Blanc de Lynch-Bages (1999)

About this wine

Blanc de Lynch Bages is the dry white wine from Château Lynch Bages, a Pauillac classified growth that bottles this cuvée under the Bordeaux Blanc appellation because Pauillac rules do not permit white varieties. It is made from the traditional Bordeaux white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle, drawn from a small set of parcels on the estate, and the wine is largely fermented in individually temperature controlled barrels. After fermentation it is aged on lees for about six months in French oak, with regular lees stirring, and roughly half of the barrels are new, which builds texture without turning the wine sweet. In the 1999 vintage, expect a perfumed profile that can show honeysuckle and white blossom, then citrus peel and ripe orchard fruit, with barrel notes reading more like vanilla and toasted nuts than overt wood. The palate typically feels medium bodied and dry, with a round, leesy mid palate, fresh acidity for lift, and a long, gently waxy finish that can lean toward almond, dried apricot, and a touch of grapefruit pith as it opens.

About the grape

Blanc de Lynch Bages was launched in 1990 as a dry white made from the three classic Bordeaux white grapes, and the 1999 vintage continues that traditional Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle blend from parcels on the estate’s historic terroir. Sauvignon Blanc is widely believed to have originated in Bordeaux and, because it is naturally vigorous and sensitive to spring frost, it is typically managed carefully in the canopy and picked in focused passes here to anchor the blend with its structural freshness. Sémillon is Bordeaux’s most planted white grape, valued because it ripens relatively early and can be very receptive to Botrytis cinerea, and in this cuvée it is used to add weight and ageworthiness alongside the more incisive Sauvignon Blanc. Muscadelle is a much smaller part of Bordeaux plantings, a fragile variety from South West France that is very botrytis prone, and at Lynch Bages it is kept as a seasoning grape to round out the blend and preserve a link to old local white wine practice.

Quick facts

• 🥇 Blanc de Lynch-Bages was first released in 1990, making it one of the earliest white wines created by a Médoc Grand Cru Classé estate, a rarity in a region famous for reds.
• 📜 Even though it comes from the Pauillac world of Château Lynch-Bages, it is bottled as AOC Bordeaux Blanc because Pauillac rules do not allow white-grape plantings for the appellation.
• 🧩 The white grapes for Blanc de Lynch-Bages are grown on a tiny footprint, about 5.5 hectares spread over roughly eight parcels tied to the estate’s historic terroir.
• 🪵 Its signature style comes from serious cellar work for a white Bordeaux, much of it ferments and then ages on lees in French oak for about six months, with a large share in new barrels and regular lees stirring.
• 🌸 Muscadelle is not just a token grape here, it is deliberately used as a third variety alongside Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon to add distinctive perfumed lift, which is unusual for many modern dry Bordeaux whites.

Palate profile

Producer

Château Lynch-Bages, located in Pauillac, France, traces its origins to the 16th century in the hamlet of Bages. In 1749, Thomas Lynch, an Irishman from Galway, inherited the estate through marriage and managed it for 75 years, producing wines under the name "Cru de Lynch." The property changed hands multiple times before Jean-Charles Cazes leased it in the 1930s and purchased it in 1939; the Cazes family has managed the estate ever since. Notably, in 1985, a bottle of Lynch-Bages became the first wine to travel into space aboard the Discovery shuttle. The estate underwent significant renovations between 2017 and 2021, modernizing its winemaking facilities while preserving its rich heritage.