#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2023 edition - 2020 vintage)
#93 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2012 edition - 2009 vintage)
#67 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1999 edition - 1996 vintage)
#9 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1992 edition - 1989 vintage)
#10 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1991 edition - 1988 vintage)
#1 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1988 edition - 1985 vintage) ~ 1st edition
 
99-Points by Jeb Dunnuck.
One of the finest vintages I've ever tasted from this address, the 2018 Château Lynch-Bages has everything you look for in a great wine: incredible aromatics, richness without weight, perfect balance, and a purity of fruit that's just about off the charts. Dense purple, it reveals a glorious perfume of blackcurrants and blackberry fruits, a deep, unctuous mouthfeel, building tannin's, and a complex array of cedar pencil, tobacco, wood smoke, and chocolate. A true blockbuster in every sense, with masses of fruit and tannin's as well as moderate acidity, it will probably merit a triple-digit score in a decade and is a 50+-year wine from this team.
Blend:  72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot with 75% new French Oak.
 
History of Château Lynch-Bages:
Château Lynch-Bages is situated in the Pauillac commune of the Médoc region in Bordeaux. The grand vin, which is made predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon, is known for its structure and intensity, and can age for 20 years or more. It ranks among the best in the appellation. The property in the village of Bages takes the other part of its name from Thomas Lynch, a Bordeaux merchant of Irish lineage who owned the property from 1749 to 1824. It was rated a fifth growth in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855, although the reputation of the property, now in the hands of the Cazes family, soared from 1945 after a string of excellent vintages. 
Vineyards and winemaking:
The vineyards are situated on a plateau west of Pauillac town on gravel, chalk and sand soils. There are over 100 hectares (247 acres) of vineyards, which beginning from- 2006 have been divided into 200 parcels to more closely match viticultural practices to terroir. Cabernet Sauvignon currently accounts for 68 percent of planted area. The rest is planted to Merlot (26), Cabernet Franc (4) and Petit Verdot (2 percent). Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats with extensive remontage (pumping-over) for concentration and color intensity. Lynch-Bages is aged for around 15 months in oak barrels, rougly two thirds of which are new. A notable feature of the estate is the old vat-house with its traditional slatted floors, ropes, pulleys and buckets, which give the advantages of gravity flow, a process incorporated into many modern winery designs.