x
  • Country ranking ?

    508
  • Producer ranking ?

    10
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    Pork Crown Roast

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Wine Spectator - James Suckling - March 31, 2008

98 Points "Black color, with aromas of orange peel, new leather, currant, berry, Christmas pudding. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish of fruit and spices."

International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - May 2008

94 points "Good ruby-red. Knockout nose combines currant, plum, minerals, licorice and graphite. Wonderfully sweet, rich and deep, but with near-perfect balancing acidity to frame the wine's lush fruit. This superb 2005 has it all. Finishes with noble, sweet tannins and palate-saturating persistence. On my most recent visit, Prats told me he considered 2005 to be superior to the 2003, and that the '05 may be "our best wine ever."

 

 

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The Story

The call of faraway lands. As mysterious and intriguing as a lone adventurer returning from a solitary sail, Cos d’Estournel is slow to reveal itself. Little by little, it evokes stories of distant places, market stalls brimming with unfamiliar fruits, spices and wares, village festivities warmed by the joy of revelers and the setting sun, and sumptuous visions of ladies and their voluptuous curves. A myriad of scents, colors and tastes appeals to the senses. The Grand Vin of Cos d’Estournel is both demure and deliberately sensuous, a fascinating and elegant nectar.

The vineyard of Cos spreads around the château on 91 hectares.The Cabernet Sauvignon vines (60% of the vineyard) find the soil of their choice in the thin layers of gravely soil situated on the top and on the southern slopes of the hill. On the other hand, the Merlot vines (40% of the vineyard) excel on the eastern slopes and on the slopes where the Saint-Estephe limestone bed shows on the surface.

The percentage of Cabernet and Merlot varies from one vintage to another according to the year weather conditions, benefiting successively to the one or the other. Plantation is extremely dense (8000 to 10000 vines per hectare) and the average age of the vineyard is high (35 years old on the average) in order to enable the roots to extend excessively and to obtain a very slender yield per vine that will create the « Grand Goût »

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.

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Wine Information

Vintage

2005 will be remembered as a year with very low rainfall and without excessively high temperatures. The harvests took place in magnificent weather. The grapes were healthy and thoroughly ripe, and the promise of the vineyard was fulfilled in the vats.

Technical Information

Blend 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Maturing 80% new barrels*
Yield 40 hl/hectare
Alcohol content 13.5%

Tasting notes

Intense, deep crimson colour. The nose presents extraordinary aromas of spices and chocolate, and beautifully expressed fruit. Rich and dense. Drink between 2012 and 2040.

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Vintage 2005

Bordeaux Vintage Report 2005 is a truly fantastic vintage with great quality across the board on both the Left and Right Banks.

The 2005 vintage became the most anticipated since 2000. The early market was heated and prices skyrocketed. The cold winter delayed bud break before the warm, dunny spring broke through. Even the vegetative growth and flowering gave a perfect start to the vintage. The summer turned out to be one of the driest ever, avoiding disaster, as the weather remained reasonably warm and not excessively hot like in 2003. The soil once again becomes a decisive quality factor. Gravelly areas, such as Graves, were hardest hit once again. In other words, you should expect quality wines.

For a short-term perspective, in the next two years, an excellent quantity of mature Bordeaux red wines will be available on the market. The 2004, 2002, 1999, 1994, 1992 and 1988 vintages offer a wide selection of wines that are pleasant to consume immediately or at most to store for a short period.

As investments, the best vintages of the last 35 years are 2018, 2016, 2010, 2009 ,2003, 1996, 1989, and 1982. The safest long-term investments are Latour, La Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Le Pin Lafite and Pétrus.

Over the past 35 years, Bordeaux has experienced a substantial change in winemaking. Modern equipment and developing know-how have guaranteed more uniform quality. It appears that the next challenge will be dealing with extreme climates, including slow global warming, which has already given hints of its effects also in Bordeaux. It is impossible to say how Bordeaux wines will evolve over the next 35 years. We can only hope that their most characteristic trait, the elegant aristocratic nature underlined by a unique terroir, will never disappear.

 

 

Bordeaux Vintage Report 2005 est un millésime vraiment fantastique avec une grande qualité à tous les niveaux sur la rive gauche et la rive droite.

Le millésime 2005 est devenu le plus attendu depuis 2000. Le marché des primeurs a été chauffé et les prix ont grimpé en flèche. L’hiver froid a retardé le débourrement avant que le printemps chaud et dunny ne se brise. Même la croissance végétative et la floraison ont donné un début parfait au millésime. L’été s’est avéré être l’un des plus secs de tous les temps, évitant la catastrophe, car le temps est resté raisonnablement chaud et non excessivement chaud comme en 2003. Le sol redevient un facteur de qualité décisif. Les zones graveleuses, telles que Graves, ont été les plus touchées une fois de plus. En d’autres termes, il faut s’attendre à des vins de qualité.

Pour une perspective à court terme, dans les deux prochaines années, une excellente quantité de vins rouges de Bordeaux mûrs sera disponible sur le marché. Les millésimes 2004, 2002, 1999, 1994, 1992 et 1988 offrent une large sélection de vins agréables à consommer immédiatement ou tout au plus à stocker pendant une courte période.

En tant qu’investissements, les meilleurs millésimes des 35 dernières années sont 2003, 1996, 1989, 1986 et 1982. Les investissements à long terme les plus sûrs sont Latour, La Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Le Pin et Pétrus.

Au cours des 35 dernières années, Bordeaux a connu un changement substantiel dans la vinification. Des équipements modernes et un savoir-faire en développement ont garanti une qualité plus uniforme. Il semble que le prochain défi sera de gérer les climats extrêmes, y compris le réchauffement climatique lent, qui a déjà donné des indices de ses effets également à Bordeaux. Il est impossible de dire comment les vins de Bordeaux vont évoluer dans les 35 prochaines années. Nous ne pouvons qu’espérer que leur trait le plus caractéristique, l’élégante nature aristocratique soulignée par un terroir unique, ne disparaîtra jamais.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

The 2005 Cos d’Estournel quickly brought sexy back with its classic aromas of cedar, nut and caramel. While more elegant than expected, there were great flavors of cedar and what I call fireplace action. This was classic every which way, and it got two ‘fantastics’ from the crowd (96).
  • 96p

Deep ruby. Dark fruits, blackberries, anise, spices, ripe and rich nose, vanilla and coffee. Woody and tannic, rich and big, jammy, ripe and dense, extracted, long. 94

  • 94p

Tasted in November 2017. 78% C.Sauvignon + 19% Merlot + 3% C.Franc. Really creamy wine, sweet and fat on the nose and palate. Extraordinary complexity and sophisticated touch. Exceptionel balance and length. Just stunning wine. Gives 2009 run for the money!

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

St-Estèphe, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Drinking temperature

16
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