2018 Echo de Lynch-Bages (Pauillac)

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 Drink 2024 - 2038. 92 points

62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. pH 3.57, 12 months in oak, none new. Barrel sample. Inky core with bright purple rim. Sweeter on the nose than the Haut-Batailley just tasted. Cassis and a touch of blueberry. Rounded and smooth but less pretty than the Haut-Batailley Verso, perhaps more long-lived. 16.5 points