Expert Ratings - Prior Vintages 2020, 2018
James Suckling 96 Points | Intense graphite and violet character with lead pencil. It’s full and firm with chewy and balanced tannins. Iodine coming through. So intense. Super second wine. Like the grand vin of Lynch from the 1980s. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. (v.2020).
Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points | The first vintage made at the new facility, the 2020 Echo De Lynch-Bages checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that was raised all in once-used barrels. It’s a big, mouth-filling, serious second wine revealing classic Pauillac lead pencil and tobacco notes., plenty of ripe black fruits, velvety tannins, and a great finish. One of the more opulent, expansive wines in the vintage, it has loads to love as well as more than a hint of the style of the Grand Vin. (v.2020).
Decanter 92 Points | A serious Echo, one that has walls and depths to its tannins, and will take time to open up. Black pepper, cassis, cassis bud and liquorice, I would give this four or five years before opening. 3.8pH. Yields were down to around 22hl/ha. First harvest in the new gravity-fed cellars. (v.2020).
Vinous 92 Points | The 2020 Echo de Lynch Bages is fabulous. A compelling second wine, Echo offers all the aromatic sensuality, red fruit and silkiness of the Grand Vin, but in an open-knit style that can be enjoyed upon release. All the elements are so impeccably balanced. Everything about the 2020 speaks to class and refinement. (v.2020).
Jeb Dunnuck writes: The 2018 Echo De Lynch-Bages checks in as a mix of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that was brought up all in once-used French oak. It has a grand vin tech-sheet with 13.9% alcohol, 3.57 pH, and a massive IPT of 87. Deep purple-hued, with a great nose of blackcurrants, scorched earth, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, and dark chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered monster of a mid-palate, and silky tannins. It's stunning juice all the way, and given its wealth of material and texture, it's drinkable today, yet smart money will hide bottles for 5-7 years, and it's going to evolve for 20 years or more. It's an incredible second wine. - Jeb Dunnuck 94. (v.2018).
Lisa Perrotti-Brown writes: Composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc and without any new oak, the very deep purple-black colored 2018 Echo de Lynch Bages rolls seductively out of the glass with fragrant notes of candied violets, rose hip tea and fragrant soil over a core of crushed blackberries, warm blackcurrants and kirsch plus wafts of chocolate mint and crushed rocks. Full, rich, wonderfully concentrated and well structured, it has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long. - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 90-92. (v.2018).
Antonio Galloni wrties: The 2018 Echo de Lynch Bages is an attractive, fruity wine to drink now and over the next decade or so. Sweet red berries, blood orange, mint, spice and pomegranate are nicely pushed forward in this attractive, lithe Pauillac. A few hours of air does wonders here. - Vinous 92. (v.2018).
James Suckling writes: Very layered and dense second wine of Lynch this year. Medium to full body, juicy fruit and polished and chewy tannins. Will need time. - James Suckling 93-94. (v.2018).
Jane Anson writes: There is clear Pauillac typicity here – you're certainly getting a lot of bang for your buck with Echo in 2018. The tannins are pronounced with weight and shoulders that power the autumnal fruits and black pepper spicing through the palate. No new oak was used and yet the concentration from the fruit itself seems more than enough.Harvest took place between 19 September and 9 October with a yield of 38hl/ha - a little under pre-harvest estimations due to the concentration of grapes in the final days. 60% of the production went into the grand vin with 30% into the second wine and 10% press wine. 3.57pH. 95IPT - Decanter 92 (v.2018).
James Molesworth writes: Violet, cassis and cherry paste notes have a fresh, racy feel. A sleek iron-edged finish lets everything play out nicely. Pauillac 101. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2027. - Wine Spectator 90 (v.2018).
