2014 Echo de Lynch Bages
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Tasting notes
The 2014 Echo de Lynch Bages has quite a powerful bouquet with blackberry, blueberry, sage and cedar aromas, not quite as defined as the 2014 Clos du Marquis tasted alongside, but there is ample fruit and it is not pushed too hard. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, coming across as grippy in the mouth with impressive density. It is maybe a bit rough around the edges but there is good presence and mass to this wine and it feels balanced and fresh towards the long finish. This showed relatively poorly in barrel and just after bottling, however, this is much more promising. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2014 Echo de Lynch Bages felt a little simplistic on the nose and lacked the presence of its peers, such as say Réserve de la Comtesse. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, perhaps a little rustic in style, although there is a pleasant piquancy on the finish that pulls up short. Drink over the next three of four years.
The 2014 Echo de Lynch-Bages is dense, pliant and quite deep for a second wine. Élevage has softened some of the rough edges that the wine showed in its youth. Today, I am surprised by how primary and dense it is. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2014 for at least a few years. There is little in the way of aromatic or flavor development at this stage, and the wine feels very closed. The blend is 73 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 27 % Merlot, the highest %age of Cabernet since 2001.
The 2014 Echo de Lynch-Bages is a juicy, forward wine that will deliver considerable pleasure pretty much upon release. Distinctly Cabernet-inflected notes take center stage, with savory/floral overtones that add nuance. The tannins are a bit rough around the edges today, even though the fruit is quite voluptuous. In 2014, the Echo is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, the highest percentage of Cabernet since 2001.
About the producer
Ch. Lynch-Bages is one of the largest and best properties in Pauillac, in the Médoc. While officially classified as a Fifth Growth estate, it regularly competes with the First and Second Growths when it comes to quality and ageability.