| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Cos is in Saint Estephe but borders Pauillac and, in particular, the vineyards of Chateau Lafite. Quality was good in the 1990's but, since the 2001 vintage, it has reached another level. In some vintages the quality level is not far from that of the first Growths. The stunning winery - now 10 years old -is the most modern and sophisticated in all of Bordeaux, with a 100% gravity cellar - no pumps used at all.
This is so aromatic with blackcurrants, black berries and raspberries. Pure fruit, together with coffee and nutmeg. Really fresh and clean with bright spices. Full-bodied, yet reserved and tight with fantastic structure. So long. This is a great Cos for the cellar. A real benchmark for the true character. Needs at least five or six years to open and come around. Try after 2029.
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel has turned out brilliantly, exhibiting aromas of minty cassis, sweet wild berries and wild plums mingled with hints of spices, loamy soil and potpourri. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's polished and seamless, its ample chassis of fine, velvety tannin entirely concealed in its deep core of succulent, crunchy fruit. Beautifully integrated at this early stage, the last decade has witnessed a number of changes at this address, including a trend toward less aggressively late picking, cooler fermentations and élevage with fewer rackings and more moderate percentages of less heavily toasted new oak: in 2019, the results speak for themselves. Drink Date 2027 - 2055
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel is tasted from two bottles, the first not representative. The second has a perfumed bouquet with blackberry and raspberry fruit, sous-bois, and light spicy scents. The palate is medium-bodied with finely sculpted tannins, fresh and tensile, gradually building with a mineral-rich and very persistent finish. Vibrant and energetic, this Cos d'Estournel is built for the long-term. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2025-2040.
Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, the 2019 Cos d'Estournel is deep garnet-purple in color. It is slightly closed to begin, revealing slow-emerging scents of baked black cherries, mulberries, fragrant earth, and potpourri, leading to a core of warm cassis and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is rock-solid, well-supporting the tightly wound, muscular black fruit, finishing with plenty of freshness and a minerally lift. It will require another 4-5 years to emerge from this cocoon and spread its wings.
Powerful and enjoyable Cos. Needs to be given time in the glass to reveal the impressively velvety texture, and the sheer depth of bitter black chocolate, black truffle and coffee notes. The tannins sit back and then build slowly to full bristling impact by the close of play. Feels extremely sophisticated, with the always-present Cos glamour. This was a vintage where the heat was starting to be worrying until the September rains that began around 22nd, and helped bring the Cabernet back into a more classical line, and away from the extremes of 2018. 40hl/h final yield. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044
Tasted blind. Second bottle – more evolution on the nose. Loose and fresh. Salinity came out. 13.5%
Drink 2028– 2046
Cos d'Estournel is always in the top tier of St Estèphes, and the 2019 follows a vintage with two potential 100 point scores here. The yield is a healthy 43hl/ha, with a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot aged in 55% new French oak. 14% abv. A deep ruby colour, with rich cassis fruit and hints of incense and sweet spices on the nose. The palate is pure and precise, with fine-grained and ripe tannins pesistent and mouthcoating but not dominating the fruit. This is not a blockbuster style, but rather fully refined. The lithe core of fruit is full of red and black fruits, complemented by sweet, spicy oak. An exceptionally elegant Cos d'estournel, with a long, driven and pure finish.
The Grand Vin 2019 Château Cos D'Estournel checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot coming from 43 hectoliters per hectare and hitting a healthy 14% alcohol. Brought up in just 55% new French oak, it's a pretty, elegant, seamless Saint-Estèphe that has plenty of redcurrant and cassis-like fruit as well as lead pencil, graphite, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, it has supple, fine tannins, wonderful purity, and a classy, regal profile that will be loved by staunch traditionalists out there. Exceedingly elegant and finesse-driven, with a touch of Château Lafite-like character, I compared this wine to a more elegant version of the 2016 from barrel, but now from bottle, I think 2014 is a better comparison in its weight, balance, and just overall style. It has a silky, charming style that already offers pleasure but won't hit maturity for a good 7-8 years and will have 25+ years of prime drinking.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot. Barrel sample.
Deep colour to the rim. Huge concentration of dark fruit with a notable Cabernet cassis aroma. Mighty tannic build but very fine tannins. Layers of fruit. Powerful but carefully constructed and precise. A lovely mellow quality to such a muscular wine. Plenty of reserve and clearly for long ageing. (JL)
Drink 2030 – 2050
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, the 2019 Cos d'Estournel is deep garnet-purple colored. It needs a lot of coaxing to reveal notes of plum preserves, blueberry compote, creme de cassis, and wood smoke with wafts of charcuterie, tapenade, Indian spices, and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, the palate has super-firm, super-grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the savory layered fruit, finishing long and earthy. This is a new-age legend in the making!
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel was picked from September 23 to October 7 at 43hL/ha, matured in a judicious 55% new oak, and bottled in July 2021 by gravity. It is more backward on the nose, and there’s nothing wrong with that for a Grand Vin. Biding its time, it opens to deliver lovely, very pure scents of blackberry, raspberry coulis and touches of graphite and violet, the latter having developed during barrel maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, and the texture is a little more crunchy than when tasted from barrel sample. Gone is the silkiness; in its place there is backbone and grip, features that will stand this Cos d’Estournel in good stead for considerable cellar aging. It displays more classicism in bottle compared to barrel, and exhibits more Saint-Estèphe DNA. 2025 - 2060
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel was picked from 23 September to 7 October at 43hl/ha and matured in a judicious 55% new oak. It marks a serious and tangible upgrade over the Les Pagodes as you would expect: far more intensity, more fruit and complexity. It delivers gorgeous, very pure scents of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone and just a hint of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, pitch perfect acidity and a satin-like texture. One of the most harmonious Cos d'Estournel that I have encountered in barrel and, though it is not quite touching the same ethereal level, it reminds me of the 2016 towards the finish. Utterly divine. 2025 - 2060
A very powerful and structured Cos. It’s full and layered, but not overpowering in terms of fruit. It’s more about the abundant, very fine tannins. It’s a classic wine with historical grip and power. Real Bordeaux. Sophisticated and provocative.
Harvest for the grand vin began on the 23rd of September and finished on the 7th of October. Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot (with no Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc this year), yields for this wine in 2019 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it is aging in 55% new oak. It came in at an alcohol level of 14.02% and an IPT of 67. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cos d'Estournel soars out of the glass with vibrant black raspberries, Black Forest cake and crushed blackcurrants scents plus nuances of red roses, wild sage, dark chocolate and cast-iron pan with a waft of woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut, muscular and built like a skyscraper, with firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the concentrated black fruit flavors, finishing with incredible length and depth. This wine so beautifully, clearly captures the juxtaposition between the periods of dry heat and those hallelujah moments of refreshing rain - the hallmarks of this great vintage. It's a vinous masterpiece in the making.
