I'm headed off, but first let me get my lunch bag!

Sorry I meant Lynch Bages - that's a terrible joke I apologise.

Regardless, we're here today to try some of Pauillac's own Chateau Lynch Bages and for comparison, we've also got their second wine, the Echo de Lynch Bages.

Quick recap, Lynch Bages has been very popular with the wine community for a hot minute because it was always thought of as punching way above its weight. What was classified as a Fifth Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification has often been thought of as being more Second Growth, after all wasn't 1855 just like almost 170 years ago? Things change! And so those eagle-eyed value hunters have circled around Lynch Bages - even Michael Jordan, the basketball legend, was a fan!

The vineyard has been in the hands of the Cazes family now for several generations, ever since Jean-Charles Cazes took over after the bakery he was at was destroyed in a fire. As it turns out, the man should have been making wine instead of bread! Along the way, the Chateau, located on the Bages Plateau, south of the Pauillac commune (and relatively near Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild), became the first wine in space, got a re-design by the Louvre's pyramid's architects, Chien Chung Pei and Li Chung Pei, who also happen to be I. M. Pei's sons, and was amongst the first French wines to break into China.

In terms of comparisons between the first wine and second wine, the Chateau Lynch Bages vines are around 30-35 years old, while the Echo's are about 15 years old.

And so with all that said, let's give them a go - we've got the 2012 Echo de Lynch Bages and the 2015 Chateau Lynch Bages.

Let's go!

Echo de Lynch Bages 2012 - Review

First up, this Echo de Lynch Bages 2012 was made from 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, which was then aged for 14 months in refilled French oak barrels. The grower's notes called the 2012 harvest relatively still very dry even though it had started out with a moderate winter and a cool rainy spring.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby 

Aroma: Fairly gentle and quiet, albeit with a tightly wound dense, dark and rich core of cassis, blackcurrant, blackberry in paste (or pate) and concentrate. It's supported by some earthy notes of tobacco and leather - fairly soft but has a denseness about it. With time it does let up slightly to Ribena blackcurrant gummies.

Taste: Much better richness here with a fuller medium body. It still keeps the denseness of dark berries of blackcurrant and blackberry in both jams and paste, leaning alittle more towards being jammy here. There's also a slight savouriness of tobacco leaves, still dark, dense and rich, with a concentrated hit of blackberry jams that's tossed up with some earthy tobacco leaves. Firm tannins here giving it a pretty good structure.

Finish: Blackcurrant skins, crushed blackcurrant, also abit of clay. 

My Thoughts

The nose was alittle bbit of a throw off because it was surprisingly muted and rather closed off. Thankfully on the palate it had much more in the way of concentration and richness of the dark berries that's complemented by some earthiness. It's definitely more open on the palate. There's a light bit of acidity here on the palate and the tannins were nice and firm as was the structure it gave. Certainly the key here would be for this to offer more vibrance and juiciness. It felt alittle lacking in the richness of the fruit.

Chateau Lynch Bages 2015 - Review

Now we move on to the OG! For the 2015 Chateau Lynch Bages, we've got 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, that's then aged in wooden barrels (75% new oak) for 18 months. The 2015 harvest was characterised as being very conducive for both grape concentration and tannin ripeness.

Tasting Notes 

Colour:  Super Dark Ruby

Aroma: Good intensity to the aromas with this nice open bouquet of soft blackcurrant and cassis jam and paste, accompanied by a light touch of crushed blackberry and blueberries. Wafts of tobacco leaves, it's got a very nice richness to it along with the solid concentration. Over time it opens up more to tobacco and some bits of clove, but here it's more aroma and without any spiciness.

Taste: Medium-bodied, immediately there's a good richness of blackcurrants and blackberries that also take the form of a cordial. It's complemented by tobacco leaves and some clove spices giving it an earthiness and a slight mustiness of age. The tannins here are ripe and soft, but provide a well-matched structure to the medium plus intensity boldness of the fruit.

Finish: Clean, with a light bit of blackcurrant jam, some cloves too. The tannins surface more so here, giving it more of a dryness.

My Thoughts

This was pretty superb - it had a more aromatic nose and overall showed lots of freshness and vibrance, with a more well accompanied and also softer tannin structure. There's a well-balanced mix of earthiness and dark fruit here, with the power amped up that much more. It's certainly very cohesive with a lovely body that remains straightforward and very approachable - great value for quality pick here!

Priced about 3 times that of the Echo, the question is whether the grand daddy Lynch Bages is worth the money - 100% yes. It's unquestionably fresher, with more energy and power, as well as boldness of its flavours that showcases much more harmony. What I particularly love about it is just how approachable it is - straightforward and at the same time nailing the classic Bordeaux profile in an incredibly holistic and well-rounded manner, with such good structure. 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot