Community Tasting Notes 168

• johnnyrichardson Likes this wine: 91 points

  March 30, 2024 - Pristine cork, not much sediment, 90 minute decant to wake it up. Better at 30 years than it was at 25, some mint and cedar on nose, medium length, softened tannins, good balance with remaining fruit. 13% ABV, old-school St Estephe which doesn't have to scream and shout for attention. Good drinking now, will certainly keep if needed.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• mojotojo Likes this wine: 93 points

  January 6, 2024 - Very nice, fully mature Bordeaux from Cos d'Estournel. Silky smooth and deep purple with little browning at the edges, this wine has aged very gracefully. Brimming with blackberry, mocha, Asian 5-spice and notes of tobacco, lead pencil, and leather reminiscent of my old Luis Aparicio baseball glove (I miss that glove). The tannins are fully integrated and velvety. The finish goes on for a minute or more. Fully mature, I'd pull the cork if you have any in your cellar.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• honest bob wrote: 87 points

  December 25, 2023 - From 75cl, fill into neck. Perfect cork, stained 1mm back from wine end. Opened but not decanted 2 hours, did not budge all evening. Thick dark colour. Closed and inexpressive from nose to tail, the high proportion of Merlot shows in the lack of signature blackcurrant aroma. This doesn’t taste anywhere near good enough for Cos. Medium-bodied, sullen, entry; joyless mealy-textured unyielding palate—this is uninspiring, especially in direct comparison to the fine 1991(!) tasted directly before. Interesting to revisit a good decade after my previous TNs (07.04.2012, 09.01.2011 and 14.05.2010), which remind me it was a lot more fun back then. Glad to have consumed all my own bottles. 87P(?)

  Comment

• portman63 Likes this wine: 90 points

  August 23, 2023 - A better experience than I have had before with this wine. Still kinda lean on the fruit, but some blackberries and black currants coming through. Lots of lead pencil and minerals more prominent. Tannins completely resolved which helped pairing it with lightly sautéed wagyu slices with an earthy mushroom sauce. It didn't come across as well on it's own as with the food. It's decent, but I think the merlot-dominated wines on the right bank have performed much better than the Cab-dominated wines. It seems to me the further north and west one goes, the leaner they are even from top chateau like COS. Drink 'em if you got 'em, IMHO.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• GrapeScott wrote: 93 points

  April 15, 2023 - 1994 blind (Mike and Anne's house): Wine #1, served double blind. I purchased 3 bottles shortly after release when I was just beginning graduate school, and paid less than $35/bottle, which at the time was about a week's worth of my food budget. This was my last remaining bottle, which had rested untouched in my parents' underground cellar for about 25 years until I brought it back to NC a few months ago. This is drinking incredibly well right now, with cassis, forest floor, cedar, cigar box on a slightly rustic frame. The fierce tannins of the vintage have melted away, and this is almost certainly drinking at its apex. As much as I have liked the '95 Cos, this may be even better.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 4

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1994
• Type Red
• Producer Château Cos d'Estournel
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Bordeaux
• SubRegion Médoc
• Appellation St. Estèphe
• UPC Codes 000004209652, 086454010123, 087000353176, 7010237138011

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 1 (0%)
• In Cellars 1,488 (55%)
• Consumed 1,202 (45%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine