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 50 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.
News
International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - May 2008
91-93 points "Good medium red-ruby. Musky aromas of dark fruits, smoky herbs, pepper, menthol and game. Then surprisingly sweet on entry before turning masculine and broad-shouldered in the middle, with impressive volume. Serious, smoky, soil-driven flavors of dark fruits, menthol and minerals. The solid tannins saturate the front teeth and the sides of the mouth"
Wine Spectator Online - James Suckling - March 29, 2007
92-94 points "Wonderful aromas of violets and berries, with a mineral undertone. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and tannins. Firm and chewy, tannic and muscular. Midpalate of fruit that builds on the palate. Almost 95-100."
Wine Description
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.
Wine Information
Despite a disappointing August and September, this was a successful vintage that produced extremely concentrated wines, due to the exceptional heat in the first half of June, July and early September, coupled with warm temperatures from April to July.
Technical Information
Blend 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc
Maturing 80% new barrels
Yield 38 hl/hectare
Alcohol content 13.5%
Tasting notes
Fine intense colour. Nose expresses notes of spices and liquorice. Elegant and smooth on the palate. Outstanding for the tremendous finesse of its tannins. 2015-2030