Château Lynch-Bages

Identity

Château Lynch-Bages is a winegrowing estate located in the commune of Pauillac. It is owned by the Cazes family, with Jean-Charles Cazes serving as current managing director. The estate is classified as a Cinquième Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification.

History and philosophy

The history of Château Lynch-Bages dates back to the 18th century with the arrival of the Lynch family, of Irish descent, who took ownership of the property in 1749. The estate takes its name from this family and the hamlet of "Batges" where it is located, a place where viticulture has been documented since the 16th century. After parting from the Lynch family in 1824, the Château was acquired by the Cazes family in 1939, on the eve of World War II. André Cazes was one of the key historic figures within the family. Management by the Cazes family first began in the 1930s.

The estate is committed to precision viticulture. A comprehensive renovation of the technical facilities, initiated in December 2016, spanned four years, culminating in the opening of a new cellar and vat house designed by American architect Chien Chung Pei. These state-of-the-art facilities, brought into service for the first vinification of the 2020 vintage, were engineered for complete gravity-flow winemaking, reviving the spirit of the 19th-century vat house built according to the principles of Pierre Skawinski. Designed to be ergonomic and functional, they incorporate an environmental dimension through the use of natural light and contemporary materials seamlessly integrated into their surroundings.

Alongside winemaking, the Cazes family has developed a diverse range of wine tourism experiences, notably the Cordeillan-Bages hotel-restaurant, acquired in the 1950s, renovated in the 1980s, and currently led by chef Jean-Luc Rocha. A project to revitalise the Village de Bages, launched by Jean-Michel Cazes in the early 2000s, also brings together local shops such as a bakery and grocer (Le Comptoir d’Andréa), a wine shop (Bages Bazaar), and a bistro (Le Café Lavinal).

The appellations

The vineyard parcels of Château Lynch-Bages are situated within the Pauillac appellation for the production of red wines. The estate also produces a white wine under the Bordeaux appellation.

Practical information

Château Lynch-Bages is located in Pauillac, 33250. The estate can be reached by phone at +33 (0)5 56 73 24 00. For tour and tasting enquiries, a dedicated line is available at +33 (0)5 56 73 19 31, as well as a specific email address: visit@lynchbages.com.

Tours and tastings at the Château are available by appointment from Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The estate also offers cultural experiences, including contemporary art exhibitions. While direct cellar-door sales are not documented as a primary offering, the estate boasts a hotel-restaurant, Cordeillan-Bages, and its restaurant Le Café Lavinal, led by chef Gabriel Gette. Accommodation is available on-site at Cordeillan-Bages.

Find out more

Official website of the estate

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Lynch-Bages vineyard covers a planted area of 116 hectares, with 105 hectares dedicated to red grape varieties and 11 hectares to white grape varieties. The average age of the vines is around 27 to 30 years. The soils are characterised by exceptional Garonne gravels, consisting of fine gravel or gravelly sand. The planting density is 8,500 vines per hectare. Vineyard management follows sustainable viticulture practices, notably through the Environmental Management System (SME du CIVB).

The blend of grape varieties for the red wines is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (70% to 71%), Merlot (22% to 25%), Cabernet Franc (4%), and Petit Verdot (2% to 3%). For the white wines, the grape varieties planted are Sauvignon Blanc (63%), Sémillon (25%), and Muscadelle (12%). Harvesting is carried out by hand.

Flagship cuvées

Château Lynch-Bages crafts several iconic cuvées. The Grand Vin, Château Lynch-Bages, is a red wine from the Pauillac appellation, celebrated for its structure and remarkable ageing potential. The recommended serving temperature is 17 to 18 °C, and it pairs traditionally with red meats.

The estate also produces two second red wines, both under the Pauillac appellation: Écho de Lynch-Bages and Château Haut-Bages Averous. These cuvées offer a more immediate expression of the property's terroir.

Finally, Château Lynch-Bages produces a dry white wine, Blanc de Lynch-Bages, under the Bordeaux appellation.

Vinification and ageing

Vinification is conducted traditionally, with malolactic fermentation carried out in barrels and parcel-by-parcel vinification. The vats are made of stainless steel, and the new cellar allows gravity-flow handling at every stage, from the reception of the harvest to the vat house. Ageing of the red wines takes place in French oak barrels for 18 months, with a proportion of new oak barrels ranging between 70% and 75% depending on the vintage.