Barrel Sample. This wine shows a solid structure packed with tannins. The fruit freshness of the year comes in slowly to give a lift on the finish.

The Château Lynch-Moussas 2014 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot picked 26 September and picked over the following three weeks, the same as the 2008 vintage according to Frédéric Castèja (compared to 10 days in 2013!) The wine is aged in 55% new French oak. It has a fragrant bouquet that shows a little more fruit intensity than the Batailley at this stage, perhaps more harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with gently grippy tannins and a pure core of cedar-infused fruit. With impressive density and focus on the finish, this is a top-notch Lynch Moussas and perhaps the first year where it may surpass the Castèja family's Batailley. Excellent.