Learn everything about Chateau Cos d’Estournel St. Estephe Second Growth, with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn all the best vintages, a history of the property and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Cos d’Estournel History, Overview
Chateau Cos d’Estournel has a long and distinguished history as a Bordeaux wine property in the St. Estephe appellation that is as interesting as the estate’s unique architecture. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811.
It did not take more than a few years before Chateau Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, the wines of Cos d’Estournel were not sold through the Negociant system.
The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Chateau Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux chateaux to bottle, label, and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel.
The estate was next purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux, using the negociant system.
You can be assured that if the chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification! So that turned out to be a fortuitous decision indeed.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family who you may know as the owner of the neighboring estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917 when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. That purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel, the Modern Era
Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel.
In 1995, Cos d’Estournel became one of the first brands to begin promoting the sale of their wines in China. Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group in 1998.
The next era in the development of Chateau Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000 when Chateau Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry.
Keeping things all in the family, Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel.
Things moved from good to better thanks to the energetic efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine-making facilities in the entire Bordeaux wine-making appellation at the time.
A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the winemaking facilities and cellars but in parts of the chateau as well.
While the wine-making facilities are completely modern, with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feel that has always been a part of Chateau Cos d’Estournel.
On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Chateau Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH.
Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the estate. In 2018, the estate released COS100, produced from their oldest Merlot vines that were 100 years of age, as they planted in 1915.
The 2015 COS100 made for only one vintage is limited in production, 100 Jeroboams, (3 liters) and 10 Balthazars (12 liters), and a few other sizes were produced from only 2 barrels of wine. The proceeds from COS100 will go to the charity, Elephant Family, which is devoted to protecting and nurturing Asian elephants in their own, natural habitat.
In March 2023, the owner of Cos d’Estournel, Michel Reybier purchased the neighboring estate of Chateau Cos Labory, as well as Chateau Andron Blanquet.
Cos d’Estournel’s new cellar is the fruit of long years of joint reflection by the technical team, the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Guillaume Prats.
It’s a marvel from an architectural point of view, with its unique blend of simplicity and modern technology.
The end result is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are unique to Bordeaux and to the rest of the world. What makes this special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity.
There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of its special terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank but in all of Bordeaux.
New Cellars of Cos d’Estournel
The gleaming, new cellars at Chateau Cos d’Estournel include 84 isothermal, cone-shaped, stainless steel vats. The vats are specifically designed for thermal inertia. The 84 vats have a wide range of capacities to correspond with the needs of each parcel of vines.
The vats range in size from as small as 19 hectoliters all the way up to 115 hectoliters. 12 of the smaller vats that are designed to handle between 19 hectoliters up to 60 hectoliters have two levels in each vat.
In other words, those smaller vats are the equivalent of twice the amount of tanks which offer some of the most precise, plot-by-plot vinification in Bordeaux. Each of the vats is double-lined, which allows for more exact temperature control. None of the vats use interior heat coils.
Perhaps the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100-hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc.
From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a pumpless, pump over. What takes place is, the wine is released from the main vat where the skins remain. By gravity, the juice is then moved into smaller vats that are on wheels.
These small vats are sent to the glass elevators where they are moved up one floor and returned back into the vat by gravity to cover the skins. At this point, that process is still unique to Chateau Cos d’Estournel.
Style and character of Cos d’Estournel Wine
Chateau Cos d’Estournel is clearly one of the best producers in the Medoc. They are making one of the most exciting Bordeaux wines today! The wines are rich, sensuous, age-worthy, concentrated, refined, powerful, elegant, and tannic.
They are meant to age. Even though these wines are packed, everything is in perfect balance. The perfume offers a unique incense quality, that is not found in other Bordeaux wines.
Make no mistake the Bordeaux wine being produced at Chateau Cos d’Estournel today are better than anything this historic estate has made at any point in their history!
In my opinion, which is shared by numerous tasters, 2009 is the finest wine Chateau Cos d’Estournel has ever produced. Although 2016 is quite close!
However, that opinion regarding the 2009 vintage at COS is not shared by everyone. Numerous choices took place before this happened, starting with when to pick. Prats considered harvesting the young Cabernet Sauvignon vines first. He changed his mind and began with the older vines.
Jean Guillaume Prats explained, “The fruit was fully mature in some of the older vine blocks. The grapes would not improve. The Cabernet Sauvignon was already at 14% potential alcohol. The fruit could gain concentration and sugar, but you would also lose volume”. The grapes are completely destemmed at Cos d’Estournel, but Prats stated, “The stems are so ripe in 2009, they could have been included!”
The best vintages of Cos d’Estournel are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1996, 1990 and 1982. Depending on the vintage, Chateau Cos d’Estournel will start drinking at its best with 10 to 20 years of bottle age, but of course, that varies, with the character of the vintage.
While Chateau Cos d’Estournel has the ability to age and evolve for decades, older vintages of Cos d’Estournel have not proven to be really exciting. Clearly, the best wines in the history of the estate are being made today. If you are planning on buying older vintages, you need to exercise extreme caution.
Making the wines of Cos d’Estournel
The production of the wine of Cos d’Estournel is labor-intensive starting the moment the grapes enter the gleaming new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation.
Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over-extraction or harsh tannins.
Jean-Guillaume Prats in a discussion on 2009 Cos d’Estournel explained the role of the new cellars in producing the wine, “Gravity cellars allow for complete nonintervention in making the wine.
The use of gravity allows for the purest possible expression of the fruit grown in the gravelly, rock, and stone terroir of Cos d’Estournel. Today, the wine is always moved by gravity. It’s never forced or touched by human hands.”
Starting with about the 2015 vintage, the age barrel aging regimen was changed. Today, Chateau Cos d’Estournel is aged in an average of 50% to 60% New French oak barrels for about 18 months before bottling.
The Vineyard, Terroir and Grapes of Cos d’Estournel
The 100 hectare vineyard of Chateau Cos d’Estournel is planted to 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. This shows a slight increase in the amount of Merlot planted in the vineyards. The vineyard, located on the hill of Cos, has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters at its peak.
The vineyard is located close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe appellation. Cos d’Estournel became fully organic in 2024.
On average, the vines are about 40 years of age. But the estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is where you find some of their best terroir.
Cos, which is translated from old Gascon speech means the hill of pebbles, which aptly describes the terroir along with clay, gravel, sand and limestone soil. However, there is a unique aspect to the soil at Cos d’Estournel, as you find more gravel and less clay here than you do at other neighboring vineyards.
The vineyard can be viewed as a complex mosaic consisting of 19 different soil types situated on a myriad of small slopes. At its deepest, you find gravel that goes down between 6-7 meters before reaching a layer of clay and limestone and under that, you find more limestone. It’s the diverse array of soil types that create the unique characteristics of Chateau Cos d’Estournel.
Because the fruit is grown close to the Atlantic ocean in a cool climate, Cos d’Estournel is often among the last of the properties in the Medoc to harvest.
The vineyard is managed by teams and each team member is given 45,000 vines to look after. The vineyard, which is almost one large block, can be further divided into 72 separate parcels.
Cos d’Estournel rare non vintage bottle
When to Drink Chateau Cos d’Estournel, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Cos d’Estournel can be enjoyed early, with a long decanting, but it is not when the wine shows its best. The wine is much better with several years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Most vintages demand at least 12 to 20 years before the wine starts showing its best attributes.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-40 years of life. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Serving Chateau Cos d’Estournel with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Cos d’Estournel is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel is perfect for pairing with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted braised, and grilled dishes. Cos d’Estournel is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Cos d’Estournel Blanc and other wines of the estate
Chateau Cos d’Estournel also makes a dry, white Bordeaux wine, Cos d’Estournel Blanc from a 10 hectare parcel of vines. The wine is produced from a blend of of approximately 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, although that can vary depending on the vintage. The white wine grapes are grown north of Saint Estephe, in the Jau-Dignac and Loirac regions.
In 2018, to improve the quality of their white wine, the estate introduced a second white wine, Pagodes de Cos Blanc. Most of the vines used to produce Pagodes de Cos Blanc were previously used in Goulee Blanc, which is no longer in production.
For the white wine of Cos d’Estournel, the terroir is a mix of sand, clay, small stones and limestone soils. The vineyard is close to their Goulee property, which is in the Medoc, directly north of Saint Estephe which is a naturally cooler terroir.
The debut vintage for Chateau Cos d’Estournel Blanc was 2005. For the first few vintages, the production was close to 100 cases.
Because the initial production was so small, the wine was not available for sale as a future until 2009. At that point, the production rose to close to 200 cases, which was considered enough for their white Bordeaux wine to be offered as a future.
To produce Cos d’Estournel Blanc, the wine is barrel fermented and aged in a combination of new and one-year-old, French oak barrels to maintain maximum freshness. There is no malolactic fermentation or skin contact. The wine is best enjoyed in its youth. The wine is sold as a generic AOC Bordeaux Blanc.
Cos d’Estournel Blanc is best served with all types of seafood and various cheeses.
Chateau Cos d’Estournel makes a second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos, which was first produced with the 1994 vintage. Originally, the second wine was called Marbuzet. The majority of the fruit came from their vineyard called Marbuzet, hence the name. The name was changed after both properties were purchased by Michel Reybier.
Today, the grapes used in the second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos can from time to time, include fruit from Marbuzet, their other estate in St. Estephe, as well as grapes from young vines and declassified wine intended for Cos d’Estournel.
Since 2005, Les Pagodes de Cos has morphed into one of the better second wines in all of Bordeaux. On average, Les Pagodes de Cos is aged in 40% new, French oak barrels.
In 2003, the Reybier group produced their debut vintage of Goulee by Cos d’Estournel from a vineyard they own in the Medoc, which is situated north of St. Estephe. In 2009 Michel Reybier and Chateau Cos d’Estournel purchased vineyards in Tokaji with they obtained the Hetszolo estate.
Michel Reybier is also an investor in Champagne, with a company he owns, The Pressoirs de France group. The company is a large supplier of bulk and inexpensive Champagne to big supermarkets in England. The wine is sold as Michel Reybier Champagne. In 2020, Michel Reybier purchased a large vineyard in Provence, Chateau La Mascaronne.
More than just interests in vineyards takes place in Bordeaux for the owner of Cos d’Estournel. In 2019, they opened a high-end hotel in Saint Estephe, La Maison d’Estournel on the site of the previously named Chateau Pomys. The hotel has 14 well-appointed guest rooms and suites, a restaurant, and a wine-tasting bar. In addition, Reybier also owns the luxury chain of hotels, La Reserve.
Starting with the 2012 vintage, Cos d’Estournel began to use the Tesa system of anti-counterfeiting measures as well, allowing consumers to verify the authenticity of their bottle with the use of a bar code sticker that is placed on the label and the original wood case.
Château Cos d'Estournel Wine Tasting Notes
92 Vintages 1,515,889 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2023
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
It takes some coaxing to find the red, purple, and white floral bouquet, but it comes with swirling, along with Asian spice, smoke, tobacco, and licorice. But, it is the palate that offers thrills with its silky, fresh, opulent textures. There is a vivid quality to the fruit, coupled with a relaxed character, finishing with black, red, and blue fruits complicated by Indian spices. It reminds me of a modern version of the 1990, with selection. The wine was made from blending 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. 13% ABV, 3.75 pH. The harvest took place September 12 to September 29. This is the first vintage, since 2008 the estate green harvested. The Grand Vin was produced from 53% of the harvest. The wine is going to be approachable early in its life, yet it has the ability to age for decades. Drink from 2029-2060. 96-98 Pts. 5,351 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2023
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Cos d'Estournel Blanc - Bordeaux - Pomelo, lemongrass, flowers, white peach, and crisp, green apples form the bouquet. The palate is zesty, fresh, and spicy, with a flattering crispness to the fruits, paired with a touch of honeysuckle that shines in the endnotes of the finish. This is the first vintage to include the new blocks, bringing the vineyard to 10 hectares of white wine grape varietals. The wine blends 70% Sauvignon Blanc, and 30% Semillon. Drink from 2024-2032. 95 Pts. 902 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2023
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Licorice, flowers, cherries, and a hint of chocolate create the perfume. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant, and focused on freshness over volume. This is a refined vintage for Les Pagodes de Cos, finishing with fresh, red, and dark red fruits, a touch of spice, and just a hint of cocoa in the finish. This is going to be delicious if tasted early, and it will age well too. The wine blends 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 13% ABV, 3.74 pH. Drink from 2027-2040. 92-94 Pts. 2,327 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2023
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
Marzipan, white peach, honeysuckle, and lemon grass permeate the nose. The palate is round, bright fresh, and juicy, with white peaches and citrus in the finish. The wine is made from 80% Sauvignon Blanc with 20% Semillon. Drink from 2025-2030. 92 Pts. 727 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2022
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Opaque in color, the wine pops from the glass with black fruits, cloves, cinnamon, blackberries, blueberries, purple flowers, almonds, and smoke. The wine coats, bathes, and covers your palate with seemingly endless layers of opulent, black fruits. The cashmere tannins create the impression of velvet as the wine lingers for 60 seconds or more with its waves of black, blue. and red fruits, dark cocoa, licorice, and Asian spice. There is a seamlessness to the finish, as well as lift, and purity. This is a very hedonistic, yet elegant wine. 2022 clearly competes with the best of vintages of Cos ever produced. The wine was made from blending 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. 14.04% ABV, 3.79 pH. The yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place September 7 to September 23. The Grand Vin was produced from 66% of the harvest. The wine is going to approachable early in its life, yet it has the ability to age for decades. Drink from 2028-2060. 98-100 Pts. 11,139 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2022
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
White flowers, bright yellow citrus, green apples and pears create the enticing perfume. On the palate, it is the pomelo, lemon curd and a refreshing touch of spicy, green apples, with crisp citrus and vanilla that gives this freshness and ripe, sweet, fruit in the finish. The wine blends 74% Sauvignon Blanc and 24% Semillon. Drink from 2024-2032. 95-95 Pts. 1,896 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2022
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Black fruits, flowers, smoke, espresso, licorice, and black raspberries blend together in the perfume. On the palate, there are layers of sweet, black raspberries coated with cocoa, licorice, and a touch of orange citrus that shows up on the very end of the finish, giving you extra levels of freshness. This is gong to be delicious if tasted early and it will age well too. The wine blends 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV, 3.72 pH. Drink from 2025-2040. 93-95 Pts. 4,739 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2022
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
White peach and pomelo, with flowers, lemons, green apples and honeysuckle are found in the nose and palate here in this creamy, fresh and juicy, Bordeaux blanc. The wine is made from 57% Sauvignon Blanc and 43% Semillon. Drink from 2024-2029. 92-92 Pts. 3,213 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2021
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Dried flowers, smoke, licorice, Indian spices, black cherries, plums , chocolate, and a hint of blue fruit shows up with ease in the perfume. The palate is the wine shines. Here, you find layers of supple, creamy ripe, black and red fruits, polished textures, creamy, soft tannins and a finish that builds and lingers with its waves if fruit and subtle, smoked herb note that comes in at the end of the finish. The wine was made from blending 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2055. 747 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Earthy, spicy, black raspberries, blackberries, flowers, and black currants create the nose and the core of its medium/full-bodied palate. Soft, silky, fresh and polished, there is a nice sweetness and refined edge to the fruit on the palate, finishing with layers of vibrant, peppery, tea-stained, black currants with a gentle hint of herbs on the backend. The wine was made from blending 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc,13% ABV, pH of 3.7. The yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place September 23 to October 7. The Grand Vin was produced from 50% of the harvest. The wine is going to approachable early in its life. Drink from 2025-2055. 95-97 2,573 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2021
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Bright, fresh and fruity with loads of sweet, ripe, green apples, lemons, grapefruit, and floral notes. The wine manages to remain vibrant with ample concentration, complexity and finishes with additional nuances of mango, pineapple and honeysuckle. You can enjoy this on release, though it will gain nuances with a few years in the bottle. Drink from 2024-2034. 635 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Honeysuckle, lemon peel, flowers, marshmallow, banana and a hint of pineapple create the enticing nose. On the palate, the wine is creamy, fresh and fruity, finishing with waves of lemon curd, honeysuckle, orange rind and meringue in the endnotes. The wine blends 71% Sauvignon Blanc and 29% Semillon. Drink from 2023-2032. 94-94 1,408 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2021
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Flowers, currants, espresso, cocoa, smoke and licorice fill the perfume. Medium-bodied, lifted, soft, elegant, and polished, the wine is up-beat, spicy and chalky on the palate with peppery, chocolate-accented currants that round out the finish. The wine blends 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2024-2040. 1,316 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant, soft and sweet, the wine is focused on its core of spiced red fruits with its hints of cigar box and savory notes on the nose, palate and dark red pit fruit filled, round, polished finish. The wine blends 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2023-2038. 90-92 2,403 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2021
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
With a focus on its flowers, green apple and yellow citrus, this is already drinking at close to peak, offering lift, energy and a nice blend of lemon and grapefruit from start to finish. Drink from 2024-2028. 328 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Bright, crisp, fresh and juicy, the wine leans to its yellow citrus side with a nice bite of pomelo and lemon curd in the light, but vibrant finish. This is fully ready to go. Drink from 2023-2027. 91-91 1,015 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2020
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
A gorgeous, stylish wine, here you find a series of waves packed with blackberries, black plums, black cherries, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, soy and an array of spices. Rich, deep and intense, the wine hits all the right notes as it melds power, fruit, freshness and elegance to create an opulent, velvety, silky finish that builds and expands as it hangs with you. This is so good now, it will be hard to wait to pull a cork. But its best days are all in the future. So, wait a bit and you will be amply rewarded with an incredible wine. Drink from 2028-2060. 7,325 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Deep garnet in hue, the wine shoots from glass with tobacco leaf, currants, spice box, cigar wrapper, blackberry and cassis. Elegant, fresh and vibrant, the wine is silky, long and precise. There is a cool spicy note that rides along with all the layers of soft, polished fruits on the mid-palate and in the finish. This is a refined vintage for COS. You find lower ABV and the wine feels more energetic on the palate and in the finish, even though the pH is high at 3.9. Let it sleep for at least a decade before popping a cork. Produced from a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, 13.46 % ABV, the harvest took place September 10 to September 24. Here is a tip for you. To celebrate 20 years of ownership, 2020 will be produced in a one-time-only bottling with a special, black and gold, engraved label. 97-99 Pts 8,349 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2020
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
White peach, honeysuckle, green melon, lemon peel, flowers, and pineapple show up with little effort in the nose. On the palate, the wine is sweet, creamy, vibrant, and complex, leaving you with its tea-like, infusion of white peaches, orange blossom and lemon chiffon. Drink from 2023-2032. 94 Pts 1,209 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Vivacious, bright, yellow citrus, lime, green apple, tangerine and honeysuckle notes are there for the taking on the nose and palate. Crisp and energetic, with a long blast of zesty green apples, lemon peel and a hint of vanilla in the finish. This is among the best vintages of Cos d'Estournel Blanc ever produced. The wine blends 66% Sauvignon Blanc and 34% Semillon. 96 Pts 1,737 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2020
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Spicy, smoky, currants, espresso, flower and licorice create the perfume. On the palate. the medium-bodied, soft, plush and polished wine is almost ready to go. And that's a good thing because you are going to want to dig into all of its layers of ripe, fresh, creamy, lush dark red fruits and their spicy, chocolate edge. For a second wine, this is a fabulous effort. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. Drink from 2023-2038. 3,233 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Fresh, bright, spicy and almost ready to go. The wine is medium-bodied, savory, lifted and polished. The fresh, red pit fruits are accompanied by tobacco leaf, spice, cigar box and savory notes on the nose, palate and finish. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. The wine blends 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. 92-94 Pts 4,036 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2020
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
White peach, orange rind, honeysuckle, and green apples show in the nose and on the creamy, pear, lemon rind, and white peach filled palate. Drink from 2023-2029. 2,129 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Crisp pomelo, lemon, lime and green apple notes on the nose and palate work well here. The wine is vibrant, sweet, juicy and fresh with a core of white peach and creamy yellow citrus in the finish. 92 Pts 2,771 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2019
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Full-bodied, concentrated, refined and showy, this is the modern era's version of a classic vintage for Cos d'Estournel. Initially you find a litany of spices, incense, flowers, espresso, and red with black currants, mixed with blackberries. Intense, rich, deep and lively, the fruit displays freshness, length, purity, energy, lift, and the structure to age and evolve for decades. In comparison with recent great vintages of COS, with 2019, the wine exchanges the power and concentration found in 2018 and 2016 for a greater sense of elegance, purity and classicism. Drink from 2030-2060. 8,510 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022The wine opens with exotic notes of incense, 5 spice, potpourri, leather and deep red with dark black fruits. Perfectly balanced with concentration, silky tannins, lush, sensuous textures, freshness and a remarkable sense of purity, this is a flawlessly refined vintage for Cos. The finish remains with you surpassing the 60 second mark. If you’re a lover of COS, this is an incredible wine not to be missed! In comparison with recent great vintages of COS, with 2019, the wine exchanges the power and concentration found in 2018 and 2016 for a greater sense of elegance and purity. The wine was made from blending 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot at 14.2% ABV with a pH of 3.7. The harvest took place September 23 to October 7, with the Merlot finishing up October 2 and the Cabernet Sauvignon picking taking place October 1 to October 7. From yields of 43 Hectoliters per hectare, the Grand Vin was made from only 50% of the harvest. 96-98 Pts 11,688 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2019
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Flowers, pomelo, lemon curd and a refreshing touch of spicy, green apples and vanilla gives this fresh, lively, crisp, slightly honeyed wine its character. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release. Drink from 2022-2032. 1,703 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange peel pop from the glass. Round, lush, juicy and fresh, with a myriad of ripe, sweet, fleshy citrus notes and a dab of honeysuckle in the finish. The wine was made using 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon. This is the finest white wine yet from Cos d'Estournel. 95 Pts 2,350 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2019
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Deeply colored, the wine is packed with layers of dark red fruits, 5 spice, smoke, tobacco leaf, cocoa and wet earth, with a hint of thyme in the background. The tannins and soft, ripe, and polished, giving you a well-structured backdrop for all the beautiful fruit that races over your palate with its freshness and silky tannins. This second wine could easily be a Grand Cru Classe' if another classification were to take place. Drink from 2024-2039. 3,889 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Flowers, chocolate mint, spice, smoke, blackberry, cherry and thyme create the aromatic profile. Elegant, silky, fresh and showing gorgeous symmetry on the palate with its display of sweet, pure, red fruits and refined tannins, this is just fabulous. Clearly, Pagodes de Cos is now in competition for the top second wine in Bordeaux. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. The wine blends 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot. 92-94 Pts 6,698 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2019
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
Spicy lemon, lime, green apple and floral notes continue from the nose to the palate. The wine is fresh, zesty and creamy, with a touch of sweetness in the yellow citrus in the endnote. Drink from 2022-2027. 1,278 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Sweet, juicy, zesty yellow citrus with a touch of mango and white flowers carry through from the nose to the palate, leaving with plenty of round, crisp, citrus zest in the finish. 91 Pts 1,870 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2018
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Just a stunning bottle of wine, everything is rocking here. Deep and dark in color, the nose pops with flowers, licorice, 5 spice, currants, blackberries, orange rind, smoke and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, elegant, long, deep, rich and pure, the vibrancy in the fruit keeps the seemingly-endless, expansive finish on the tip of your palate. Blended from 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the wine comes in at 14.5%. Much less wine was made this year as yields were only 30 hectoliters per hectare. 6,322 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021With its telltale Asian spice perfume, the color is impossible to see through. Full-bodied, dense, rich and fleshy, the wine coats your palate with a display of red and black fruits, spice, smoke, earth and licorice. The tannins are polished. The fruit, even with this much weight and flesh, remains fresh and balanced. The finish keeps on going long after the wine has left its glass and gone to where it was intended to go. I timed it, and it surpassed the 60 second mark! This is positively stunning and if you’re a lover of COS, as this is one of the best vintages produced in the long history of the estate, this belongs in your cellar. The wine was made from blending 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 14.6% ABV with a pH of 3.7. The harvest took place September 19 to October 6. The Grand Vin was made from only 65% of the harvest. 98-100 Pts 8,948 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2018
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Fresh squeezed grapefruit, lemon peel, flowers, crushed rock and a sprinkle of vanilla smell just great. The wine is rich, creamy, fresh, juicy and crisp, with a blast of sweet lemon, vanilla, lime and green apple all blending perfectly together on your palate. 1,522 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021Youthful and crisp, with little effort, the spark of honeysuckle, orange, grapefruit, vanilla and lemon hits the perfume. On the palate this wine is drenched in brightness, yellow citrus and a hint of honey, providing a fresh, refreshing, juicy experience. 1,957 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2018
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Spicy red fruits, smoke, licorice, black plums and wet earth come to the perfume with ease. Silky, fresh, soft and sweet on the palate, the wine is just great. The red berry finish lingers along with spice-box and a hint of mint. This second wine could easily be a Grand Cru Classe' if another classification were to take place. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. 3,470 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021With its powerful display of ripe, dark fruits, the wine is packed with sweet, lush, juicy blackberry, espresso, oak and spice-box notes. The texture, complexity and length is there as well. This is one of the top second wines in Bordeaux today. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. 93-95 Pts 4,400 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2018
Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc (Bordeaux)
Forward, fresh, fruity with sweet yellow citrus, orange rind and the perfect touch of honey to sweeten up the lush, juicy finish. This is fully ready to go. 1,916 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021 |
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2017
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Quite dark in color, the wine is full bodied, concentrated, lushly textured and offers a serious depth of flavor. Power and elegance make a perfect pairing here. The glycerin filled finish coats your palate, leaving you with a mélange of dark fruits that keep going for almost 50 seconds. The wine was made from blending 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, reaching 13% ABV with a pH of 3.7. The harvest took place September 12 to September 30 and the Grand Vin was made from only 40% of the harvest. 8,524 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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2017
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Youthful and crisp with a spark of honeysuckle, orange, grapefruit, vanilla and lemon on the nose. On the palate this wine is drenched in brightness and very refreshing. 2,214 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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2017
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
With loads of dark, red berries and spice box notes, the wine is round and the texture has softness and flesh. 4,759 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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2016
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
You could lose count if you were trying to number all the layers of velvet drenched, powerful, lifted, sweet, fresh deep red fruits here. The wine offers incredible levels of concentration along with precision, purity, power and elegance. But to take all this in at its peak, patience is required as you will need at least 12 years or so before this really starts shining. But it is going to be worth the wait. 16,528 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019A big jump in from barrel to bottle here. Layers of dark, ripe, juicy, sweet, fresh, dark red red fruits, with a spicy note that clings is only part of the show. Concentrated, lush, sensuous, refined and pure, the wine has depth, length and complexity. Less flashy or exotic as you experienced with the 2009 on release, there is more freshness and refinement in this stunner. This sublime wine will age for decades. 14,339 Views Tasted Feb 8, 2019Almost pitch black in color, the wine is all about the intensity, complexity and exotic, lush textures on the palate. But the perfume, with its lean to Asian spice, smoke, licorice, tobacco and blackberries is surreal. Opulent and regal, this is not quite at the level of the brilliant 2009, but it's not far from there either. 15,682 Views Tasted May 12, 2018Deep purple at the edges of its inky hue, this wine shows smoke, (Yes, a Deep Purple wine that shows Smoke on the Water) with licorice, Asian spice boysenberry and blackberries at the front of the perfume. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated and palate staining (so don’t spill it on the rug) but it also shows freshness, spice and lift. The fruits are sweet, ripe and ready to eat but that’s just the beginning, stand by for late breaking licorice, spice and silky tannins. There is energy and lift that grabs a seat at the table this year. Produced from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, this wine reached 13.07% ABV with a pH of 3.66 and is now aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. The harvest took place from September 26 to October 15. 96 - 98 Pts 28,786 Views Tasted Apr 24, 2017 |
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2016
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Fully ready to go, the wine opens with smoky, Morello cherries, spice, cocoa with a hint of blueberries. Medium-bodied, soft-textured, sweet, and spicy, the finish leaves you with sweet cherries and a dash of Indian-spiced chocolate. Drink from 2024-2030. 2,257 Views Tasted Feb 24, 2024The family resembalance between its big brother is uncanny. The spicy, smoky earthy, pure fruits are present and accounted for. But they are softm silky and lighter, allowing you to enjoy this with a just a year or two of age. Though this beauty will be going strong for up to 2 decades. 6,629 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019One of the best second wines in this vintage, the wine is already showing well. The deep, red fruits are ripe, pure, soft and fresh. There is an elegance to the supple wine that is ready to shine, and will get even better over the next 5-7 years. 4,741 Views Tasted Feb 8, 2019Fresh, sweet black raspberries and bright red fruits are the center of this crisp, spicy wine. Produced from blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.02% ABV and represents 55% of the harvest. 90-92 Pts 6,947 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
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2016
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Fresh, bright, intense blast of lemon, grapefruit and floral notes. Crisp and invigorating, the bite of yellow citrus and green apple in the finish wakes your palate up. 2,207 Views Tasted Feb 8, 2019Pomelo and honeysuckle on the nose and palate, with fresh citrus accents and a juicy, shot of lime in the finish, with fresh, crispness. 2,260 Views Tasted Apr 24, 2017 |
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2015
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Full bodied, richly textured and with equal amounts of elegance and power, the wine is loaded with sweet, ripe, dark, red fruits, Asian spice, tobacco, thyme, wet earth, blackberry and cassis. With lush, refined textures and a sweetness to the fruit on the palate, this will be much better with at least one decade of aging. 4,206 Views Tasted Mar 12, 2018Losing its baby fat and firming up, gaining in intensity and finesse, the wine is full bodied, fresh, deep and concentrated with ripe, spicy, cassis and black fruits. 4,296 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2017With fine intensity of color, this wine leans to the elegant, fresh side of the style range, a thrill for those tasters who think Cos has gone too far on the ripe side. (I'm not one of those people) Soft and lush with salty tannins and supple, round textures, blackberry, dark chocolate and espresso heighten the smooth, refined finish. The key to this year's successful vintage was in the selection. Only the oldest vines, vines dating back at least 55 years, were used in the process and only 39% of the harvest was placed in the Grand Vin. Produced from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.5% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc, this wine reached 13.4% ABV with a pH of 3.77 and is now aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. 95 - 96 Pts 12,177 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2016 |
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2015
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
A bright, juicy, fresh blast yellow citrus with a hint of lime. Quite vibrant and fruity. Drink now, or age it for a few more years. 2,965 Views Tasted Jul 31, 2019Crisp, fresh and combining elements of tropical fruit with sweet, ripe, fresh, vigorous citrus, the finish leaves you with refreshing notes of pomelo, green apple, grapefruit, lemon peel and a dab of vanilla tinged honey. 1,528 Views Tasted Mar 12, 2018From 75% Sauvignon Blanc, and 25% Semillon, the wine is crisp, fresh, lively and packed with green apples, grapefruit, lemon, lime and sweet honeysuckle. 1,854 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2016 |
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2015
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Deceptively easy to drink, the wine is medium-bodied, silky, refined and fresh, with soft, polished tannins and finish replete with dusty cocoa and perfectly, ripe, sweet cherries. No decanting needed here. Just pop, pour and enjoy it. As a side note here, the wine has improved in score each time I have tasted it since it was in barrel. 4,560 Views Tasted May 31, 2020Medium-bodied, plummy, soft, early drinker, with hints of cocoa and juicy red fruits. The wine is already approachably elegant, and should be delicious on release. 3,422 Views Tasted Mar 12, 2018Medium-bodied, approachable and elegant in style with an open, polished, sweet, black cherry core of fruit. This is going to be good to drink while waiting for its big brother, the Grand Vin, to mature. 12.9% ABV. The wine was made from a blend of 46.2% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. 86-88 Pts 4,023 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2016 |
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2014
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Deep, dark, black, and red fruits come in opulent layers with touches of mint, spice, freshness, and energy, along with a bit of chalk and cocoa on the backend. This is a very strong wine for the vintage. Drink from 2023-2050. 5,634 Views Tasted Nov 13, 2023Full bodied, concentrated and with a lush character to the tannins, the fruit is ripe, sweet and fresh. There is a sweetness and purity to the dark red berries that tastes and feels great. On the palate, the blackberries, earth, licorice and spice continue the experience. Drink a bottle young for its youthful vibrancy and save the rest for at least a decade, which is when this beauty will just start to shine its lights brightly. 10,969 Views Tasted Jul 18, 2017Intense in color with a showy nose and the already present tones of tobacco leaves, anise, earth and vine-ripened berries, this wine is luxurious on the palate, plump and concentrated with roasted espresso bean, cocoa, warm berries, spice and freshness to the ripe fruits in the finish. Produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.2% ABV with a pH of 3.77. The wine is aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. After a rocky start with the difficult 2013 vintage, Aymeric de Gironde has clearly stepped up his game! 95-96 Pts 11,341 Views Tasted Apr 13, 2015 |
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2014
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Probably not a wine to make old bones, but so what? The fresh squeezed lemon, lime, green apple and grapefruit, with a hint of honeysuckle, orange rind and vanilla bean are already serving up their easy to taste goods. The wine was made from a blend of 66% Sauvignon Blanc and 34% Semillon. 3,216 Views Tasted Jul 18, 2017A cheerful nose of grapefruit, lemon, lime, green apple and honeysuckle, this is an invigorating, lively wine ideal to sip with a summer supper of freshly caught seafood. 2,214 Views Tasted Apr 13, 2015 |
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2014
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Popped and poured was all this needed. Medium bodied, with finesse in the texture, this soft wine offered ripe, cassis flavors and a hint of cigar wrapper on the palate and nose. It is not a wine for laying down, but for a charming wine with early drinkability, this hit the spot. 3,325 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2018Better from bottle than from barrel, there is a refined character to the ripe, juicy, bright fruits, and the Asian, spiced nuances really add a lot of complexity here. Fresh, forward and with personality, this medium bodied wine can be enjoyed young, and over the next decade with ease. 3,207 Views Tasted Jul 18, 2017Smoke, licorice, flowers and sweet black cherries on the nose, this wine is soft, forward, sweet and easy drinking. 87-89 Pts 3,939 Views Tasted Apr 13, 2015 |
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2013
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Fresh grapefruit, lime, kiwi, lemon, vanilla and honeysuckle aromas pop immediately when poured into the glass. Fresh, lively, vivacious citrus fruits, acidity, and the sensations of fresh squeezed lemons drizzled over stones will make this fun to drink in its youth. 92 Pts 3,073 Views Tasted Apr 20, 2014 |
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2013
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Quite successful for the vintage. Medium bodied, but with more depth and color than you would have expected, the wine is fresh, spicy, and polished, leaving with you silky tannins, crisp, crunchy cassis, blackberry and cherries. Give to 2-4 years in the bottle and it could be even better. 5,220 Views Tasted May 25, 2016Ruby in color, cassis with cocoa powder, salty tannins and fresh dark, red berries are found in the spicy finish. From 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.6, the wine reached 12.7% ABV, the lowest level of ABV achieved since the early 1980’s. Produced from yields of 26.3 hectoliters per hectare, the wine will be aged in 60% new, French oak. 90-92 Pts 11,556 Views Tasted Apr 20, 2014 |
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2013
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Medium bodied, soft, forward, cherry dominated, finishing with spicy red fruits and herbs. 85-88 Pts 4,082 Views Tasted Apr 20, 2014 |
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2012
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Deep in color, with Asian spice, licorice, espresso and wet earth scents open the wine. On the palate, the wine is polished, round and smooth, with cassis, licorice, cocoa, coffee bean and black cherries in the finish. 4,285 Views Tasted May 15, 2015Spicy cherries and oak scents open to a fresh, cherry, herb, stone and fennel nose. Medium/full bodied, tannic, and filled with bright cassis flavors, this should be fun to drink while your’re waiting for the 2009 and 2010 to come around. Drink this on the young side. 91-93 Pts 10,033 Views Tasted Jul 29, 2014Blending 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.79% ABV, with a pH of 3.75 and will be aged in 70% new French oak. The first vintage produced with Aymeric de Gironde at the helm after the departure of Jean Guillaume Prats offers the estates’ tell-tale Asian spice scents, complicated by boysenberry and jammy black cherry. Medium/full-bodied, this a lighter-bodied, firm style of Cos d’Estournel, when compared against other, more recently heralded, vintages. 90-93 Pts 6,087 Views Tasted Apr 23, 2013 |
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2012
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Flowers, apricot, spice, vanilla, guava, pineapple and lemon create the attention seeking perfume. Sweet, rich, lively and ripe, the wine ends with freshness and tropical fruits with squeeze of lemon at the end. 2,234 Views Tasted Jul 29, 2013Zesty lemon, lime, vanilla, grapefruit and kiwi fruits pop with no effort. In the mouth, the wine is fresh, fun and food friendly. 90-92 Pts 1,765 Views Tasted Apr 23, 2013 |
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2012
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Licorice, black cherry and smoke aromas open to a medium bodied, sweet, and tart, fennel and black cherry filled wine to drink on the young side. 4,894 Views Tasted Jul 28, 2013Produced from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the wine offers hints of oak, licorice, spice and black raspberries. Medium bodied and forward, the wine finishes with bright cherries and strawberry. 87-89 Pts 3,918 Views Tasted Apr 23, 2013 |
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2011
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Blended from 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Semillon, the production recently increased to 500 cases, which is about double the previous level of production. With a cloudy appearance, this unfiltered wine opens with lemon, lime, grapefruit and stone aromas. Fresh citrus, pineapple, nut and apple are found in the long finish. 92-94 Pts 3,124 Views Tasted Apr 8, 2012 |
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2011
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Candied black licorice, cassis, black and red ripe cherries and spice are easily found in the perfume. The wine is soft, with polished round tannins and a medium body. In the mouth, the wine has added weight and filled out in its texture since last tasted. The wine is already accessible and can be enjoyed young, or allowed to age for more complexity. 6,333 Views Tasted May 20, 2014Blending 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with 33% Merlot and a dollop of Petit Verdot, the wine represents 36% of the production. To achieve the highest level of quality for the Grand Vin, the estate reserved more fruit for Pagodes de Cos than usual. This is the smallest amount of Cos produced since 1991. With a nose of Asian spice, black cherry liqueur, smoke, gravel, earth, truffle, vanilla and fennel, this refined, pure, fresh cassis- filled wine ends with clean, spicy cassis and blackberry in the finish. 93-95Pts 10,058 Views Tasted Apr 8, 2012 |
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2011
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
2011 Les Pagodes de Cos is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Earth, spice and black cherry scents, medium body and a fresh plum and cherry finish are found in this wine. 89-90 Pts. 88-90 Pts 3,802 Views Tasted Apr 8, 2012 |
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2010
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Still young, but even at this early stage, it is impossible not to be wowed by this wine. The layers of depth, intensity, richness, power, and finesse are almost off the charts. The black fruits are perfectly ripe, opulent, flamboyant, and fresh, as well as balanced, pure, and refined. This is a great vintage for Cos that will start showing its best with a few more years of age. Drink from 2028-2060. 6,396 Views Tasted Sep 26, 2022I am shocked by how much fun this was to drink at the tender age of only 9 years of age. Full-bodied, powerful, concentrated, in fact, dense is a good way to discuss this beauty. But the wine is balanced, fresh and complex. Luscious on the palate, the finish focuses on layers of ripe, blackberry and cassis, chocolate, herbs and Asian spice. Decanted about 90 minutes, the wine kept getting better and better in the glass as the night wore on. This is a wine you should have in your cellar if you are a fan of Cos d'Estournel. I am sure this will be even better in 5, 10, 15, 20 and even 25 years from now. 11,029 Views Tasted Nov 28, 2018An exotic nose of spice box, orange peel, herbs, oak, espresso bean, jam, flowers, smoke and forest floor. Full bodied, rich, tannic, powerful, structured to age and showing a lot of freshness in the fruit, the wine is a modern version of a classic vintage of Cos d’Estournel that demands a minimum of a decade in the cellar. 14,417 Views Tasted May 7, 2013Inky purple in color, the nose reeks of plum and blackberry liqueur, incense, blueberry, wood, gravel and smoke. In the mouth this big, powerful, tannic, fresh, structured Bordeaux wine demands attention. This requires serious time in the cellar before being approachable. This is a traditionally styled, muscular, powerful wine which ends with a long sensation of pure, dark berries, plums, freshness and a lot of tannin. Jean-Guillaume Prats calls 2010 Cos d’Estournel, “A perfect definition of Bordeaux wine blending austerity, power and elegance.” Jean-Guillaume added; that he loves the 2009 Cos for its glamorous style, but that is a unique vintage for the chateau. 13,671 Views Tasted Jul 6, 20122010 Cos d’Estournel was produced from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and the remainder Petit Verdot. The wine reached 14.5 % ABV which is a little lower than they achieved in 2009. Representing 55% of the harvest, the wine looks as dark as a midnight sky, with coaxing the wine offers smoke, Asian spice, cassis, boysenberry, stone and minerality in the complex nose. Powerful, dense, pure and packed with tannins as well as a wall of fruit, this wine requires serious aging. Long, fresh and mouth filling, while the tannin levels are less than they were in 2009, due to the higher levels of acidity, (which shaped the wines character) the wine feels more tannic. This broad shouldered, muscular wine will not be fun to drink in its youth. In time, it may become the perfect blend of tradition and modern. Tasters who were not happy with 2009 Cos should love this wine, (It’s closer in style to 2005, with a dash of 1986 blended in, than it is to 2009.) 96-98 Pts Prats thinks 2010 Cos is a perfect definition of what Bordeaux does at its best, mixing austerity, power and elegance. While he loves 2009 Cos d'Estournel for its glamorous style, Jean-Guillaume considers it a unique vintage for the chateau. 11,839 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2011 |
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2010
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
Blackberries, black currants, thyme, flowers, smoke, and espresso crowd into the nose. Round, soft, lush, and packed with sweet, ripe, spicy currants, espresso, and dark chocolate in the mid-palate and fresh, silky finish. No decanting is needed, just pop, pour and enjoy. For a second wine, this is simply off the hook. Drink from 2022-2028. 3,290 Views Tasted Dec 22, 2022Over the years, this has really moved up in class. On the nose, with its cedar, tobacco leaf, smoke and cassis profile the wine smells great. Medium/full-bodied, with ample currants, spice, wet earth and blackberry on the palate, the wine offers freshness, lift and a nice, firm, tannic backbone. At 10, this is drinking just great. My guess is, there is enough gas in the tank to go another decade. 4,346 Views Tasted Oct 13, 2020Les Pagodes de Cos From an assemblage of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, this is a brawny, focused and straight forward style of wine. In the mouth, the wine is tannic, fresh and filled with dark berries. Prats called this vintage a severe style of Pagodes that requires time. 90-92 Pts 8,003 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2011 |
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2010
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
From a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, the wine serves up a delicious, forward lemon grass, mineral, grapefruit, floral and lime scented wine that is fresh and refreshing. 3,346 Views Tasted May 23, 2013 |
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2009
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Still deeply colored, the nose exudes black fruits, spice, licorice, smoke, Asian spice and black cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich, deep, long, voluptuous and showy. It’s also perfectly poised between its power and elegant nature. Youthful, but continuing to drop its baby fat, while morphing into a stellar tasting experience. Drink from 2023-2045. 5,443 Views Tasted Jul 28, 2023The wine is just starting to establish itself. The baby fat has melted away. Now you find a wine of intensity. Intense concentration, intense aromatics, intense palate presence and an intense finish. But everything is in balance and harmony here. The fruit is lushly textured with a velvet drenched touch. While your palate is coated with layers of fruit, nothing is overwhelming. This is power and refinement, the true velvet fist in an iron glove. Still primary, give this another 7-8 years and you should have a legendary Bordeaux in your glass by that time. 8,423 Views Tasted Sep 26, 2019This is a monumental wine. The surreal texture is off the hook. The wine coats and stains your palate. This is decadence with a backbone. Pure velvet with countless waves of perfectly ripe fruit, that expresses a wonderful purity. Inky, dark in color, this is only getting started. 2 hours in the decanted allowed the blackberry, plum, espresso, smoke, licorice, extremely dark chocolate and earthy notes to appear. Make no mistake, this is all about the incredible levels of density and decadent mouthfeel. Prices have not moved much. In time, my bet is, this will be considered one of the stars of the legendary 2009 vintage! 12,029 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2018The wine has dropped most of its baby fat and starting to close up. The color remains opaque, with a thick, rich, dense and intense palate presence that is made even better by the smooth, silky tannins and opulent, plush palate presence. Drink soon, or you might have to wait a decade or longer before popping a cork. 13,447 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2014Shiny ink in color with purple edges, the wine comes alive with only a splash decanting. The perfume explodes with a drawer full of spices, smoke, coffee bean, incense, truffle, blackberry, blue fruit, vanilla, clay, earth and liqueur scents. Intense, the wine is packed and stacked with flavor. Powerful, pure and mouth filling, the wine coats your palate with layers of pure black and blue fruit, licorice, lead pencil and spice. This wine offers a beautiful expression pure fruit, balance, harmony and perfectly ripe tannins. The wine has changed since it was first tasted in barrel. The layers of baby fat have morphed into a beautiful, complicated wine that due to its unique style, can be enjoyed young, yet it has the ability to age and evolve for decades. 15,910 Views Tasted May 1, 2013Inky in color, the aromas pop from the glass and fill your nose with licorice, incense, crushed stone, cassis, black and blueberries, espresso bean and spice. Offering incredible power and concentration, everything is in perfect balance and harmony. This is so plush, it feels like Jean-Guillaume Prats hand polished the berries one at a time before fermentation. From an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the long, fresh, mouth coating, finish is purity at its best. This is completely seamless. This was my first time tasting the wine in bottle. Having tasted 2009 Cos d'Estournel multiple times in barrel, it's nice to see how the wine has evolved. The biggest difference is, the wine has exchanged some of its youthful exuberance for refinement and elegance. 16,431 Views Tasted Mar 10, 20122009 Cos d’Estournel is black ink with purple accents. The wine smells like a basket of fresh picked blackberries and blueberries with the added aromas of ground spice, coffee, incense, smoke, licorice, and black raspberry liqueur. This powerful wine coats every inch, nook, and cranny of your tongue, cheeks, gums, and palate with pure essences of black and blue fruit complemented by chocolate and kirsch. The seamless finish lasts over 60 seconds. I tasted this wine 3 times with similar results. 99/100 Pts . Jean-Guillaume Prats explained the role of the new cellars in producing the wine, “Gravity cellars allow for a complete non intervention in making the wine. This allows for the purest possible expression of the fruit grown in the gravelly rock terroir. The wine is always moved by gravity, thus never touched by human hands.” The wine is expensive. For most people, paying $300 for 2009 Cos D’Estournel is out of the question --- a perfectly reasonable point of view. Having finished tasting every major property and a plethora of smaller estates in the Medoc, if you are not planning to buy Latour, Margaux, or Haut Brion in this vintage, if you desire to own what will be a reference point wine from 2009, this is the wine to buy. 20,653 Views Tasted Aug 26, 2011The color of midnight black ink with deep, purple accents. The wine slides down your glass leaving purple tear streaks, that never seem to fade. Incense, spice, fresh blackberry, cassis, hints of blue fruit, coupled with minerals and smoke. Massive waves of velvet textured, perfectly ripe black and blue fruit melt all over your mouth, coating your palate with decadent richness. There is purity, opulence and flamboyance in every sip, backed up with freshness in this potentially flawless Bordeaux wine. There was no sensation of heat and everything was in perfect harmonious balance. The long, almost :60 finish is seamless. The sample remained in my glass for almost 5 hours without any sign of fading. 2009 COS is better than 2003, which it better than 2005. This wine perfectly combines sensuous, hedonistic qualities with intellectual stimulation. This might not be a wine for Burgundy lovers. I get that. But it's purity, opulence and harmony will attract a lot of Bordeaux loving fans. 21,416 Views Tasted May 1, 2010 |
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2009
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
You can think of this as a scaled-down version of the stunning 2009 Grand Vin. Les Pagodes 2009 is at full-maturity, with smoked blackberries, spice, thyme and wet earthy nuances on the nose. Medium-bodied, soft, polished and silky, with loads of sweet, ripe, red fruits and freshness that glides over your palate. This is fully ready to go. No decanting needed. Just pop, pour and enjoy over the next 2-5 years. 4,134 Views Tasted Jul 22, 2020It is hard to believe this is only a second wine. Offering waves of ripe, deep red fruits, luxurious textures and a spicy, earthy blast of red and black fruit, you can enjoy this beauty now, while waiting for its big brother to further develop. 4,767 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2019Earth, cassis, blackberry and spice scents open to a medium bodied, fresh, cassis and spice filled wine that would compete with many better-known, more expensive classified growths in a blind tasting. 7,726 Views Tasted May 1, 2012 |
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2009
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Due to the increase in production, this is the first vintage of Cos Blanc to be offered as a future. The price is lower too. Produced from a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, fresh squeezed lemons, grapefruit, kiwi and lemon grass scents dominate the fresh, forward styled wine. 3,111 Views Tasted May 22, 2013 |
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2008
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Very young, as you would expect, this is still a juvenile in terms of its development. Still, if you have a few hours of time to allow it some air, the nose will show vanilla, licorice, black and dark red fruits, smoke, cassis, and espresso. Full-bodied, concentrated and fresh, at least 8 more years of bottle age are warranted here. 7,150 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019This has developed nicely over the decade. The wine offers firm tannins coupled with dark, juicy red fruits, smoke, licorice, spice, espresso wet earth notes. Full bodied and loaded with juicy fruits, this is still on the young side. 5-8 more years in the cellar will allow everything to come together here. 5,340 Views Tasted Sep 17, 2018In 2008 Cos d’Estournel experienced its lowest yields since 1991. This deeply colored wine with purple tints is almost opaque. On the nose are oak, boysenberry, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur with cassis scents. Here is a big wine, filled with dense, ripe fruit. The tannins are elegant and polished. The wine displays great purity of fruit. The finish is intense, clean, pure, and balanced. 2008 is the first vintage wherein Jean Guillaume Prats used his amazing new, 100% gravity cellars, with onespecifically sized vat per block, allowing him great precision in the wine making. 94-96 Pts 12,803 Views Tasted Aug 31, 2009 |
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2008
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
I was surprised how well this has aged. Soft in texture, with earth, blackberry and smoky nuances, popped and poured, this medium-bodied wine is drinking in its sweet spot. 2,352 Views Tasted Aug 12, 2019 |
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2008
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Fresh, bright, and perhaps too acidic for my taste, the wine delivers grapefruit, lemongrass and floral notes. I’d drink this on the young side. 3,111 Views Tasted May 22, 2013 |
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2007
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Medium bodied, bright, fresh, earthy red berries, with notes of spice, earth, tobacco, espresso, fennel and fresh herbs. The texture is soft, there is an easy elegance to the wine. Fully mature, this is as good as it is going to get. So, if you want to enjoy the remainder of the of the soft fruits, pop a cork before the wine begins its slow fade into old age. The wine was made from blending 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, reaching 13.4% ABV. Not decanted and just popped and poured was the way to go with this wine. 4,640 Views Tasted Jul 18, 2017 |
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2007
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
From a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, the wine is filled with fresh citrus, crushed stone and floral notes. The fruit is sweet and there is good acidity giving the wine lift and keeping it fresh. 3,138 Views Tasted May 22, 2013 |
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2006
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Firm, crisp, classic-styled vintage of COS. There is a wealth of concentrated, deep, dark, red, and black fruits, spice, smoke, espresso, and thyme All of that is backed up by an equal wall of tannin and freshness. This is going to age for decades. Drink from 2023-2050. 3,695 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2023Dark in color, but there is some lightening at the rim of the glass taking place, coupled with concentration of flavor, ripe, but firm tannins, layers of sweet, ripe, fresh, black fruits, minerality and spice, there is a lot to like about this wine. That being said, it's not ready for its prime time debut. Give it another 5 years before you pop a cork, if you can wait that long. 6,461 Views Tasted May 25, 2016Perfectly balancing tannic, structure and power, with opulent, refined textures and ripe fruit, there is a lot to like in this cassis, spice, blackberry, smoke, licorice and earthy wine. If you can wait, and you should, give it until at least 2016 before popping a cork. 10,947 Views Tasted May 1, 2012This is dark ruby in color with an exciting, spicy, cassis and blackberry filled nose. The wine offers a big, juicy mouthful of ripe fruit, but, the tannins are big in style. The black fruit filled finish with a hint of raspberry tones is a large, full bodied wine. But, the style of the tannins make it seem like it will take a long time to come around. 11,866 Views Tasted Jun 28, 2009 |
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2006
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
Lacking the level of concentration and sweetness found in 2005 or 2007, this stony, lemony wine reminds me of a light weight Chablis. The wine was produced from a blend of 72% Sauvignon Blanc and 28% Semillon. 4,113 Views Tasted May 22, 2013 |
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2005
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Firm, full-bodied, powerful, concentrated, youthful, and tannic, it is going to take at least another 5 years in the cellar before this becomes entirely civilized, dropping more of its strict nature so you can enjoy all the ripe currants, blackberries, spice, and earthy nuances. From there, you should be able to enjoy this with ease for at least 25 more years. 7,511 Views Tasted May 30, 2022Youthful, deep, rich and powerful, the wine is full-bodied, intense, aromatic, rich, lush, long and youthful. The spicy, ripe fruits taste and feel great as they fill your palate. However, it is important to note that the wine requires another 3-5 years in the cellar before it fills out, softens and really comes into its own. 9,891 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2021This just keeps getting better and better as it slowly works its way to maturity. The wine is deep, full-bodied, concentrated and multi-faceted. The gorgeous fruit is perfectly ripe, sweet, round, opulent and fresh. Still youthful, give it 7-10 years and this will be a rockstar wine with all its sensuous textures accompanied by complex aromatics and a long finish, perfect to show off its purity and poise. 9,056 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019Even though this is still holding on to its youth, it is impossible not to see the level of quality found here. Concentrated, deep, long and intense, the fruit offers lift, length, purity and a smoky, spicy, black and blue character. The tannins are polished, but still present. Give this another 5-8 years and it will offer a better experience. 10,515 Views Tasted Nov 24, 2018It's been a few years since I last tasted this wine, and it has not moved an inch. Firm, tannic, powerful, concentrated and with a deep tannic spice, there is a wall of fruit. The ripe, sweet, dark berries are complicated by the smoke, vanilla, tobacco, tobacco, herbs and red berry notes. There is depth and volume. There is no doubting the quality but the wine comes with a tannic wall that will need a decade , but it's going to require another decade before it softens and takes on additional secondary notes. 11,418 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2018Showing some lightening around the edges, the wine pops with cigar box, tobacco, dark chocolate, Asian spice and earthy aromatics. Fresh, ripe, sweet, long, clean, focused fruits easily move from black to red and return to black. The present tannins are smooth. The wine remains young and fresh. 5 years in the cellar will add a lot to this beauty, if you can keep your hands off it. 13,270 Views Tasted Jun 28, 2015Starting to wake up from its slumber, the wine has a spicy, rich, silky character that fills your mouth with soft, polished, deep, round fruits and tannins. Still young, either decant for a few hours or wait a decade before popping a cork. 19,615 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2014Deep ruby in color, with some lightening at the edges, tobacco, smoke, 5 spice, blackberry, cassis, cigar box and earthy aromas create the complex perfume. Full bodied and concentrated with flavor, this tannic, intense, long, fresh, pure wine demands cellaring. Give it at least a decade to soften and come together. This will be a very long lived wine and well reward consumers with the ability to wait, with a sublime tasting experience. 18,340 Views Tasted May 1, 2012This looks like black ink. Oak, Cassis, blackberry, spice, coffee and licorice make a beautiful perfume. In the mouth, you get a blast of ripe, black fruit with a long finish. Tannic, but the tannins are polished. I would not drink this Bordeaux wine young. But I think it will be open and offer pleasure before the 06. I hate to say it, as much as I love the 05 and I do love it, I still prefer the 03 19,345 Views Tasted Jun 28, 2009Opaque in color. Full bodied and concentrated with mountains of ripe dark berries, licorice, cassis, spice and tannin. The tannins are not as ripe or polished as those found in the 2003. The wine does not appear to share the same levels of complexity as the 2003 either. Make no mistake, this is outstanding, but if you could only have one, grab the 2003. 10,727 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2007 |
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2005
Les Pagodes de Cos (St. Estèphe)
From a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine offers tobacco, earth, blackberry, red plum and coffee bean aromatics. Medium bodied with soft textures, and ripe tannins, the wine ends with a spicy, red and black fruit filled finish. This is alreadydrinking well now and should improve for at least another decade. 5,508 Views Tasted Oct 7, 2011 |
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2005
Château Cos d'Estournel Blanc (Bordeaux)
The debut vintage for the estates white from the team at Cos is tough to find, and expensive too, with a production of close to 100 cases. Fresh, zippy, lemon, grapefruit, honeysuckle and green apple notes are complicated by vanilla and stone. This is probably drinking at close to full maturity. The wine was produced from a blend of 72% Sauvignon Blanc and 28% Semillon. 3,235 Views Tasted May 22, 2013 |
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2004
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
One of the better wines of the vintage, here you find a medium-bodied, soft, round, open, currant and herb filled wine with notes of earth, smoke, espresso, black cherry and a round textured finish. Not as long or deep as you find in the better years, but there a lot of class and charm that’s already on full display 4,269 Views Tasted Nov 22, 2021Not fully mature, but drinking quite well, the aromatic profile with its cherry liqueur, spice, herbs and thyme is what you find first. The wine is medium-bodied, elegant, refined and delivers spicy red berries and herbs on your palate. Soft, with no hard edges, 30 minutes in the decanted is all the wine needs to wake up. I'd opt for drinking this over the next 12 years or so for maximum enjoyment. 5,404 Views Tasted Jun 21, 2020Showing maturity of color, the Asian spice, tobacco, wet earth, forest and cassis scented profile pairs well with the soft, polished, spicy berries in this classically styled vintage. Drink now, or age it for more softness and complexity. The wine has clearly improved in the bottle. 6,712 Views Tasted Jan 4, 2015The perfume starts off with a touch of oak and hints of black fruit, coffee and spice. Already starting to open, this is a Cos that will drink well young. Give it 3 to 5 years in the cellar and it will improve. 6,108 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2007 |
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2003
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Hedonistic is this wine's nature. Full-bodied, concentrated, lush, opulent, deep, fleshy, long, and intense, the wine is packed and stacked with non-stop waves of ripe, black, blue, and red fruits that fill and coat your palate. There is intensity, depth of flavor, length, purity, and richness. Still youthful, this is going to age better than most 2003s. Perhaps this is not a style for everyone, but I loved it! Drink from 2024-2040. 4,196 Views Tasted Jul 1, 2024Another stellar showing for this beauty. Roses, cigar box, black cherries, and spice open the perfume. The palate, is lush, opulent, fresh, and long, with layers of flamboyant, perfectly ripe, dark, red fruits. Popped and poured, this is simply pleasure in your glass. Drink from 2023-2035. 4,641 Views Tasted Jul 4, 2023The baby fat continues sliding away while the ripe, cassis, spice, earth and tobacco leaf nuances become more evident. Full-bodied, concentrated, deep and rich, this is sublime to drink today, and it should remain at this level for at least another 10-15 years. 5,895 Views Tasted May 30, 2022Not quite as opulent and showy as previous bottles, still there was more than enough to get excited about here. The wine is packed with lusciously textured, ripe, sweet, black and dark red fruits, smoke, Asian spice, wet earth, licorice and cigar box aromas. Full-bodied, rich and palate filling, this is a true start of the torridly hot vintage. 6,605 Views Tasted Aug 14, 2021Clearly one of the wines of the vintage, this beauty delivers the good from start to finish. Full-bodied, rich, lush and powerful, there is opulence to the fruit that helps this stand out in the crowd. The fruit is ripe, rich, round, sweet and pure. There is no sensation of heat or overripeness, instead, you find a wine with persistence, balance and concentration that is ready to drink. Well stored bottles should remain at this level for at least another 12-15 years with ease. 7,362 Views Tasted Oct 9, 2020Just a beauty. With about 1 hour in the decanter, the aromatic profile, with its Asian spice, smoke, thyme, blackberry and earthy essence popped. The wine is full-bodied, rich, opulent and sensuous. While this is drinking great today, the wine improved in the glass, so it is going to get better with more time. 7,229 Views Tasted Jul 22, 2019This consistently shows great every time I taste it, and last night was no exception. The wine is rich, opulent, sensuous and silky. The wine is concentrated, full bodied and lushly textured. The ripe tannins and soft, but there is structure to age and develop. The fruit is ripe, sweet, fleshy and flashy. There is no touch of heat, or jam, just perfectly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon that once it gets going, it doesn't quit. The sexy finish is a knockout! The bottle showed this well with no decanting. Although, I would decant this show stopper for 30 minutes or so, if we had an extra decanter. 7,157 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2018This is really a super wine. The tannins are more than soft enough to make this fun to drink now. It's halfway between the primary and secondary stage, the fruit is opulent, sweet and exotic. Pop a cork and you'll be happy, or age it another 5 years to enhance its development. 8,329 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2016One of the younger tasting, top wines from the Medoc in 2003, the showy nose offered black and blue fruits, tobacco, earth, chocolate, hints of jam, spice and espresso bean. Full bodied, concentrated, lush, round and opulent, the tannins are smooth, the rich texture is velvety and the mouth filling finish is layered with ripe, juicy fruits. The wine was splash decanted and served right away. An hour or so would have added more to the experience. Still young, you can drink it now, or age it for another 3-5 years. 9,051 Views Tasted Dec 2, 2015Supple, rich and lush, this easy to drink, concentrated beauty has it all, with its elegant, silky textures, showy perfume and long finish. 10,606 Views Tasted Jul 20, 2014Explosive notes of truffle, cedar chest, minerality, smoke, mint, tobacco leaf, coffee, licorice, plum and black cherry. The wine offers massive concentration with perfect balance, harmony and charm. With textures of silk and velvet, your palate is coated with sweet, ripe black and red fruits that remain for close to 60 seconds. If you enjoy great wines that are starting to open, pop a bottle now. If you want to wait, it’s only going to get better and better! 10,308 Views Tasted Dec 18, 2013Powerful and intense, with ripe dark berries, oak, cassis, leaf and tobacco, the wine is long, fresh, rich and mouth filling. I’d give this a few more years for the tannins to soften and allow more of the lush, rich exotic quality to shine through 10,738 Views Tasted Oct 23, 2013Asian spice, smoke, licorice, cassis, blackberry, forest floor, plum and spice box pop from the glass with minimal effort. Lush, dense, concentrated and mouthfilling, the wine builds with layers of ripe, fruit. There is power, as well as refinement. Still young, if you have a case, pop a bottle. If you want to wait, this sublime effort can only get better. This bottle was popped and poured. Some time in the glass or decanter would have added to the experience. 12,573 Views Tasted Sep 24, 2012Still deep ruby in color, tobacco, cigar box, Cuban cigar, roasted blackberries, truffle, gravel, spice and smoky aromatics are easy to find. Rich, lush, silky, luxurious and loaded with deep, sensuous textures of perfectly, ripe black fruit, the wine builds on your palate for close to 60 seconds! Hold it for another 5 years and drink it over the next several decades. 15,026 Views Tasted May 1, 2012Blending 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, intense aromas packed with Asian spice, truffle, cassis, incense, earth and fresh blackberries lead you to a rich, plush, concentrated wine that ends with a big wave of perfectly ripe, spicy, dark berries and minerality. The long, clean, pure finish has no hard edges. This is not close to mature, but if you have a case, it's a good time to taste a bottle. It's starting to deliver a lot of pleasure. 15,264 Views Tasted Mar 10, 2012Deep ruby in color, the complex perfume is packed with Asian spice, minerality, crème de cassis, forest floor, smoke and tobacco scents in the aromatics. In the mouth, this powerful wine is refined and silky. It’s pure, intense and concentrated with spicy, blackberry and sweet dark fruits. Your palate is washed over with incredible layers of fresh fruit. The long finish is filled with roasted, spicy black and red fruits. There is not a hard edge or hair out of place in the seamless finish. This is showing well and will only get better over the next several decades. This is a serious wine that is worth looking at in today’s marketplace. As prices for 2010 Bordeaux are much more money and this is a better wine, if you have the funds, this is the wine to buy. When fully mature, I imagine my score could look stingy! 17,251 Views Tasted Jul 6, 2011Opaque, ruby in color with smoke, ripe boysenberry, cassis, tobacco spice, licorice and fresh espresso. In the mouth, this is full-bodied, intense, sweet, pure, powerful and harmonious. The long, blackberry liqueur finish is further complicated by cassis, licorice and spice characteristics with mouth-coating, opulent textures and a finish that lasts alomst one full minute! 19,636 Views Tasted Jun 28, 2010Regardless of how often I taste this almost perfect Bordeaux wine, I am always pleased as it truly delivers the goods. The wine is inky, pitch black in color. The expressive perfume explodes with spice, mocha, earth, mineral and cassis notes. Dense, intense and very concentrated. The fruit flows over your palate with layers of silk and chocolate. This is a very intense tasting experience. The finish lasts :50! Jean Guillaume does not agree, but for my palate and money, this is the Cos to buy and cellar. It is First Growth in quality. 9,443 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2009Black as the midnight sky. Completely inky in color. This huge Bordeaux wine is concentrated with countless layers of rich, ripe, spicy black fruit and incense. The wine fills every taste receptor in your mouth. Very plush, polished, sexy and exotic. Will age for decades. The finish lasts over sixty seconds! The memories of tasting wines like this last a lot longer. 9,457 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2008If you're seeking a Bordeaux wine that has it all, look no further. Your search is over. Inky black, purple in color. Complex aromatic and unbelievable levels of thick, dense, concentrated perfectly ripe fruit. This wine pours over your palate in layer after layer of pleasure. Absolutely compelling! This is one of those wines you never get tired of tasting because each sip gives you something new to experience. When this wine matures, it will develop into a legendary bottle of Bordeaux. Yes, Cos has gone up in price, but, the quality has dramatically ratcheted up as well. Cos D'Estournel not only talks the talk, he walks the walk. This is First Growth in quality. 10,708 Views Tasted Jun 1, 2007 |
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2002
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Fully developed, this is drinking just great today. No decanting is needed, just pop, pour and enjoy all the round textured red berries, tobacco, exotic spice, wet earth, and herbs that fill the nose and your palate. The elegant finish shows only a minor touch of dryness at the very end, which does not detract from the overall experience of the wine. 3,960 Views Tasted Sep 30, 2021With an hour of air, cedar wood, cassis, forest aromas, tobacco wrapper and peppery spices unfurl, once the wine hit the glass. On the palate, the wine is close to full bodied, with soft tannins and round textures. The finish shows off a citrus note on top of the slightly, spiced, fresh cassis. With another hour of air, the wine filled out, adding truffle, smoke and licorice. This is starting to drink quite well, however another year or even a few more years will add more nuance and softness. But this is not a wine to make old bones, so I'm planning on drinking my remaining bottles over the next decade, or so. 7,076 Views Tasted Nov 20, 2017This could be the wine of the vintage. There is ample depth, sweetness of fruit, silky tannins and a regal character with notes of dark chocolate, boysenberries and spice in the finish. Decanted 30 minutes, the wine got better and better as it built up steam. Yes, if you want to picky, there is a touch of grit in the finish, but there is such a beautiful wealth of quality to the fruit, I did not care. And due to the weakness of the vintage, the wine sells for a song, compared to the top vintages of COS. This is not a wine to invest in, but it's definitely a wine to drink. 6,716 Views Tasted Apr 25, 2015Filled with licorice, cocoa, spice, earth, cassis and blackberry, this subtle wine sneaks up on you with 20-30 minutes of air. The tannins soften, the wine fleshes out and the textures gain silkier characteristics. This is an outstanding wine and because the vintage has a mixed reputation, for Cos, the wine is priced fairly. Drink it for pleasure now, or age it for more complexity. 9,020 Views Tasted Dec 7, 2014Forward in style, this began showing well after 30 minutes in the glass. Round in texture, with ripe, spicy blackberry, cassis, earth and tobacco, it was already a pleasure to drink. It has the stuffing to improve, but if you have more than a few bottles, there is no reason to wait. 8,439 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2012Ruby colored offering a full, rich mouth of juicy Cabernet, chocolate, spice and cassis. Full bodied and sillky, this does not show signs of under ripeness found in other wines from the vintage. 5,981 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2009 |
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2001
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Medium-bodied, elegant, soft, round and polished, you find espresso, vanilla, smoke, licorice and ripe, sweet cherries on the nose and palate. The finish leaves with you ripe, fresh, lush red fruits wrapped in coffee beans. Drink it now, or age it a few more years, either way, it is quite nice. 6,463 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019 |
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2000
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Medium-bodied, elegant, soft, round, and polished, the wine offers its plummy, Asian spiced currants, smoke, licorice, tobacco, and mint leaf charms as soon as the wine hits the glass. This is showing really well today, but it has a lot of life remaining, so no hurry to pop a cork. Drink from 2023-2040. 4,293 Views Tasted Nov 23, 2023Fully mature and in its prime time drinking window, now you find all of the dark red currants with their Asian spiced edge, tobacco leaf, smoke, espresso, and wet earth nuances front and center. Vibrant, earthy, spicy, and fresh with a chewy edge to the red currants on the palate, this is drinking really well today. Drink from 2022-2045. 4,722 Views Tasted Nov 1, 2022It takes some effort to find all the enticing notes of spice box, forest floor, tobacco, cedar, and currants, but it is worth the effort. The wine has recently softened, filled, and rounded out, leaving you with a soft, supple, round, savory, red pit fruit and spicy finish. Try a bottle now, or wait 2-4 years, but this is just about in its sweet spot. 5,171 Views Tasted Sep 13, 2021Still on the oaky side, with a strong sense of espresso, you also find smoke, coffee bean, truffle, licorice and ripe, juicy black cherries and plum. Full-bodied, richly textured, polished and soft on the palate, the fruit tastes and feels great. But the oak influence at this stage is worrisome, as it needs to better integrate. 5,680 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019This elegant, sophisticated charmer keeps getting better and better. The tannins have softened, the wine has filled out, the nose continues increasing in secondary complexities and the palate presence, with its lush, silky, polished, fresh berries, dark chocolate, ripe, juicy, sweet blackberries, cassis and exotic spice component really offers great drinking today. This has turned out to be a really fine wine. In time, it could prove to be even better! 8,164 Views Tasted May 5, 2016Cassis, iron, coffee and spices in the nose. Full bodied and elegantly styled, this does not have the richness or concentration found in the wine being produced at COS today. 6,832 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2007 |
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1999
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Medium-bodied and past its best days, the fruit is sliding into the tart, bright, stern, crisp red berry side with an herbal edge. The nose, which is the best part of the wine offers earthy, tobacco, cedar, leaf and red fruits. This is not a wine to hold hoping for better days. 5,447 Views Tasted Oct 2, 2019 |
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1998
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Fully developed, medium-bodied, bright and fresh, with a spicy nuance and a herbaceous streak that runs through the palate and nose of this crisp, slightly reticent red berry-filled wine. 6,123 Views Tasted Oct 1, 2019 |
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1996
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
The aromatics capture the wines mature essence with its earthy wet forest floor, tobacco leaf, cigar box and bright red fruits. There is lift in the fruit, coupled with a leafy, red berry assortment in the finish. This is probably close to fully mature, where it should remain for at least 15 or more years before entering its slow decline. 6,659 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019The nose is already developed, as you find smoke, tobacco, cigar wrapper, cassis and a touch of green. But it's easy to move past the green notes, as there is so much to like about this wine. Full bodied, concentrated, and loaded with Asian spice, red fruits and wet earth. This is showing most of what it has today, but it could get better from here. 6,245 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2018What a difference this was compared to the previous bottle I tasted. This delicious St. Estephe produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot offers truffle, tobacco, wood, cassis, forest floor, Asian spice and blackberry with hints of mocha in the aromatics. Powerful, full bodied, round and classy, the wine is starting to enter maturity, ending in a long, spicy, black cherry and earthy finish. It's drinking great today, but in a few more years, it's going to be even better. 14,680 Views Tasted Nov 27, 2014From a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, this tobacco, cassis, spice, smoke, forest floor and gravel scented wine is on the lean, austere side. With hard tannins, the wine lacks elegance and charm. There is ample concentration in the wine, and a long cassis finish, but it's just not my style of Cos d'Estournel. With time, it might soften, but I would not bet on it. Fans of traditional styled Bordeaux wine might like this more than I did. I will need to try another bottle of this wine again in the near future to see if this was a poor showing of a specific bottle, or if the wine has not developed well. 15,240 Views Tasted Jul 23, 2011This combines sex appeal with power. It's a large scaled wine filled with ripe, spicy, black fruit. The tannins are round, allowing it to already show nicely. I'll hold mine for at least another decade. 9,579 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2008Dark with a purple hue. Tobacco, cigar ash, herbs, cassis, fruit and minerals took over your nasal senses while the palate enjoyed the deep, ripe black fruit. This, dense, full-bodied wine was very tannic. Needs time. 9,310 Views Tasted Jun 12, 2004 |
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1995
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Still quite firm in nature, as many 95 Bordeaux wines are, the wine is better on the nose with its deep boquet of cedar, wet earth, spice, red fruits and herbs. Bright and crisp, as well as somewhat strict steely and austere, this is much better for lovers of old-school classic Bordeaux. 4,836 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019Better than I remembered it, (Time has helped the wine) with a spicy, earthy, herbal, tobacco, cassis and blackberry character. Full bodied, tanninc, and with a notable tapenade flavor in the cranberry and cassis finish. 6,242 Views Tasted Jul 27, 2015Old school, rustic style of Bordeaux that is filled with cedar wood, spice, herbs, tobacco and green leafy aromas. Hard and austere, a friend called it lean, green and mean. I would not agree, but it's definitely tough, tannic and drying. Fans of so called, "Classic Bordeaux Wine" will probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. 10,623 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2012Hard in style, lean, mean and a little green. Firm tannins and a rustic style do not bode well for this wines future. 6,348 Views Tasted Jul 15, 2007 |
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1994
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Firm, medium-bodied, classic, tannic and with an herbal, green olive and leafy herb accent to the sharp, bright red fruits, the wine offers some rusticity to the dusty tannins in the finish. The nose is more interesting than the palate here. This is clearly an old-school wine that those wishing for days gone by might appreciate more than I did. 5,881 Views Tasted Dec 10, 2019 |
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1990
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Popped and poured for Father’s Day, the wine is elegant, opulent, silky and fresh on the palate. The wine offers a strong cigar box and tobacco nose, along with distinctive mint and green peppery tones, with a touch of 5 spice, smoke, roasted cassis, cedar and pepper. This is fully mature. There is no reason to decant, except for sediment, or to hold any longer. It’s a gorgeous, old school expression of Cos d’Estournel this hits all the right notes. 4,966 Views Tasted Jun 19, 2022Fully mature, this is really showing all it has to offer at the moment. The tobacco, ash, cigar box, cherry and 5 spice nose brings you to the classic combination of cedar and cassis. Full bodied, soft and with its tannins fully integrated, this classic is ready to go. 6,790 Views Tasted May 5, 2016Tobacco, earth, cassis, cinnamon and forest floor scents lead the way to a full bodied, concentrated Bordeaux wine. Showing more power than previous bottles, with a bit more of an austere side as well, the wine seems to be taking on masculine qualities in its texture and personality. The wine ends with a black plum, cassis and tapenade finish. There is no hurry to drink it, but the wine might be losing a bit of its charm as it continues to age. 12,116 Views Tasted Jun 13, 2011Scents redolent of dried leaves, blackberries, wood, smoke and tea. Opulent on the palate. But, slightly light in the mouthfeel. The silky finish has some dry tones and lasts about :30. This wine is fully mature. I would not purchase it for cellaring. If you own it, drink it over the next 5 years. 6,502 Views Tasted Jan 12, 2007Already accessible with its copious levels of ripe, sweet, elegant, soft black fruit, truffle and incense. Round and opulent in style, this plummy, silky wine will deliver ample pleasure for at least another decade or more. 6,692 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2004 |
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1989
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Ruby colored with bricking around the edges, the wine is very spicy, with scents of cinnamon, truffles, earth, cassis, and minerals. The wine is traditionally styled, giving it an austere quality. The fruit is not as rich as it was and is slowly starting to fade. Drink soon. 5,826 Views Tasted Jun 17, 2009 |
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1988
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
The color was definitely bricking. This earthy scented wine was light on the fruit in the nose and palate. Hints of under ripeness. The finish was chalky and not very interesting. This has already started to fade. 3,651 Views Tasted May 1, 2004 |
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1986
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Like many Bordeaux wines from 1986, this is a tough, hard, style of wine that some people love, while others will find it difficult to enjoy. And of course there are also tasters that recognize this is not their style of wine, but it has a wealth of fruit. Count me in as a charter member of group number 3. Does it have enough fruit to outlast the tannins before maturity? It will take at least 10-20 years more time to find. The wine offers massive concentration from ripe fruit. Butt the wine lacks elegance and charm. It's a beast. For me, while I get the depth of flavor, at the end of the day, it was not a lot of fun to drink. 12,442 Views Tasted Nov 23, 2011This a hard, tannic styled wine. Like many 86 Bordeaux, this traditional, austere wine will last for decades, but will the fruit remain? 5,955 Views Tasted Dec 20, 2005Beefy, brawny masculine and tannic. Austere style of wine that lacks charm. This will live forever, but it's not my style of wine. 6,263 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2004 |
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1985
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Fully developed, the nose, with its spice box, tobacco leaf, forest floor, and cigar wrapper calls your name. Medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant, round, and packed with dark currants and red plums, this is ready to go. If you have a bottle, there is no reason to hold this any longer. It will not improve. 3,485 Views Tasted May 30, 2022Packed with tobacco, cedar, smoke, spicy red fruits and cigar box aromatics, the wine is medium/full bodied, with a finish that marries cassis, black fruits and cranberry. While there is no hurry to drink well stored bottles, this is fully mature. 4,096 Views Tasted Jan 17, 2018Earth, tobacco, spice, cassis and cranberry, this medium bodied wine is starting to lose its fruit and charm. Better on the nose than the palate, with a lean, cranberry and cassis finish, this was better a few years ago. I'd drink this now, before it continues dropping fruit. 7,629 Views Tasted Mar 30, 2012This elegantly styled wine offers a lot of charm. Plums, tobacco, Asian spice and forest floor aromas tempt you. Light in style and fully mature, it's a softer style of COS. 4,462 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2004 |
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1983
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
1983 Cos d'Estournel offered light scents of earth, dark cherries, cassis, cedar and forest floor. Medium/full bodied, this fully mature wine ends with a spice and cassis sensation. 6,850 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2010 |
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1982
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
A superb, fully-mature example of a fabulous Left Bank Bordeaux. Loads of red currants, Indian spice, cigar box, and cedar with leafy herbs are all over the place on the nose and on the generous, refined palate. No need to decant, just pop, pour and enjoy. Drink from 2022-2030. 3,591 Views Tasted Nov 28, 2022The nose, with its blend of tobacco, mint, flowers, spice box, cherries and herbs hit all the right notes. Popped and poured, within 30 minutes, the wine, filled out, softened and moved from very good to suave, refined and elegant, retaining its full-bodied richness. Perhaps it was cork or just luck of the draw, but this bottle was markedly better than previous bottles. 5,441 Views Tasted Mar 5, 2020Just a super bottle of this wine. It was so good, I am tempted to give it another point for all its gorgeous floral notes that compliment the spicy, sweet, deep red fruits, wet earth and forest aromatics. Soft on the palate, the wine is concentrated, with lift and sweetness in the finish. Fully mature, there is no hurry to drink it, if the wine has been well-stored. 4,758 Views Tasted Oct 19, 2019This bottle was about as good as it's going get, and it rocked! Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and deep, on the nose, you find wet earth, Asian spice, tobacco and bright red fruits. The finish, which maintains a backbone is loaded with ripe, earthy, tobacco-laden cherries and spice. Popped and poured, a short, splash decant is all that's needed here. 4,781 Views Tasted Dec 1, 2018This is showing great. The nose, with its spicy cassis, blackberry, wet earth, tobacco and forest notes can win anyone over. On the palate, the wine is even better! Full bodied, round, fresh and bold, you find a big, juicy mouthful of ripe, sweet and spicy cassis. 20 minutes in the decanter was all this needed to wake up. The wine is mature, but if your bottle has been perfectly stored in a cold cellar, or if it's in a large format, it could improve. That being said, if you have a few bottles in your cellar and haven't popped a cork in a while, what are you waiting for? 3,991 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2018Robust, and full bodied, with cigar box, tobacco leaf, red fruits and Asian spice on the nose. ,The wine is concentrated, long, bright and with firm tannins. Popped and poured, this is still young, but it is drinking great today. So, if you have more than a few bottles pop a cork! 4,783 Views Tasted Dec 16, 2017Loved it. Spicy, fresh, concentrated and displaying its tobacco, cedar wood, exotic spice, smoke, cassis, blackberry and wet earth character with little effort. Long in the mouth and the finish, this is really showing its all today. This is perhaps one of the best examples of the wine I recall tasting. 5,836 Views Tasted Jan 17, 2017With little effort, the tobacco, cassis, cedar wood, smoke, licorice and barbecue aromas are in the forefront of the wine. The perfume couples well with the full bodied, concentrated, masculine, slightly firm, classically styled character. The finish ends with a long, fresh, cassis spice and slightly herbal sensation. 5,409 Views Tasted Jan 14, 2016What a super wine! With its tobacco, cassis, wet earth, blackberry and cigar box nose to start, the wine got even better when it slides down your palate, finishing with earthy, fresh, spicy berries. At close to 33 years of age, this is the best place to find this. While there is no hurry to drink a well stored bottle, if you have one, and you are in the mood to pop a cork, there is no reason to wait. 6,068 Views Tasted Jul 26, 2014Served double blind, I jumped on 1982 Left Bank Bordeaux. However, the seductive quality of this specific bottle did not allow me to consider Cos d’Estournel. Silky, rich, smoky, tobacco, black currant, earth and cedar wood and a long, complex, elegant style won me over. At 30, this is drinking great today. 9,978 Views Tasted May 30, 2012Its blackberry filled, tobacco, earth, mushroom and Asian spice aromatics make a complex perfume. Built in an old school style, with good concentration, but with a hint of green in the finish was a pleasure to taste. This is fully mature and while there is no hurry to drink it, there is probably nothing much to be gained by waiting either. 8,584 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2011This wine is thick, rich and gets more interesting with each sip. Concentrated and deep with buckets of cassis, spice, blackberry and earth in the nose, this sublime finishes with a blast of spicy, black fruit. 6,010 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2010Cassis, lead pencil, coffee, spice and cedar wood scents. This is dense, full bodied and concentrated. The palate is filled with ripe, black fruits offering a long, deep finish. 5,873 Views Tasted Jan 10, 2009Ruby colored with slight bricking. Elements of cassis and dark fruits, spice, oak, hay, tobacco, and smoke were intoxicating. This full-bodied wine is dense as well as very balanced and complex. Very concentrated. The only minor drawback was a slight bitter note in the long, intense finish, which lasted close to 60 seconds! 5,835 Views Tasted Mar 27, 2007This was so youthful, I thought it was a 90. The color is a dark purple with only a hint of lightening at the rim. The perfume gives cassis, lead pencil, coffee and cedar wood scents. This is a very dense, full bodied and extremely concentrated wine. The palate is filled with ripe black fruits and a long finish. 5,942 Views Tasted Dec 15, 2003 |
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1979
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Light in color, the fruit in this medium bodied, spicy wine has already started to fade. Drink up. 4,989 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2007 |
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1978
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Fully mature, fading, medium-bodied with more cedar, tobacco, herb, leaf, forest floor and cigar box than red fruit on the nose and palate. This requires drinking sooner than later before the final vestiges of red fruits fade further into that good night. 4,586 Views Tasted Dec 6, 2020 |
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1970
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Quite faded, with little fruit remaining. Here you find a rustic textured, tart, cranberry-infused core of fruits that is not quite but almost overtaken by wet forest floor, green peppery herbs, cigar box, smoked tobacco, and scorched earth. This is only going to continue fading from here. 3,634 Views Tasted Dec 10, 2021 |
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1966
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
With wines older than 15 or more years, it's always a gamble. With wines that are 50 years of age, it's a crap shoot. But we got lucky because this bottle was the best example I've ever tasted. Splash decanted to remove the sediment, the medium bodied wine offered sweet red fruits, exotic spices, cigar box and tobacco on the nose. Medium bodied, with a fresh quality to the soft, red berries and cassis, there was a beautiful old school charm in all the best ways that carried through the finish. 4,670 Views Tasted Mar 2, 2016I really hope it was this specific bottle, because this bottle was cleary fading, leaving more acidity than fruit. 4,361 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2014It's always a nice surprise when a wine shows better than expected. I did not have much hope for the wine, as Cos d'Estournel was not at its peak in the 1960's. Tobacco, earth, spice, cassis and fresh herbs started off the perfume. Medium bodied and combing the patina of age with the refinement of old school Bordeaux wine in texture, this offered a charming tasting experience. 4,137 Views Tasted Jan 1, 2012Already showing its age. This had nice, mature, tobacco, cassis and truffle Bordeaux characteristics, but not a lot of depth. Drink up. 4,376 Views Tasted Oct 24, 2004 |
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1964
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Bordeaux light, but not nearly as bad as I had expected. The nose was the best part with its tobacco, earth, gravel, red berry and spicy aromatics. Medium bodied, lacking intensity, but it offered a certain type of fully mature, Bordeaux charm in its light, red berry dominated finish. Much of the success of this bottle was clearly due to the fact that is was shared by the original owner who took care of it since release. 8,392 Views Tasted Sep 27, 2012 |
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1959
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
This is my second time with this wine, and both bottles have been disappointing. The nose, with its cedar, citrus, spice, coffee, and earthy cranberry notes was more interesting than the tart, crisp, overly bright, cranberry and peppery herb tinged finish. 4,278 Views Tasted Sep 16, 2021Just barely hanging on by a thread. The nose is all secondary aromatics, while the medium bodied palate offers a small amount of spicy, earthy red fruit, which is gone far too quickly. Not a wine I would purchase for even a birthday or anniversary year. 4,150 Views Tasted Jan 1, 2017 |
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1958
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
From a bottle with a low fill for its age, I was pleasantly surprised, as I was not expecting this to be good. Light in body, with a tea colored hue, the texture was soft, showing the patina of its age. More on the secondary leafy, earthy, tobacco side, with just a hint of red fruits remaining , well stored examples could be even better. 3,521 Views Tasted Nov 24, 2018 |
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1955
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
The fill was almost at the cork. The cork was not branded. I expect the wine was recorked at some point by Nicholas cellars. This was not riveting, but it was a nice perfectly mature claret with tobacco, trffle, smoke, spice, earth, forest floor and ash scents. Not much fruit could be found in the soft, lightweight finish. 2,961 Views Tasted Feb 5, 2006 |
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1953
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Spice, tobacco, forest floor, leaf, earth, gravel and sweet cherry aromas open to a medium/bodied, soft, red berry and spice filled finish. This wine requires drinking. 7,747 Views Tasted Aug 15, 2012 |
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1939
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
This was slightly past, slightly past its prime. At the same dinner, we also tasted the only NV bottling of COS I will ever see. It blended 63 & 64 together. This was also slightly past, slightly past it's prime. But it was interesting tasting a wine you know you'll never see again. 5,099 Views Tasted Jun 12, 2009 |
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1929
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Even at 90 years of age, this still has a lot to offer. Light in body, the wonderful nose was filled with Asian spice, flowers, tobacco leaf and fresh white, crisp cherries. With soft, silky textures, but not much weight, the wine retains some sweetness in the lifted red fruits found in the finish. 4,838 Views Tasted Aug 22, 2019 |
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1928
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
A wine I have always wanted to try, as soon as the wine hits the glass, red raspberries, red cherries, bright red plums and a cornucopia of spies and herbs fill your nose. Medium-bodied, bright, and almost zesty on the palate, there is a firmness in the tannins in the finish. I suspect this is pat its prime. Drink from 2024-2029. 277 Views Tasted Oct 13, 2024 |
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1924
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Surprisingly good, and served blind, I was shocked to find this was from 1924. The wine was loaded with sweet, earthy, minty cherries, strawberries, and cigar wrappers. There was a softness on the palate, as well as the type of elegance that can only come from aging. Drink from 2024-2024. 849 Views Tasted Jun 22, 2024 |
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1904
Château Cos d'Estournel (St. Estèphe)
Tasting bottled history is always a treat. It allows you to look back at the events of the day, that in this case too place 110 years ago! Theodore Roosevelt was president, the Panama Canal was about to be built and the first subways in Manhattan began operation. On to the wine, light brick in color, the nose was more interesting with its Asian spice, 5 spice and shar cherry personality than the palate, which was tart, bright and acidic. But this was 110 years old, which was to be expected. This was tasted from a bottle that still held the original cork. Not decanted, the wine was popped and served. Regardless of the score, this was a rare treat we will all remember tasting. 3,605 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2014 |
