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News
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - March 31, 2012
97 Points "This is a stunner, with gloriously ripe, succulent cassis, blackberry and fig fruit flavors backed by extra notes of plum cake, blueberry confiture and roasted wood spice. On the back half, the iron spine takes over on the hard-driving and extremely long, anise- and incense-tinged finish. An awesome expression of the modern style. Best from 2020 through 2040."
Wine Spectator - James Molesworth - March 31, 2012
97 Points "This is a stunner, with gloriously ripe, succulent cassis, blackberry and fig fruit flavors backed by extra notes of plum cake, blueberry confiture and roasted wood spice. On the back half, the iron spine takes over on the hard-driving and extremely long, anise- and incense-tinged finish. An awesome expression of the modern style."
JamesSuckling.com - James Suckling - February 15, 2012
100 Points "What a fabulous nose of currants, raspberries and Indian spices. Nutmeg and clover. Full-bodied, with an amazing precision and superb compacted fruit. Endless. Laser guided. Shows such intensity. Decadent and rich and changing all the time. Mystical wine. Dense, yet agile."
The Wine Advocate - Robert Parker - February 2012
100 Points "One of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted, the monumental 2009 Cos d’Estournel has lived up to its pre-bottling potential. A remarkable effort from winemaking guru Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot (33%) and a touch of Cabernet Franc (2%) was cropped at 33 hectoliters per hectare. It boasts an inky/black/purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of white flowers interwoven with blackberry and blueberry liqueur, incense, charcoal and graphite. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, balance and intensity as well as perfect equilibrium, and a seamless integration of tannin, acidity, wood and alcohol. An iconic wine as well as a remarkable achievement, it is the greatest Cos d’Estournel ever produced. It is approachable enough at present that one could appreciate it with several hours of decanting, but it will not hit its prime for a decade, and should age effortlessly for a half century."
Wine Journal - Neal Martin - December 19, 2011
90 Points "The Grand Vin has retained that exotic, lush, generous bouquet with very ripe dark berried fruits intermingling with dark chocolate and a touch of espresso. Moderate definition... The palate is full-bodied with grippy tannins, very intense dark fruits intermingling with mocha and dark chocolate. Firm grip, still New World in style whilst the spherical finish is missing a little tension."
JamesSuckling.com - James Suckling - November 10, 2011
100 Points "Classic Cos with so much spice and fruit, yet refined and sexy. Powerful with super silky tannins. Full bodied, yet incredibly compacted. This is so tight and rich with layers of fruit and tannins and a finish that last for minutes on the palate... Fab."
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
Vintage/ The winter and early spring were cold and dry, resulting in a late start for the vines. Temperatures rose sharply from the beginning of May. Between 1 and 31 August, temperatures were even higher than the average for the last ten years and the famous summer of 2003! However, the key factor that made this an exceptional vintage was the low rainfall.
Technical Information
Blend 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Maturing 80% new barrels
Yield 33 hl/hectare
Alcohol content 14.5 %
Tasting notes
Powerful and yet velvety, this is an extravagant wine. Nose presents notes of black fruit. Extremely precise tannins. Great potential to age. 2019-2040 and beyond…
Vintage 2009
Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.
