Winemaker Notes
Blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Ripe and stalky fruit on the nose, lots of Cabernet markers. Ripe, fleshy, chewy and filling, this really coats the mouth, it’s ripe but not heavy, with the grippy tannins making way for the acidity and touches of toast towards the finish. I like the more bold style, it has depth and character and certainly isn’t too lean and focussed. Good plumpness and feels like they got the Merlot ripe. Appealing and characterful. Very approachable already, has a digestibility that is appealing. I like the acidity and sense of fresh lift on the finish. Nicely structured. 50% grand vin production. Ageing 55% new oak, the rest in one-year-old barrels.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
James Suckling
Very good density here, with deep notes of graphite, cassis, dark cherries and a touch of black olives and cigar box. Structured, with medium to full body and tight, fine-grained tannins. Long and compact. 78% cabernet sauvignon and 22% merlot.
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Vinous
The 2023 Lynch-Moussas is super-expressive right out of the gate. The lifted, expansive bouquet is enticing. Red-toned fruit, blood orange, cedar, new leather and sweet pipe tobacco build over time, adding layers of complexity and overall dimension. This stylish, mid-weight Pauillac is a delight. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Château Lynch-Moussas is authentic and fairly generous, offering a rustic expression of Pauillac. Notes of earth, dried leaves, warming spice, and red fruits unfold with ease and character. Its savory depth and natural freshness make it an excellent partner for jeyuk bokkeum—spicy Korean stir-fried pork with gochujang, garlic, and chile heat. (Tasted: January 22, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.