Château Lynch Bages 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac 2005 Grape Varieties 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc Food Matching Note: Grilled rib-eye steaks with roasted peppers, grilled lamb chops with salmoriglio sauce, grilled beef ribs with sweet-and-sticky barbecue sauce. Tasting Note: Displaying a dense purple colour as well as low acidity, this blackberry and cassis-flavoured Pauillac possesses a fat, juicy mid-section and outstanding purity. The fruit is ripe, and the silky texture oozes over the palate with no bumps. The tannin is well concealed by the wealth of chewy fruit. Vinification Note: Once perfectly ripe, the grapes are 100% hand-picked. Merlot and Cabernet are harvested separately and the pickers are divided into two teams. In this way grapes from different vineyard plots and especially those from young vines can be kept apart. During fermentation the wine is pumped-over two or three times a day for 20-30 minutes. Once alcoholic fermentation is completed, the wine is kept on the skins in order to extract the necessary tannin for a fine red wine. 60% of the wine is put into new barrels whereas the remainder is aged in year-old barrels. It is chateau-bottled in May or June of the 2nd year after the vintage. Detailed Vinification Note: Once perfectly ripe, the grapes are 100% hand-picked. Merlot and Cabernet are harvested separately. The pickers are divided into two teams. In this way, grapes from different vineyard plots, and especially those from young vines, can be kept apart. Once the grapes have been unloaded, they are transported to a crusher-destemmer via an Archimedes screw and then transferred to one of 35 stainless steel fermentation vats. These are equipped with a temperature-control system using stainless steel pipes located just above the vats. During the first phase of fermentation (alcoholic fermentation), yeast turns sugar into alcohol (with less than 2g/l of residual sugar remaining at the end). During this process, CO2 is released, and there is a significant increase in temperature. This must be carefully monitored. If the temperature is too high (> 32°C), the yeast will die and fermentation can slow down or even come to a halt. On the other hand, if the temperature goes down too low (< 28-30°C) there will be poor extraction from the skins. It is therefore imperative to keep a very close watch on fermentation temperatures. Lynch-Bages has a temperature control system that chills or warms vats as needed, and with great precision. In order to extract colour, tannin and various fruit components from the cap (a crust formed by skins and pulp on the top of the vat), the fermenting must is pumped-over. This means that the juice is taken from the bottom the vat and spayed over the cap. This also aerates the yeast (which needs oxygen) and distributes it more equally, as well as maintaining a more even temperature throughout the vat. The wine is pumped-over two or three times a day for 20-30 minutes during the entire alcoholic fermentation. Once alcoholic fermentation is completed, the wine is kept on the skins in order to extract the necessary tannin for a fine red wine. This lasts for about two weeks, starting from the first day the wine is in vat. After the wine has been left for a sufficient length of time on the skins, it is run off from the heavy sediment in the bottom of the vat. The free-run juice is run off first, and what remains behind is put through a wine press. The press wine has somewhat tougher tannin and a more herbaceous flavour. Malolactic fermentation soon follows, and is systematically encouraged. This process consists of transforming malic acid into lactic acid due to the action of malolactic bacteria. It takes place at a temperature of between 18 and 21°C. Malolactic fermentation significantly reduces a wine's acidity and confers chemical stability. When this is completed, blending can take place. After fermentation, the free-run juice (80-85%) and the press wine (15-20%) are both stored in vat. Seeing as the grape varieties are picked separately, there are vats of Merlot and Cabernet. Furthermore, wine from young vines is kept apart from that of older vines. In general, wine from young vines is lighter, less tannic, and more early-maturing. However, at Lynch-Bages, we aim to produce the most concentrated wine possible, with the greatest possible ageing potential. This is why the lighter wine from the younger vines is sold under the Château Haut Bages Averous label. This is the 2nd wine of Lynch-Bages. The decision as to which vats will go into the grand vin, and which will make up the second wine are made during the assemblage, or blending. Every single vat is tasted, and a preliminary choice is made whether the wine should go into Lynch-Bages or Haut Bages Averous. Samples are then made up into draft blends and blind-tasted. Once this tasting is completed, the final blends of the grand vin and the second wine are decided upon. These can then be reproduced on a large scale to ensure homogeneous quality. When fermentation is finished, the wine is put into oak barrels to age. Barrels are perfect for measured micro-oxidation due to the slow penetration of air through the wood pores. This brings out the best in the wine, and also adds oak tannin. Furthermore, the small size of the barrels (225 litres), facilitates the precipitation of lees. The wine is racked 3-4 times a year throughout the entire time it ages in barrels. The aim of this process is to separate the wine from its lees. This is carried out from barrel to barrel, and the clarity is checked by stopping the flow, filling a glass of wine and holding it up to a candle. Once it starts to look cloudy, the racking stops. Two workers rack an average of 45 barrels a day. This process takes place all year round; as soon as one racking cycle is finished, it is time to start another one! After the final racking (12-15 months after originally being put into barrels), the wine is put back into vat. At this stage, a new assemblage (blend) is made, because 60% of the wine is put into new barrels whereas the remainder is aged in year-old barrels and therefore develops differently. Once the wine is in vat, the fining process begins. Egg-whites are added to precipitate unwanted elements in the wine that may form a deposit once the wine is bottled. It is chateau-bottled in May or June of the 2nd year after the vintage. Find this wine at www.winestore.co.uk Price: £114.01 (Including VAT at 20%)