch Bages, a Cinquième Cru Classé, is one of the best-known Médoc estates and has always had a particularly strong following on this side of the English Channel. The wine can be surprisingly soft and approachable when young; however, when fully mature, it develops a succulent richness and a heavenly bouquet of minty blackcurrants and cigar boxes. As Oz Clarke says, “Lynch Bages is impressive at five years, beautiful at 10 years and irresistible at 20.”

This is a remarkable 2006: voluptuous and sexy, its massive tannins are cloaked by the hugely concentrated, ripe, cedar-y, brambly fruit, while the sweet, rich, toasty aromas add an extra je ne sais quoi. The purity of fruit on the finish is sensational too. Certainly we cannot recall Lynch having been so far up the Bordeaux quality ladder in any previous year.