CHATEAU COS D'ESTOURNEL - St Estephe Grand Cru Class - Bordeaux, France
CHATEAU COS D'ESTOURNEL - ST ESTEPHE GRAND CRU CLASSE
This wine offers a purity and intensity that is seldom found in other Bordeaux wines. It is big, bold, full bodied and concentrated with perfectly ripe fruit. Even though this wine is packed, everything is in perfect balance. The sweet bouquet of blue and black fruits, liquorice, graphite, and charcoal perfume offers a unique incense quality revealing a superb intensity as well as a blue, purple colour.
Vintage in image may vary. Refer to wine facts for current vintage.
FRANCE
St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Product Description
Between Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe, the hill of Cos dominates the Gironde. This location gave its name to the domain; in the old Gascon language, "Cos" means "Hill of Pebbles". The domain inherited its architecture from Louis Gaspard d'Estournel (1762-1853). Having inherited a few vines near the village of Cos, he recognized, in 1811, the quality of their wine. Louis became known as "the Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe".
To celebrate his distant conquests, he had exotic pagodas erected over his cellar, organized spectacular festivities at Cos and presented the great people of this world with some precious bottles of Cos "Returned from India". In 1852, overwhelmed with debts he had accumulated in order to extend and beautify his estate, Louis was obliged to sell Cos to a London banker called Martyns.
Permitted by Martyns to remain and live on the land he had so much loved, he died there in 1853, two years before the supreme consecration of his work: the imperial classification of 1855 of Cos d'Estournel. Château Cos d'Estournel has belonged to Michel Reybier since 2000. His objective has been to uphold the château's high standards and constant quest for excellence while at the same time continuing the avant-garde style initiated by Louis Gaspard d'Estournel.
Accolades
Awards
Robert Parker Wine Advocate 98 Points
Probably the most famous and influential wine critic and journalist in the world, Robert Parker founded the famous American magazine, The Wine Advocate and made his 100-point system a benchmark for the entire industry.
Critique Review
Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age! (LPB) 98+
Robert Parker Wine AdvocateWine Facts
| Grape Varietal | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Region | St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe |
| Country | FRANCE |
| Average age of vines | 35 years old |
| Harvest method | Each vine grower is in charge of 45 000 vines on which they have got to undertake various labours every year. These cultural tasks are for most of them done manually. The harvest is of course manually picked too. And it is by hand that the grapes, once collected in special wooden baskets, will be strictly selected. |
| Fermentation & maceration | Classical vinification. Management of the cellar by gravity. Precise control of temperatures. |
| Aging | Ageing for 18 months in now oak barrels (80%). |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| SKU | BO34 |
Reviews & Ratings
Between Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe, the hill of Cos dominates the Gironde. This location gave its name to the domain; in the old Gascon language, "Cos" means "Hill of Pebbles". The domain inherited its architecture from Louis Gaspard d'Estournel (1762-1853). Having inherited a few vines near the village of Cos, he recognized, in 1811, the quality of their wine. Louis became known as "the Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe".
To celebrate his distant conquests, he had exotic pagodas erected over his cellar, organized spectacular festivities at Cos and presented the great people of this world with some precious bottles of Cos "Returned from India". In 1852, overwhelmed with debts he had accumulated in order to extend and beautify his estate, Louis was obliged to sell Cos to a London banker called Martyns.
Permitted by Martyns to remain and live on the land he had so much loved, he died there in 1853, two years before the supreme consecration of his work: the imperial classification of 1855 of Cos d'Estournel. Château Cos d'Estournel has belonged to Michel Reybier since 2000. His objective has been to uphold the château's high standards and constant quest for excellence while at the same time continuing the avant-garde style initiated by Louis Gaspard d'Estournel.
Awards
Robert Parker Wine Advocate 98 Points
Probably the most famous and influential wine critic and journalist in the world, Robert Parker founded the famous American magazine, The Wine Advocate and made his 100-point system a benchmark for the entire industry.
Critique Review
Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age! (LPB) 98+
Robert Parker Wine Advocate| Grape Varietal | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Region | St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe |
| Country | FRANCE |
| Average age of vines | 35 years old |
| Harvest method | Each vine grower is in charge of 45 000 vines on which they have got to undertake various labours every year. These cultural tasks are for most of them done manually. The harvest is of course manually picked too. And it is by hand that the grapes, once collected in special wooden baskets, will be strictly selected. |
| Fermentation & maceration | Classical vinification. Management of the cellar by gravity. Precise control of temperatures. |
| Aging | Ageing for 18 months in now oak barrels (80%). |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| SKU | BO34 |
