External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 11/13/2021 & rated 89 points: Top shoulder fill, excellent ruby color with no signs of bricking. I coravin'ed a glass earlier in the week, and had about an hour to contemplate it. We finished the last of the bottle yesterday evening at a gathering with friends, when it followed a very fine '88 Montrose (thanks Mike!) and '05 Allemand Reynard, so between palate fatigue and slight inebriation, I trust my impressions from early in the week more. It had a lovely woodsy aroma, with cedar, forest floor and a bit of star anise and Asian spices. A bit shrill in the midpalate, this is no doubt in decline, but it still gives much pleasure to lovers of aged, classic claret. (1687 views) | | | Tasted by MWassenberg on 4/18/2020 & rated 89 points: Did not label as flawed, but wine may have had some TCA. Seemed to improve with time and was still drinkable on initial opening. Fruit was subdued and earthy undertones led the nose. medium tannins still carry the palette. Re tasted a day later and wine seemed to have improved slightly. Still not sure if the bottle was flawed - will need to try anther to be sure (2153 views) | | | Tasted by Mmark on 11/12/2018: Declined even further than previous taster suggested. Hardly giving anything. (3061 views) | | | Tasted by John Tang on 1/21/2017 & rated 89 points: it is a little disappointment within the group after tasting the 1976 Cos with the others: the wine is declining quickly and does not give too much pleasure at the moment. Considering the "power" of Cos this is hard to believe, but it is true: drink your 1976 Cos now, because it can only go down further along the road. As a tip: it is benchmarked with 1976 Ausone which is still such a pleasant wine at the tasting. (5308 views) | | | Tasted by kiichli on 10/9/2016: Not as good as the last one. Cork fell apart into the wine, so I filtered it. Musty and a bit dull, but came around with some air. Just OK, but still fun. (5205 views) | | | Tasted by Gian on 9/29/2016 & rated 93 points: garnet color , nose of asian spices , delicate. On the palate still performing , round and balanced , medium long finish. 40 years but you can't believe, only Bordeaux can live so long (4117 views) | | | Tasted by kiichli on 6/22/2016: I made an unholy mess of the cork, which was damp and crumbly. Still, I avoided it falling into the wine.
The first small taste showed only old wine, and too warm.
Five minutes in a cold collar and then a decant helped. Light, but deep bricking. Old wine and floral scents on the nose, with a touch of old leather and pencil.
On the palate a hint of fruit, but mostly plum and a bit of raisin. Still some acid to help.
On the downward curve, but it got better after an hour, and was a delicious dinner companion. (4166 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 3/22/2016 & rated 91 points: A few good men, many great wines (My place, CT): One of the better showings I've had from a '76 lately. Quite a few have been tired, but this bottle was still very fresh with lots of dark berries and blackcurrant flavours, cedar, graphite, some old wood and dried tobacco leaf notes, fully mature but not in any way tired. (2842 views) | | | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 3/22/2016 & rated 90 points: Wines that didn't suck (Vernon, CT): Great fill, good cork, and very nice ruby color. The fruit is in the background, ceding to woody, tobacco notes. Bit of old-wine sourness portends the downswing. Initially - good. Perhaps 88 points.
After two hours of air - builds some richness that really improves the wine. (2556 views) | | | Tasted by mdefreitas on 3/22/2016 & rated 91 points: Varied and eclectic wines at Salil's (Vernon, CT): A nice aged Bordeaux with all the classic notes you would expect: dried currants, cedar, cigar box and earth. Soft and velvety on the palate but a bit more flesh would have bumped this into another level. (4284 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 3/19/2015 & rated 89 points: Fully developed, there's some dusty red fruit at the core, but it's really all about the tertiary earthy, tobacco, and other savoury developed notes here. It's quite compelling to sit down with and follow for an hour or so, but after more air starts to fade into that more generic, tired old red wine territory. (2923 views) | | | Tasted by WMWG on 3/19/2015: Sweet dark cherry fruit on the nose and palate, backed up by secondary notes of old leather, earth, and cigar box. Fruit is still in good shape though at full maturity and becoming a bit tired, particularly after about an hour. Good body, tannins are fully resolved and the finish is medium-plus or more.
Good to Very Good – Drink Now (2735 views) | | | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 3/19/2015: Bit of funk initially blew off with 30-60 minutes of air. Pretty fruit of sweet cherry, with tobacco and savory notes. Began to fall apart after about two hours. A pretty Bordeaux that is definitely on the downswing. Drink now or a while ago. (3068 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 12/20/2014 & rated 94 points: Lead pencil and rubber; smooth blackberry; textured and jammy; long sweet finish. (2782 views) | | | Tasted by CellarBord on 12/19/2014: Wines from the 70's: 1975 Prieure-Lichine, 1976 Cos d'Estournel, 1978 Ducru-Beaucaillou & 1979 Leoville Las Cases.
My wine of the night. Drinking wines as old as this is a completely different experience. Earth, leather with great complexity. The fruit is no longer the backbone of the wine. The bouquet is very different from a young to middle age Bordeaux. The bouquet impressed me. The food preparation needs to be adjusted to fit with older wines. This wine went well with Roast Squab Breast and Duck Confit with Foie Gras Toast. I hope to try this wine again. Thank you Paul for the introduction! (2611 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/24/2014 & rated 91 points: Earth, cedar and leather nose; lean with light fruit; needs about an hour; had some moments of soft textured sweet licorice and silky tannins with smokiness. (1847 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 10/13/2014 & rated 91 points: Light ashy nose with earthy cedar; herbaceous with light and sweet blackberry-mocha; mature tannins and balanced; nice texture; somewhat sour and tannic on finish; better palate than nose; much more than expected from the vintage. (2038 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 9/2/2014 & rated 92 points: Impromptu gathering - Cos, Velvet Glove, SQN, Alban, Larkmead and etc. (Charlie Palmer - Washington DC): Pleasant surprise, expressive sweet ripe black fruit driven nose, cassis, cedar, mineral, a hint of ash. Soft and round, fully integrated tannins, a bit of lead pencil/dust and medium finish. The nose remains expressive but the palate is a bit flabby. 94 point nose and 90 point palate. I kinda of like this wine, a classic claret although a bit ripe. (3017 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 3/18/2014 & rated 90 points: Slightly dull nose, fruit quite tired, round and mature with a bit of a tannic bite towards the finish and a lovely end note that is quite intriguing and interesting. Drink up. (2544 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 3/18/2014 & rated 91 points: Five Decades of Cos D'Estournel with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): The hot 1976 vintage still is churning good wine experiences. Similar to the Pichon Lalande this was pretty solid wine. Granted its better days were behind it still it was alive, with decent fruit and a lovely balance across. Decent fruit, nice open nose. Once more good surprise from 1976 (3421 views) | | | Tasted by markellen.foodies@gmail.com on 1/28/2014 & rated 89 points: Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis) and lead pencil. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes short. Alvaros wine. Past its prime. (3136 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 1/5/2013 & rated 89 points: Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Earthy with some good, remaining ripe black fruit. Still good tannins, not much acidity. Moderate spice. finesse and length. (4677 views) | | | Tasted by mplsbruin on 12/31/2012 & rated 90 points: 12/31/2012
Massive Cos D’Estournel Blind Tasting
73, 76, 78, 89, 96, 2000, 2002, 2003
Notes: "good color, medium fruit, some tannin, very nice" (1124 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 4/27/1993 & rated 90 points: Christie's Pre-Sale Tasting (Amsterdam): A lovely and lively wine. (4686 views) | | | Tasted by cos65 on 6/3/1992: brick red mature claret
**** (3537 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Fairest of Them All: Cos d’Estournel 1928 – 2015 (Oct 2018) (10/1/2018)
(Cos D'estournel Cos D'estournel Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Cos d'Estournel Producer website – Read more about Chateau Cos d’EstournelRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Estèphe Read more about St. Estephe and its wines Whereas the first activity recorded in Saint-Estèphe goes back as far as the Middle Bronze Age, the first vines date from the Roman Occupation. But it was the Bordeaux merchants who by aging and selling Saint-Estèphe wines themselves were largely responsible for this appellation's fame. And in the nineteenth century, noted for its prosperity, the great estates of today were created. The movement continues today with the merging of small estates.
A land of great wines, Saint-Estèphe is situated almost in the centre of the Médoc, close to the Gironde Estuary. The appellation is equidistant from Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave.
The beds of soil are characterized by their remarkable diversity, the result of their undulating relief and excellent drainage. Quartz and well-rounded pebbles mingled with light, sandy surface soil are found everywhere, giving the wines a distinctive finesse. And the subsoil is made up of the famous Saint-Estèphe limestone, which outcrops on the west of the commune.
Tasting
Thanks to ideal conditions of climate and geology, Saint-Estèphe wines are characterized by their sturdy qualities and robust constitution. Accordingly, they can be laid down for a very long time while yet preserving their youth and freshness. Distinguished by a subsoil which is more clayey than that in the other communal appellations which lie by the river, the wine here attains a distinctive individuality : a very rich tannic structure, a fine deep red colour and an exceptional backbone with aromas of great finesse.
Production conditions (Decree dated September 11, 1936):
In order to have the right to the Saint-Estèphe appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Saint-Estèphe, "excluding any parcels in that area which are situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
|
