The winery is located in the eponymous municipality of Bages in the Pauillac area of the Médoc (Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux). It was founded in 1749, when Elisabeth Drouillard, the wife of Irish-born Thomas-Michel Lynch, inherited an estate called "Bourdieu de Batges" from her father. The size of the estate increased to 150 hectares until the Lynch family's story finally came to an end in 1824, when it was divided into Château Lynch-Moussas and Château Lynch-Bages. Château Lynch-Bages remained in the hands of the Jurine family and later the Cayrou family for over a hundred years. In the Bordeaux classification in 1855, Château Lynch-Bages was only awarded fifth place (Cinquième Grand Cru Classé), which was considered far too poor even then. The estate was finally leased by Jean-Charles Cazes (1877-1972) in 1934 and then purchased in 1938. He was assisted in the management by his son André Cazes. From 1973, Jean-Michel Cazes (1935-2023) became the third generation to run the business. In the 1980s, the dilapidated château and the cellars were renovated and the estate was developed into a top-quality business.
The vineyards cover a total of 112 hectares of vines. Of these, 105 hectares are planted with the red wine varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and 7 hectares with the white wine varieties Sauvignon Blanc (63%), Sémillon and Muscadelle. The extremely long-lasting Grand Vin (red wine) is matured for 18 months in barriques that are 75% new. In the opinion of experts, it is worthy of the second rank (Deuxième Grand Cru Classé). In 1985, half a bottle of Lynch-Bages vintage 1975 was the first wine to be sent into space. On 17 June, astronaut Patrick Baudry carried half a bottle of Lynch-Bages on board the Discovery Shuttle. The second wine up to the 2007 vintage was called "Château Haut-Bages-Avérous", from the 2008 vintage it is now called "Echo de Lynch-Bages". The branded wine "Michel Lynch" is produced under the Bordeaux AOC designation. The red wine is blended from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc varieties, the white wine from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes come from the entire Bordeaux region.
Jean-Michel Cazes' son Jean-Charles Cazes (*1974) took over the management of the company in 2006, in which the estates (wineries, restaurant, hotel) are summarised under the title "Famille JM Cazes" (see list there).
Pictures: Famille J.M.Cazes & Château Lynch-Bages
