x
  • Country ranking ?

    328
  • Producer ranking ?

    6
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2045
  • Food Pairing

    Roast lamb served medium-rare

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 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."

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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/ 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…

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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.

 

 

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Tasting note

color

Full, Purple and Dark

ending

Long, Extensive, Flavorful and Too tannic

flavors

Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Tar, Plum, Cedar and Honey

nose

Youthful, Complex, Generous and Round

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Warming, High tannin, Balanced, Concentrated, Complex, Youthful, Vigor and Full

Verdict

Impressive

Written Notes

This is an excellent vintage for Cos. Intense and aromatic nose of black fruit with the scent of yoghurt, distinguished and classy. Luscious blackcurrants, grained tannin, great acidity, highly complex and very long on the palate. Silky with great elegance. Absolutely nothing to complain about here. Perfect modern Bordeaux with great style. One to enjoy over many years to come. 

  • 98p

2009 Cos d’Estournel - The wine is just starting to establish itself. The baby fat has melted away. Now you find a wine of intensity. Intense concentration, intense aromatics, intense palate presence and an intense finish. But everything is in balance and harmony here. The fruit is lushly textured with a velvet drenched touch. While your palate is coated with layers of fruit, nothing is overwhelming. This is power and refinement, the true velvet fist in an iron glove. Still primary, give this another 7-8 years and you should have a legendary Bordeaux in your glass by that time. 100 Pts

  • 100p

A very bold, ripe and complex wine with excellent concentration and a warm, engaging personality (cinnamon and allspice) that's hard to resist. With aeration a hint of dried fruit character emerges. Massive, yet polished finish. It’s been rated 100 in the past. We will see. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

  • 98p

Deep ruby, ruby/pink rim. Intense, sweet, huge, cassis, blackberries, coffee, plum jam. Again, huge and sweet on the palate, think Napa Valley, Arnold wrestling plum juice , huge tannins, and are they fully ripe? Some green and herbal touches in the finish, burnt coffee beans, blockbuster. Very dry finish, just tannins and herbs. 86-93

  • 93p
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Information

Origin

St-Estèphe, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Extraordinary

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

None

Inside Information

Still a bit shy, this pleasantly fresh vintage gets rounder, as the powerful fragrance steps back to let a vivid fruit appear. Black fruits on the nose, sleek tasting on the palate, tannic structure of a high density while retaining a fine-grain, make an opulent wine full of extravagance.
At the same time powerful and velvety, generous and fresh, it is a wine that does not leave people indifferent, a great and unique Cos d’Estournel. Extraordinary simply.

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