1981 Château Cos d'Estournel

Community Tasting Notes (51) Avg Score: 89.6 points

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  3/30/2024 - dbkitc wrote: 88 Points

  An old bird that’s just hanging in there. Slightly musty aroma with berry fruit, clay and earth. Palate is a bit cleaner than the nose. An old bird (like the drinker) and I kind of enjoy it. (88)

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  5/21/2023 - Tubulus wrote:

  Shockingly good bottle of what shouldn't be a particularly great wine. Pours a nice medium ruby color, saturated to the edge of the glass, from the visual no indication that this is a 40+ year old wine. There is still some structure and fruit along with mature notes of cedar and leather, which come to the fore after a few hours open. Frankly this is showing better than an 82 I had a few months ago.

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  8/31/2021 - DrZett wrote: 89 Points

  The color is medium ruby with some tawny notes. In the nose interesting notes of ripe cherries, dried fig, dry leather and some horse stable. On the palate a nice mixture between ripe fruit notes and beautiful tertiary notes - some interesting green bell pepper too. Medium (+) bodied with a medium acidity. Silky tannins, fully integrated. Nice structure and a medium complexity. Not perfectly balanced but somehow it all fits together. Nice medium long finish.
  For a 1981 vintage this was drinking surprisingly good but it definitely won’t get better so drink up soon if you have a bottle left. (IG)

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  7/10/2021 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points

  shared with pat at selkirk manor. i continue to prune the cellar of bottles with past due drink by dates. have been holding on to this bottle for sentimental reasons in memory of our visit to the chateau during our honeymoon. also, lack of tasting notes from others caused me to overlook this bottle. should have let reason rule instead of emotion and followed advice to myself based on my tasting of 10/13/2018. especially since this is a half bottle. the wine has continued a lamentable but graceful decline such that tempting fate any longer is completely irrational. color fading. a slight hint of oxidation though not enough to ruin the tasting experience. lingering hints of cos on the nose. fruit modest. no acid or tannin. last pour required sediment to be strained off. will drink remaining bottle on the first day of Fall.

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  10/13/2018 - bacchus wrote: 89 Points

  Shared with pat at Selkirk Manor. i still remember being greeted roadside at the front of the entrance to the chai during our honeymoon visit. I guess that based on this I put logic aside and continued to hold onto this bottle. From 1/2 bottle. the cork on this bottle was in sound condition. this bottle showed slightly better than when last tasted 1/2017. nevertheless, old age continues to make its mark. The wine is still pleasurable but in decline. Modest nose. Mild bottle funk which dissipated after a few minutes. some familiar Cos characteristics on the nose. Missing characteristic earthiness. Some cherry fruit left. No discernible acid or tannin. Doesn't have the structure to go any further. Small amount of sediment in last pour. a remarkable showing from a modest vintage. Nevertheless, no longer makes sense to hang onto bottles for sentimental reasons. Drink up.

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