Echo. A countable noun meaning: “a sound which is caused by a noise being reflected off a surface such as a wall”. So, if the Collins English Dictionary is anything to go by (and let’s assume it is), an echo is a reflection of an original, correct?

Well ... yes and no. It’s true enough that sound wouldn’t echo if there was not something there to begin with, but when it comes to Echo de Lynch Bages, we are actually greeted with a wine that has entirely its own identity. Granted, it mirrors some of the finer points of its big brother, but Echo de Lynch Bages most definitely stands in its own class.

The second label of the celebrated fifth growth Chateau is anything except second best. Unsurprisingly, given its family heritage, it is one of the most sought after Pauillac wines today. It commands a higher (though still very affordable) price than most Bordeaux blends and offers spectacular investment opportunities. This is largely due to its very good ageing potential along with the characteristic flavour, aroma and length so indicative of Pauillac.

Previously named “Haut-Bages Averous”, the wine was renamed in 2008 in order to affirm its relationship with its older, sexier sibling. Chateau Lynch Bages is of course famous for being the underdog of the wine classification world. A fifth growth (fifth!), Lynch Bages is famously “very superior to its classification” and widely considered as one of Bordeaux’s best wines. It is arguably the region’s greatest success story of the last century, and should the 1855 classification ever be modernised, our money is on Lynch Bages getting a 21st-century upgrade.

Echo accounts for about 30% of the Lynch Bages harvest, and just like the Grand Vin, harvesting is done carefully and by hand. The grapes used (around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot) differ greatly from Lynch Bages proper, but the wines do share the same meticulous vinification process. That means, a rigorous selection of vats, traditional aging in oak barrels and the same careful handling as the fist wine.

You may be interested to know there is another definition for the name. Echo was also the Greek the nymph who was deprived of speech by Hera for distracting Zeus when he wanted to play around with beautiful mortals. Thus an echo should leave you speechless. We concur.