Echo de Lynch Bages, Pauillac 2019 14.5% abv 75cl

Jean-Charles described 2019 as “Blue Velvet”, a vintage that offers “a beautiful complementarity between fruity Merlots, rich in sugar… and dense, well-structured, very fresh Cabernets”. His flagship Lynch Bages is a glorious, grandiose wine, boasting huge concentration, yet there’s a sense on grace and poise. There’s a lovely florality to the fruit; violet scented cassis, Asian spice, sumptuous crème de mûre, notes of pencil shavings, tobacco and cedar. It feels more exuberant than the cerebral, introverted 2018, yet it’s just as profound. There’s a veneer of fleshy fruit that covers the muscular, brooding core of deep cassis that delights the palate. Restrained, controlled, this builds and builds revealing layers of fruit and mineral complexity. Dense, but never weighty, this glides effortlessly coating the palate revealing swathes of purple fruit, painting a picture of fine detail with its glorious tannic profile. So much energy, so much power; what a fabulous Lynch Bages. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Château Lynch-Bages was originally founded in the 18th century by Thomas Lynch, the son of a Galway merchant, who had fled to Bordeaux after the defeat of Catholic King James by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Thomas was born in Bordeaux and married Elisabeth Drouillard, the daughter of the owner of the Bages estate. Following the death of her father in 1749, Elisabeth and Thomas inherited the estate, affixing the Lynch name to the property in the village of Bages. Château Lynch-Bages has been owned by the Cazes family since 1939.