Ikke dekantert. Et valg. Førte glass litt motvillig. Åpner seg nedover I flasken. Ikke eventyr, men meget pen. Og gøy. Energi. Retning. Gleder meg Til neste. Om et år!
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Dense, rich, and powerful. Huge structure, with tannins that are very smooth. Black and red fruit with a long finish. Still peaking with plenty of time to continue developing, but glad I had it at this point in its evolution. This is the best wine I’ve had thus far for 2024.
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Decanted for 3 hours. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about this wine (as I have quite a few bottles of it). I had my last bottle about 7 years ago and it was really (as some critics say) very "Californian". Don't get me wrong, nothing against wines from there (I like that too), but when I open a Bordeaux, I would also like to drink Bordeaux. In any case, the wine surprised me in a positive way. This time it was quickly clear that it was a Bordeaux. The wine has developed well, is still young and, in my opinion, still has the potential to develop (even) better. 94-95 pts. at the moment.
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Hedonistic is this wine's nature. Full-bodied, concentrated, lush, opulent, deep, fleshy, long, and intense, the wine is packed and stacked with non-stop waves of ripe, black, blue, and red fruits that fill and coat your palate. There is intensity, depth of flavor, length, purity, and richness. Still youthful, this is going to age better than most 2003s. Perhaps this is not a style for everyone, but I loved it! Drink from 2024-2040.
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Menthol, cherries, dried herbs, cola, and vanilla with a mineral background. The wine gives a sense of being very clean. Secondary characteristics just starting to emerge. Enjoyed with braised lamb chops. Consensus at my house 94 points (93 and 94).
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Absolutely stunning and drinking perfectly right now. So well balanced and integrated. This ranks with my favorite all time left bank Bordeaux of any vintage. I imagine it will age well but so good right now why wait?
Just gorgeous. 2 hr decant.
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I have been looking very much forward to trying this immensely controversial wine, seemed like a representation of the Parker era at its peak. Critics fault it for being Napa-esque, and the fans hail its concentration.
Wow, what a nose! So much going on, great energy and no sur maturé in sight, this spoke clearly of Bordeaux. Actually one of those noses that is impossible to describe due to its complexity.
The palate, for me at least, had some issues. There was a disturbing bitter note which kept me from enjoying that incredibly lush mouthfeel and waves of cherry and blackberry. Towards the finish, that bitter note grew with slightly coarse tannins.
Not a crazy amount of oak, just slightly too much for me tonight.
Not at all as controversial as I had anticipated, a glorious nose followed by a slightly too oaky palate, but still very recognizable as Bordeaux.
97 points nose, palate somewhere around 90
= 93/94
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Cellared. First bottle I’ve opened from the stash. Absolutely was absolutely what I was hoping for from this bottle. Dark, black, inky purple/maroon to the eye. Modest legs on the glass. On the nose, blackberries, blackcurrants, tobacco, forest floor, green pepper. On the palate, an assault of perfectly ripe fruit and acid. Tannins are superfine, and alcohol hardly perceptible. Drinking beautifully already. This is sooooo much better than the 2009 Pontet Canet that we opened for the first time a few days ago. I look forward to continuing to sample the stash over the coming decades.
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Første glass forførende, så dekantert i 3 timer, ikke like gøy, noe høy syre, ordinær standard bordeaux, What? Dag 2 meget bedre etter vakum i kjøleskap. Ikke stor, men meget pen.
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Unlike others in our round of the Cos d'Estournel vertical tasting (1985-2009), I was not really impressed by the 2009 vintage. A year in which every winemaker was able to "fabricate" its century wine this was far away to become an outstanding flagship of this Chateau. Dull compared to its older sibling from '96 or '03, is less balanced, tannins and acidity still looking for a common date to go to their prom, but questionable if both will dance together. I personally ask myself if both parties will have a life-long endeavor to find a common beat for their prom-dance. The wine also did not improve in the course of the evening which I see as a strange sign. Definitely not worth the money at this stage. I rather suggest to look at the 2003 or the 1996 vintages. PnP.
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Wow, how can this wine still be so young and powerful after 14 years? It's like it was bottled just yesterday. We didn't decant it, but we did open it up two hours in advance! It's a masterpiece. On the nose, the red fruit is boldly present with a kind of glue (thanks to the alcohol) that holds it all together, creating an explosion of fruity aromas in your nostrils – strong and rarely experienced! The color is intensely dark and compact as well.
In the mouth, the wine has a certain richness that perfectly mirrors the nose, once again intense and sultry with plenty of structure. It lingers for an incredibly long time, and there's nothing off-putting about it. It fades away just as it began. This must be the best vintage they've produced so far. Over the last 10 years, it has continued to evolve fantastically and is becoming the star of Bordeaux in the wine world. Absolutely divine!
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Still deeply colored, the nose exudes black fruits, spice, licorice, smoke, Asian spice and black cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich, deep, long, voluptuous and showy. It’s also perfectly poised between its power and elegant nature. Youthful, but continuing to drop its baby fat, while morphing into a stellar tasting experience. Drink from 2023-2045.
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I poured a Coravin of this a month ago and drinking the rest now after decanting (a lot of fine sediment). Wow, a magnificent wine with so much finesse. Deep purple in color, the wine had pronounced notes of dark berries with hints of smoke. On the palate this full bodied wine displayed blackberries, plum, chocolate, licorice with hints of spice and smokey notes. The acid, fruit and polished tannins were all in perfect balance with a long finish. One for the ages and it easily can last years longer but why wait?
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So dark that the iPhone flashlight couldn’t shine through the wine; it’s midnight black, but shows a bit of cloudy crimson amidst the darkness. Graphite, dark blackberries, raspberries, and cocoa powder on the nose. Thick, unctuous texture, with a bit of tar, blackberry seeds, smoke, and cedar. Nuanced and delicious with a very long life ahead of it (unlike many of the 2009’s in my opinion, which have another decade of prime drinking). Pleasantly bitter chocolate berry finish that goes on forever. I would wait a decade or so before trying this again.
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3 hours decant. Licorice and dark fruit on the palate, tobacco and soil on the finish. Tannins fairly prominent, coating the teeth. Supremely composed and collected. Powerful with finesse. Dense with dark fruit and dark undergrowth. Lots of different expressions.
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Wow, I don't drink much Bordeaux any more, so when a dinner guest brought this over last night, I rushed for the corkscrew. After a 45 min decant, the nose was fabulous: sinewy, creamy, with rich notes of tar, cassis and cedar. On the palate, it's big as an ocean, and almost as salty too, with the fulsome black fruit infused with rich seaweed umami. The tannins seem already quite nicely resolved into the wine, so there isn't what British drinkers like to call a "grippy finish". Still, this wine has a looooong way to go.
PS: There were quite a few of us around the table, so we each only had a glass. And yet, I woke up later, in the middle of the night, feeling parched and thirsty. I then spent much of the next day nursing a mild headache. This never happens with pinot noir, no matter how much I drink. Or perhaps that's why pinot is pretty much all I drink, these days. Still, a great Cos, let's check in again in 2050
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I’ve never been a fan of this wine, going back to release, and nothing has changed. The first whiff is raisins and a ton of wood & heat. The amount of oak confounds me, and I’m not particularly sensitive to oak. The flavor profile is moderately better with a nice dark chocolate bite, and the fruit is fresher rather than raisiny, but alcohol owns the finish. I’m confused what they were trying to accomplish
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Good fruit and great structure, well integrated. Not as big as expected. Already drinking well if you don't mind a lively grip. Long, hints of complexity. Now through 30 + years.
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1 oz pour from coravin. Meaty. Sweet BBQ sauce on the nose. Almost like pulled pork. Nose quite closed still. Tannins high. Very drying. Gonna be good, but still not ready. Don't pop those corks yet, people.
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At a wine tasting. Intense, focused, concentrated. Nothing in excess. On a mission of purity wrapped in silky tannins with this oh-so Bordeaux dark chocolate semi-bitterness. Spectacular
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Pronounced nose intensity with notes of smoke, pencil lead, vanilla, cassis, toast. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is polished and rounded. Nose is a little closed but the palate is perfect.
This wine is outstanding now, and is likely to continue improving in the coming years. The bouquet has aromas of plum and strawberries. The wine has a dark purple color. The finish is long. After about 30 minutes of decanting, it really opened up. There is a fair amount of sediment in the bottle, so having a filter on hand would be good.
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My first ever Cos d'Estournel, and what a start.. 💯 pointer 2009 vintage.
Remains tight despite the 1.5 hour decant, syrupy cassis and ripe plum notes, complexity not yet apparent this young.
Will easily hit 4 stars by 2024, and the sky is the limit by 2030 and beyond! Doubt my bro TC will have any of his 2009 en primeur bottles left by then 😃 Thanks for graciously sharing and hand-carrying this all the way from HK. Bold and perfect paired with the 1.6 kg Wagyu Tomahawk 🐄
Karaoke at Enoteca with the lads, TC, AK and ET.. Malaysia - Jun 2022
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Beautiful, complex and expressive bouquet with tea, coffee, barnyard and celery in the bouquet. On the palate very full bodied with chocolate, red and dark berries, tobacco, a lot of sweetness and tertiary impressions like celery. A beautiful wine, but the tertiary impressions disturb me. I hope this is an off bottle. No score.
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When I bought this on release I was immediately disappointed in the early comparisons with other 09s….I found it massive and contrived. I haven’t had this in years and wanted to check in. Unfortunately it still drinks as a burly, rustic wine lacking any kind of finesse. I hope one day in the distant future it’s character changes but I think it is what it is
The best wine in a mini vertical that comprises of the 2003 2005 and 2009 Cos. The 2003 has a pretty bouquet, leathery, relatively lean on the body, some development and has just entered its drinking window. 2005 was sleepy and made for the long haul. Should be laid down for another 5 years at least. The 2009 is marvellous and the hands down winner. Voluptuous, full of fruits and in complete balance. Drinking well now with primary, secondary and just a smidgen of tertiary flavours, with tremendous potential for aging as she inches nearer and nearer towards perfection.
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Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of deep ruby colour, with fading rim and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blackcurrant and blackberry, red fruit of dark plum, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of chocolate, mineral notes of earth, pungent spice of black pepper, maturity notes of tobacco. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture, medium (+) alcohol and full body, with medium (+) intensity flavours of black fruit of blackcurrant and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of chocolate, animal notes of leather. The wine has a long finish. Conclusion: Excellent quality St-Estephe with very good intensity on the nose showing very good complexity, with elegant black fruit and oak, rich chocolate and black pepper, and some tobacco maturity aromas. On the palate the wine has great finesse, well-balanced and structured, with ripe and well-integrated tannin, very good concentration in flavours and a long finish. It is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.
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Parker hailed this as “one of the best young wines he’s ever tasted.” Other Parker somms agreed and repeated his 100pt ratings over a decade of tasting. So I had to try one of the four in my cellar. My experience: after a one hour decant at a fine restaurant w friends and another hour or so in the glass, the 2009 Cos is a locked door, impenetrable and massive. Don’t touch it for several years, if not decades. Spice, tannin and reticent fruit spin a tight web of closure around Pratts’ big baby.
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Deep garnet color with some rim variation. Blackberry, plum, red current, spicy herbs. Big, bold, massive, full body, gorgeous integrated tannin, lovely oak nuiance, very long finish. I love it.
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Nose: Complex, layered, dark fruit, smoky and leathery. Palate: Smooth and silky from the tip of the tongue to the long, lingering finish. Delicious complex balance of mineral, dark fruit, Worth every penny! One of the best wines of our lifetime! Food pairing: Spaghetti snd marinara. PERFECTION!
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This wine is starting to drink amazingly well and everything is coming together. It has mellowed over the last years and has emerged from its closed stage. Looking forward to the continued evolution and believe it will deliver 100 points experience a few years from now!
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Lots of dark berries, herbs and licorice. Very tight - even after 2 hours in the decanter. This has good potential but is in a difficult closed phase, better let your bottles rest for another 6-8 years. There are so many great 2009 Bordeaux which are actually really enjoyable in the moment, but this jut needs more time. Just 92 for now - but potential (94+).
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Opened to breathe for 4h and decanted for Garth’s bday dinner with grilled strip steaks. Gorgeous nose of minerals, cedar perfume. Lost of black fruit, lush and opulent on the palate. Gorgeous wine, my WOTN! 94/95
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It’s a mess.. with potential. Burly, Broad shouldered and brambly. I bet this was great fun in 2013, where it probably got its high points, but now, despite a 3 hour double decant, in awkward transition. Neither charming nor poetic, this is a street fighter looking for a fight. Quite un-Cos. Will hold on to my others hoping for a transformation in 5-10, which is quite on the cards.
The aroma of this wine is spectacular! Intense dark fruit with a background of roses fill the nose. You just want to sit and smell this for a while. Intense dark fruit like black currants layered with rose hips, tea, spice, leather and smoke. The intensity grows on the mid-palate ending with a long lingering finish. Velvety and tannins are in check. With more years, the rating could easily go up.
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I’ve owned this since release and check in occasionally to see how it’s doing, and while it’s fine i have to confess i don’t get the excitement. It benefits from the great vintage - deep fruited - but it’s burly and a bit ponderous. Heavy-handed wine making here.
2009, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Kräftiges Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. In der Nase nobel, tief und komplex, zeigt erst Bruchteile von dem was kommen kann, dunkle Beeren, Kirschen, Kräuter, Tabak, Schwarztee, eine kleine Droge. Im Auftakt gradlinig und sehr konzentriert, ein Mund voll Wein, mit vollem Körper, einer ausgesprochen guten Struktur und Massen an feinsten Tanninen, die Säure ist perfekt eingebunden, keinerlei Holzdominanz. Da bahnt sich etwas ganz Grosses an… Muss noch eine Dekade reifen, wird dann zu den besten Cos d’Estournel gehören. 2027-2040+, 19.5 vvPunkte (97/100). vvWine.ch
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Tasted in Paris Le Grand Tasting masterclass, I don't think the bottle was faulty as it was checked before serving. Like someone here said, it's a mess. Very ripen and almost huge nose, seductive but a bit too much. The palate is quite unbalanced; the upper layer is a rather sweet red fruit, but not a clean kind of fruit. It reminds you a glass of juice left under the sun hence too warm to drink. The base is a thick layer of unsettled tannin. The two layers had no intention to merge with each other which made it quite difficult to swallow. I left more than half of my glass unfinished. I am not experienced enough to predict how it will evolve but the ripen feeling and the lack of freshness made me doubt about its future. Who knows, let's hope.
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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.
Tasted after a barrel sample of 2018. On the nose a little restrained still. Layered and dense - dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, floral and earthy notes, liquorice. On the palate super ripe, a little low in terms of acidity, but well balanced overall. Polished tannins, very glossy and super long. Lacks a bit of elegance and refinement and, especially next to the vibrant 2018, seems to be from a different era really. Drink or (better) keep. 94-96
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Berry Brothers 2018 Bordeaux en primeur (plus back vintages) (Lindley Hall, London): This was (deliberately?) served quite cold and was by far the coldest sample at the tasting. This made it a bit difficult and certainly wasn't the controversial monster I was expecting. Nose of poeny, lilac, ripe fruit with big but round tannins. I can see how this is more 09 than St Estephe and one could mistake it even for a right bank. Best Cos ever? Probably not. A bad wine? Definitely not.
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2009 Bordeaux 10 years in the bottle 2-day horizontal; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019 (Fribourg): Part of a grand Bordeaux 2009 tasting spanning 2 days that revealed 1) a right bank struggling with overripe fruit and overwhelming tannins, 2) wide spreak between top performers and laggards, 3) left bank, and especially Margaux, outshone the right bank cousins, 4) Top wines: Palmer, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan.
Tasting note: Darkish fruit, intense and slightly liquoresque. A bit of savoury, maybe even brett, fresh herbs. Full bodied and tannic. Unfortunately coulnd‘t quite keep up with the palate.
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Bordeaux 2009 - 10 Years On - 47 Reds; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019: 2009 Bordeaux after 10 years. 48 red wines. The left bank (average rating 94.2) clearly trumps the right bank (92.6): Elegance, purity and freshness vs over-extraction, ripeness and oxidation. But there are some winners on the right bank (Cheval, Petrus, Hosanna for now, Lafleur, Trotanoy medium-term) but the highest scores were given to left bank wines (Margaux #1 overall, Palmer, Mouton, for now, Latour, St. Juliens medium-term). I guess purists will not like the loads of oak-derived aromas which in some wines are great but can make the wines a bit slutty (Cheval, Margaux, quite a lot of right banks). But there are plenty of more classically shaped wines too. Overall, the 2009s are a lot of fun with many pockets of greatness but I would be very selective on the right bank. If you like more elegant, subtle and classic wines I would focus on 2005/2010/2016. All wines tasted blind and without decanting.
TN: I liked the red fruit and spice character which is quite unique and made this standout among the other left banks. In addition, herbal notes and a sexy nuttiness. Highlight probably the very long and spicy finish. Good structure, less austere than Montrose but a bit too alcoholic for my taste. As one of the very rare left banks it showed its alcohol a bit (vs right bank wines where this was a problem in a lot of wines). Overall good but I doubt it will reach greatness (and the I can’t imagine how it could ever get to the perfect score from Parker).
Average blind score 4 tasters: 94.3 Rank: 26th out of 48 wines
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Ten-year check up and this is more or less indistinguishable from barrel tasting. Dark and tight. After 90-minute decant the nose still doesn’t want to give anything up, just dark and brooding. Some sweeter chocolatey notes, but still a lot of glycerin. Black currant and intense. Palate is similarly dark and brooding, although it is pleasantly balanced, not as long as you might hope. Lower acid. I can’t see this budging for another ten years... All fruit and wood right now with no signs of earth. Definitely a technically strong wine, even though it admittedly ticks all the Parkerized modernity boxes, just a little frustrating that it is going to take so long to see any expression or earth influence here. I am a bad judge of young wine, or in this case wine that is showing as more or less brand new, so it’s hard to say, but I’m not sure I see this breaking 94 at any stage. This is what I expected tonight. See you in 2029...
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This is a magnificent wine. Deep purple color. Aromas of cherries, brick and cassis. Perfectly balanced on the palate, with smooth and supple tannins and flavors of plums, cherries, earth and spice. I decanted this bottle for 2 hours, then enjoyed it over the rest of the evening. What a great way to cap off 2018!
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Tasted November 2015, with me thinking that the note was lost - I am glad that I emailed myself...
Decanted for two hours. This ethereal goddess is perfect in every imaginable way. Massive, yet very refined, the layeredvelvety, yet, silky tannins build with ease, yet do not detour, remaining sweet. The finish is like a glider that does not quit, with each sip remaining quite epic. There are copious nuances, such as cassis, blackberry, Chinese five spice, blueberry liquor, black lava, tile and flowers like freesias and plumeria. The colour is garnet and almost black at the core. Every sector of your palate is appreciating such glorious fruit that exudes all things majestic. This reminds me of a more sublime version of the prodigious ‘03. If one prefers the more diluted, hardened clarets, they would not appreciate this; however, if one prefers the more generous vintages, they would adore this. I seriously cannot find a flaw and this will last many decades. Drink 2022 -.
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This wine opened right up and grew more concentrated over a four hour period. I did not decant because I wanted to experience the full range of flavors and there was no need to settle down the grape. In the third hour the fruit was so concentrated that it was upsetting that I only opened one bottle. I wanted to go back to the beginning. The wine is sexy and elegant with balanced, sweet red and blue fruits. The merlot really came through. Beautiful plum and blueberry flavors. Drinking perfectly right now and a real treat to taste secondary characteristics beginning to come out. There is nothing like a great bottle of maturing French wine. I believe this wine will get better over the next 5 years and I see no reason not to expect it to be a 25-30 year wine. The 10 year mark is beautiful and in 3 years it is at 99 and in 5 years I am certain the wine is a 100 pointer. It is terrific now and do not open with a crowd because you will yearn for more.
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Here is a heavy weight in the wine world, you will not confuse this with old-world wine making. Rich, powerful and affluent. Tannic structure is assertive but certainly not overwhelming. Decanted 3 hours and ate Rosemary and pepper crusted standing rib roast. It was a beautiful match. I would suggest leaving this alone for at least a few more years if your want to enjoy its best performances.
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nose - chocolate mouth - bold, powerful, layers of dark fruits, dry tannins, definitely new world in terms of ripeness if not style. a chewy wine needing no food as an accompaniment. The Patriarch's WOTN - frankly i preferred the '05.
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This is a monumental wine. The surreal texture is off the hook. The wine coats and stains your palate. This is decadence with a backbone. Pure velvet with countless waves of perfectly ripe fruit, that expresses a wonderful purity. Inky, dark in color, this is only getting started. 2 hours in the decanted allowed the blackberry, plum, espresso, smoke, licorice, extremely dark chocolate and earthy notes to appear. Make no mistake, this is all about the incredible levels of density and decadent mouthfeel. Prices have not moved much. In time, my bet is, this will be considered one of the stars of the legendary 2009 vintage!
Tasted the 2009 Cos and Pontet side-by-side. Both incredibly young but fantastic wines. That Cos came across as slightly more powerful and definitely more backward. Would wait at least another five and perhaps ten years before going near it. The Pontet is approaching its drinking window and offered a bit more openness and complexity. Both rated 97 for now - two amazing wines and it will be fun to see how they progress over the next few decades.
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Weekend at Magog; 9/22/2017-9/25/2017 (Magog, Quebec): Very dark purple red color. Drank 2 glasses over 75 minutes. This had about 2hrs slow O. Fairly big presently, cedar and oak up front, over 10 to 15 minutes the fruit shows up with bright cassis, blackberry, and some scorched earth. The palate is dense and layered with ripe dark fruits, graphite, tar and oak. I didn't sense any heat here. Pleasant enough for it's youth, but nowhere near ready. Needs 10 years.
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A massive, heavy Bordeaux. Drank after 2 hours' bottle breathing. Thick, dark. The cork bottom is almost black, and a lump of black sediment was on the surface. Some dark berries, sweet black sugar, prune jam, oak, earth. If you like big and bold reds, you will like this a lot.
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Beautiful, elegant wine. Fine tannins and flavors of spice and maybe some chocolate. I didn't get much on the nose at all -- decent stemware might have helped. WOTN at our recent event, but even at that probably would have shown much better with a decant and better glasses.
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Sourced from London. Ripe and full bodied. Cherries and blackcurrant. Earth and roses. Cafe au lait. Loads of pleasant tannins. Riedel bordeaux glasses. Drunk at 14-16 degrees C. Best 45 minutes after pour.
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66x Parker 100-Pointers from Bordeaux 1947-2010 tasted blind (Switzerland): Tasted blind. Dark purple. Expressive and complex nose of dark fruit, forest floor, berries pine, deep and complex. Really Medoc. Full bodied, soft mouth feel, yet enough freshness. Very long finish. Wonderful. PS: I was pleasantly surprised to see that this wine turned out to be the 2009 Cos. I had this wine several times and it always had issues with lots of alcoholic heat, over-ripeness, never really pleasant and balanced. This is the first bottle that shows impeccable with all in check. So there may be bottle variations of this wine, not atypical when maturity is pushed to the limit. BTW, for Cos lovers, look out for the 2010 Cos which is really amazing, more classic, more consistent in bottle and cheaper. Group score: 18.31, group rank: 25/64
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Cos d'Estournel vertical - Check in on some recent vintages; 8/1/2016-9/3/2016: I first tasted this wine during the 2009 arrivage and then again a few times either in 09 horizontals or Matchplays against Montrose. I am not impressed at all by this wine. It is far to hot and "cooked" for me with lots of alcoholic heat. Cos has more Merlot than Montrose in its blend, so the hot 2009 did not really play into their hand as much, rather 2010 did (see my note there). Right next to the 09 Montrose it smells like a Provence wine. I am not a "religious" against fruit forward Bordeaux. As a matter of fact, when you drink Bordeaux from the 80/90ies you often wish for more fruit, but this has gone way overboard. The more extracted the wine, the less aromatic complexity and freshness, that is what is happening here. RP gave it 100 and says this is the best Cos ever. Nay! The best Cos bu a mile is the 2010. If you have the 09, buy the 2010 and put it next to it in a few years and you will clearly see it. If you don't have that kind of cash, buy the 2008 and 2012 are both are 100-200 USD less and fantastic offerings with high freshness and drinkability.
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15 Vintages of Cos d'Estournel (Ripple - Washington, DC): A rich, brooding nose of black currants, even some blueberry, along with roasted almond and scorched earth. Full, rich, opulent, densely tannic and chewy on the palate. Chewy blackberry and dark currant, the rich fruit is matched with complex elements of coffee, earth, gravel, exotic spice, incense, leather. Chewy but velvety, smoky but nuanced, teeth-staining but exciting. Needs so much time in the cellar, but it's interesting to taste this beast so young.
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Cos d'Estournel Vertical with Aymeric de Gironde (Ripple Restaurant in DC): This is a bit Californian. Extremely ripe/perhaps slightly overripe black fruits, cassis, baked blueberries, fruit cake and milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, very ripe black fruit driven palate impression and long finish with a hint of heat at the end. I can definitely see this and the 03 being controversial. If you like cult cab, I highly recommend this wine. Not for everyone.
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Can't rate this at this young stage. Beautiful inky purple color but just wasn't giving anything up tonight. Very closed down. Will stay away for the next decade
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The wine has dropped most of its baby fat and starting to close up. The color remains opaque, with a thick, rich, dense and intense palate presence that is made even better by the smooth, silky tannins and opulent, plush palate presence. Drink soon, or you might have to wait a decade or longer before popping a cork.
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I liked the wine more this time - the colour is just amazing, inky, dark purple, almost black. Just a touch lighter towards the rim. Nose was a bit muted after pouring, but opened up impressively over 40 minutes in the glass. Layers of dark, sweet fruit, cherries, blackcurrant, dark berries, smoke and pencil shavings. Amazing. Powerful, big, with great grip and firm but well integrated tannins, mouthwatering acidity. Extremely long and persistent. The main reason for my higher rating is how seamless and superbly balanced this wine was showing this time despite the panoply of bold flavours. This will be absolutely amazing with quite a bit more bottle age.
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Shiny ink in color with purple edges, the wine comes alive with only a splash decanting. The perfume explodes with a drawer full of spices, smoke, coffee bean, incense, truffle, blackberry, blue fruit, vanilla, clay, earth and liqueur scents. Intense, the wine is packed and stacked with flavor. Powerful, pure and mouth filling, the wine coats your palate with layers of pure black and blue fruit, licorice, lead pencil and spice. This wine offers a beautiful expression pure fruit, balance, harmony and perfectly ripe tannins. The wine has changed since it was first tasted in barrel. The layers of baby fat have morphed into a beautiful, complicated wine that due to its unique style, can be enjoyed young, yet it has the ability to age and evolve for decades.
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Amazing colour, very dark, blueish, almost black, lively, glowing. Great nose of sweet fruit (cherries, ripe berries) and stone and wood but also savoury notes, smoke, quite amazing. Vibrant acidity, sweet, slightly jammy fruit character, big (massive actually), layers of drying but well integrated and fine tannins, long finish, lingering, wow. Not exactly classic, elegant bordeaux, but well-made, powerful. Should be great with a lot more bottle age, from 2025+?
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Mövenpickwinetasting: the Mövenpickwinecompany also showed on their arrivagetasting of the vintage 2010 two bottles of potentially highclass Bordeauxs of the vintage 2009. This bottle was one......, it left me totally distracted......, back at home I opened some I- net appearences to see how the real wineexperts rated this......., 20/20, 97- 100, 98- 100, .......could not believe what I had to read, for me this is nothing but a winemonster, roasty, overconcentrated, marmeladestyle with far too sweet fruit, o.k. grainy, fresh and fine tannin, but.... I have drunk and also possessed some former vintages of this chateau, normally a very fine with aging balanced and elegant St. Estephe, this sample....... for me unbelievable how the style has changed, and now 14,5%, and the price......., more than 300.- euros, but for what? I cannot jugde this wine and give a score, otherwise.......
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Opaque. Blueberry, mulberry, Wild cherry, cedar nose. On the palate blueberry, cedar and faint idea of raspberry. Superb for 2 hours then it closed down, excellent on Day 2. tannins will require a few years to integrate.
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I was a little torn on whether to rate this based on current drinking experience or what i think it might be in 10-20 years. In the end i rated it on today, but this is a wine that is built to age and hopefully will improve.
Opaque in color, there is black fruit and espresso on the nose but the alcohol and wood are conspicuous. Ink, iodine and dark chocolate combine with grippy tannins to give this a brooding quality reminiscent of many 1986's that weren't ready for prime time for at least a decade. In a vintage as celebrated as 2009 it tastes somewhat experimental
It definitely has a lot of fruit but isn't hedonistic on any level....yet. my fingers are crossed because i have 11 more bottles, i probably won't open another for at least 10 years
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I really don't understand how so many can rate this wine so highly. Very dark, almost black colour. Liquor and chocolate on the nose. Absolutely massive on the palate!!! Very oaky (!), strong, alcoholic and tannic. Some slightly off-putting meat and sausages as well, together with some coffee on the palate. Blind I would either guess that this is a very young vintage port, or possibly some Argentinian malbec from a very heavy bottle. Ok, there is definitely potential for the future, but who knows how it will taste then. Wow, what a strange wine.
Wow! What a luxurious and intense bouquet loaded with fresh cassis and beautiful oak. Same on the palate, still so open and youthful, but also truly great. Licorice, chocolate, beautiful balance between acidity and wonderful and round tannin. Concentrated and a great length. Already so great already, but this will be a sophisticated beauty in 15 – 25+ years from now. So happy to have bought a few and safely tucked away in a friend’s cellar under perfect conditions. 98++ for now
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Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Massive concentration. Polished, slick, sultry, classy, velvety tannines which seem to unfold in the back. Incessant, built for eternity, yet very tight and unforgiving at the moment. Just showing the tip of the iceberg today. Not for current drinking, IMHO. Will probably gain at least 4 points in rating at 10 years from now. My god, what a wine. 18.5/20 for now.
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Appoachable already, this is the most deep and rich Bdx I have ever tried... Think of a cross between 1961 Latour and 1990 Montrose with a dash of coffee bean. An amazing wine that could be easy to drink throughout its long long life, although difficult to know how this will evolve.
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Incredible deep in colour. Powerful nose. Hint of sharpness as the acidity is still to be fully integrated. Licorice on the palate. Too young for me to really tell how this monster will develop
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Goedhius Bordeaux Cru Classe Tasting (Saatchi Gallery): Wow what a nose, you do not need to go near the glass to get the powerful nose of cassis, cherries, plumbs, vanilla and tar. I can see that this will not be too everybody's taste as this really is not classical Bordeaux. Very fruit forward with a rich complex mouth and a very very long length but there is elegance and balance there. The thing is you look around the room and everybody has a grin on their face and so do you. Well done Cos an amazing wine which will be interesting to watch develop and I am sure will provoke lots of debate. 98+
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Bordeaux 2009 vs. 2010 - Check in on 50 well known Chateaux: I tasted this wine during the 2009 arrivage. Having tasted many Cos before I am not impressed by this wine. It is far to hot, oxidative and "cooked" for me. Right next to the 09 Montrose it was more like a Provence wine. I am not a "religious" opponent of fruit forward Bordeaux, as a matter of fact when you taste Bordeaux from the 80ies and early 90ies you do wish for more fruit, but this has gone too far for my taste. The more extracted the wine, the less aromatic complexity and freshness, that is the trade off... A recent retasting of 03 Cos vs. Montrose confirmed this. Try and compare yourself before you follow the lofty points.
Inky in color, the aromas pop from the glass and fill your nose with licorice, incense, crushed stone, cassis, black and blueberries, espresso bean and spice. Offering incredible power and concentration, everything is in perfect balance and harmony. This is so plush, it feels like Jean-Guillaume Prats hand polished the berries one at a time before fermentation. From an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the long, fresh, mouth coating, finish is purity at its best. This is completely seamless. This was my first time tasting the wine in bottle. Having tasted 2009 Cos d'Estournel multiple times in barrel, it's nice to see how the wine has evolved. The biggest difference is, the wine has exchanged some of its youthful exuberance for refinement and elegance.
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2009 Cos d’Estournel is black ink with purple accents. The wine smells like a basket of fresh picked blackberries and blueberries with the added aromas of ground spice, coffee, incense, smoke, licorice, and black raspberry liqueur. This powerful wine coats every inch, nook, and cranny of your tongue, cheeks, gums, and palate with pure essences of black and blue fruit complemented by chocolate and kirsch. The seamless finish lasts over 60 seconds. I tasted this wine 3 times with similar results. 99/100 Pts
. Jean-Guillaume Prats explained the role of the new cellars in producing the wine, “Gravity cellars allow for a complete non intervention in making the wine. This allows for the purest possible expression of the fruit grown in the gravelly rock terroir. The wine is always moved by gravity, thus never touched by human hands.” The wine is expensive. For most people, paying $300 for 2009 Cos D’Estournel is out of the question --- a perfectly reasonable point of view. Having finished tasting every major property and a plethora of smaller estates in the Medoc, if you are not planning to buy Latour, Margaux, or Haut Brion in this vintage, if you desire to own what will be a reference point wine from 2009, this is the wine to buy.
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at Cos d'Estournel. Huge wine, huge nose - seems more Rhone like then Bordeaux. Too much going on to comment as yet. This will be a huge wine once it settles down. Not necessarily a 100pointer in the long term as yet from this point. Interestingly the Pagodes is quite enjoyable too(94)!
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Farr Christmas Tasting 2010: This monster is packed & stacked. Light nose raises the eyebrows, then the first sip lands the boxing glove right between them. When you pick yourself up of the floor & dust yourself down you look for words to scribble down. Cool. Velvet. Brooding. Deep. But fresh. How?! Not rated because I have no idea, but surely this will be a fantastic wine long after I'm dead.
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Tasted this wine at the chateau in May when the MWs visited. Bordeaux it is not - too alcoholic, too dulled by fruit concentration and just too much for a wine from here. As to whether - in time - it will turn into something enjoyable - that's a different question, although I suspect that the 14.5% alcohol will always be dominant. At the price, its not a wine I would buy to drink, although I suspect that for a wine investor it might be worth a punt.
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The color of midnight black ink with deep, purple accents. The wine slides down your glass leaving purple tear streaks, that never seem to fade. Incense, spice, fresh blackberry, cassis, hints of blue fruit, coupled with minerals and smoke. Massive waves of velvet textured, perfectly ripe black and blue fruit melt all over your mouth, coating your palate with decadent richness. There is purity, opulence and flamboyance in every sip, backed up with freshness in this potentially flawless Bordeaux wine. There was no sensation of heat and everything was in perfect harmonious balance. The long, almost :60 finish is seamless. The sample remained in my glass for almost 5 hours without any sign of fading. 2009 COS is better than 2003, which it better than 2005. This wine perfectly combines sensuous, hedonistic qualities with intellectual stimulation. This might not be a wine for Burgundy lovers. I get that. But it's purity, opulence and harmony will attract a lot of Bordeaux loving fans.
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4/3/2024 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 97 Points
Ikke dekantert. Et valg. Førte glass litt motvillig. Åpner seg nedover I flasken. Ikke eventyr, men meget pen. Og gøy. Energi. Retning. Gleder meg Til neste. Om et år!
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3/31/2024 - Mili Loves Wine Likes this wine: 98 Points
Dense, rich, and powerful. Huge structure, with tannins that are very smooth. Black and red fruit with a long finish. Still peaking with plenty of time to continue developing, but glad I had it at this point in its evolution. This is the best wine I’ve had thus far for 2024.
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3/28/2024 - Romol Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about this wine (as I have quite a few bottles of it). I had my last bottle about 7 years ago and it was really (as some critics say) very "Californian". Don't get me wrong, nothing against wines from there (I like that too), but when I open a Bordeaux, I would also like to drink Bordeaux. In any case, the wine surprised me in a positive way. This time it was quickly clear that it was a Bordeaux. The wine has developed well, is still young and, in my opinion, still has the potential to develop (even) better. 94-95 pts. at the moment.
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3/5/2024 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Parker 100 pointer theme dinner with friends, rich plush but elegant & refined, soft tannins, good complexity, lovely balance, still young
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2/24/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Hedonistic is this wine's nature. Full-bodied, concentrated, lush, opulent, deep, fleshy, long, and intense, the wine is packed and stacked with non-stop waves of ripe, black, blue, and red fruits that fill and coat your palate. There is intensity, depth of flavor, length, purity, and richness. Still youthful, this is going to age better than most 2003s. Perhaps this is not a style for everyone, but I loved it! Drink from 2024-2040.
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2/17/2024 - grandvin100 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Lovely wine. Black fruits, lots of spice and wonderful fresh mint! The Cos is sexy, strong but very flattering and makes a whole evening of great fun!
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2/10/2024 - Andrew_85 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Menthol, cherries, dried herbs, cola, and vanilla with a mineral background. The wine gives a sense of being very clean. Secondary characteristics just starting to emerge. Enjoyed with braised lamb chops. Consensus at my house 94 points (93 and 94).
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1/30/2024 - Floyd77 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Incredible — perfect wine to have in Ketchum
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1/21/2024 - Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 100 Points
Absolutely stunning and drinking perfectly right now. So well balanced and integrated. This ranks with my favorite all time left bank Bordeaux of any vintage. I imagine it will age well but so good right now why wait?
Just gorgeous. 2 hr decant.
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1/1/2024 - Hugo Hilde Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bordeaux + Napa pirates (Tøyen, Oslo): Slow oxed 3 hours, followed 5 hours
I have been looking very much forward to trying this immensely controversial wine, seemed like a representation of the Parker era at its peak. Critics fault it for being Napa-esque, and the fans hail its concentration.
Wow, what a nose! So much going on, great energy and no sur maturé in sight, this spoke clearly of Bordeaux. Actually one of those noses that is impossible to describe due to its complexity.
The palate, for me at least, had some issues. There was a disturbing bitter note which kept me from enjoying that incredibly lush mouthfeel and waves of cherry and blackberry. Towards the finish, that bitter note grew with slightly coarse tannins.
Not a crazy amount of oak, just slightly too much for me tonight.
Not at all as controversial as I had anticipated, a glorious nose followed by a slightly too oaky palate, but still very recognizable as Bordeaux.
97 points nose, palate somewhere around 90
= 93/94
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12/26/2023 - Wamrod wrote: 95 Points
Cellared. First bottle I’ve opened from the stash. Absolutely was absolutely what I was hoping for from this bottle. Dark, black, inky purple/maroon to the eye. Modest legs on the glass. On the nose, blackberries, blackcurrants, tobacco, forest floor, green pepper. On the palate, an assault of perfectly ripe fruit and acid. Tannins are superfine, and alcohol hardly perceptible. Drinking beautifully already. This is sooooo much better than the 2009 Pontet Canet that we opened for the first time a few days ago. I look forward to continuing to sample the stash over the coming decades.
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11/25/2023 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 92 Points
Første glass forførende, så dekantert i 3 timer, ikke like gøy, noe høy syre, ordinær standard bordeaux, What? Dag 2 meget bedre etter vakum i kjøleskap. Ikke stor, men meget pen.
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11/14/2023 - luHar1423 wrote: 93 Points
Unlike others in our round of the Cos d'Estournel vertical tasting (1985-2009), I was not really impressed by the 2009 vintage. A year in which every winemaker was able to "fabricate" its century wine this was far away to become an outstanding flagship of this Chateau. Dull compared to its older sibling from '96 or '03, is less balanced, tannins and acidity still looking for a common date to go to their prom, but questionable if both will dance together. I personally ask myself if both parties will have a life-long endeavor to find a common beat for their prom-dance.
The wine also did not improve in the course of the evening which I see as a strange sign. Definitely not worth the money at this stage. I rather suggest to look at the 2003 or the 1996 vintages.
PnP.
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10/13/2023 - Beeck10 wrote: 100 Points
Wow, how can this wine still be so young and powerful after 14 years? It's like it was bottled just yesterday. We didn't decant it, but we did open it up two hours in advance! It's a masterpiece. On the nose, the red fruit is boldly present with a kind of glue (thanks to the alcohol) that holds it all together, creating an explosion of fruity aromas in your nostrils – strong and rarely experienced! The color is intensely dark and compact as well.
In the mouth, the wine has a certain richness that perfectly mirrors the nose, once again intense and sultry with plenty of structure. It lingers for an incredibly long time, and there's nothing off-putting about it. It fades away just as it began. This must be the best vintage they've produced so far. Over the last 10 years, it has continued to evolve fantastically and is becoming the star of Bordeaux in the wine world. Absolutely divine!
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7/28/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Still deeply colored, the nose exudes black fruits, spice, licorice, smoke, Asian spice and black cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich, deep, long, voluptuous and showy. It’s also perfectly poised between its power and elegant nature. Youthful, but continuing to drop its baby fat, while morphing into a stellar tasting experience. Drink from 2023-2045.
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7/8/2023 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 98 Points
I poured a Coravin of this a month ago and drinking the rest now after decanting (a lot of fine sediment). Wow, a magnificent wine with so much finesse. Deep purple in color, the wine had pronounced notes of dark berries with hints of smoke. On the palate this full bodied wine displayed blackberries, plum, chocolate, licorice with hints of spice and smokey notes. The acid, fruit and polished tannins were all in perfect balance with a long finish. One for the ages and it easily can last years longer but why wait?
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6/10/2023 - Floyd77 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Near perfect after a two hour decant ... young but already a marvel.
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5/28/2023 - Kavine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanter for 2 hours, and tasted the opening as time improved its roundness. Bolder than I thought. Long and medium finish with nice berry touches.
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5/25/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 96 Points
So dark that the iPhone flashlight couldn’t shine through the wine; it’s midnight black, but shows a bit of cloudy crimson amidst the darkness. Graphite, dark blackberries, raspberries, and cocoa powder on the nose. Thick, unctuous texture, with a bit of tar, blackberry seeds, smoke, and cedar. Nuanced and delicious with a very long life ahead of it (unlike many of the 2009’s in my opinion, which have another decade of prime drinking). Pleasantly bitter chocolate berry finish that goes on forever. I would wait a decade or so before trying this again.
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5/1/2023 - sh6k Likes this wine: 97 Points
3 hours decant. Licorice and dark fruit on the palate, tobacco and soil on the finish. Tannins fairly prominent, coating the teeth. Supremely composed and collected. Powerful with finesse. Dense with dark fruit and dark undergrowth. Lots of different expressions.
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3/22/2023 - ilee Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, I don't drink much Bordeaux any more, so when a dinner guest brought this over last night, I rushed for the corkscrew. After a 45 min decant, the nose was fabulous: sinewy, creamy, with rich notes of tar, cassis and cedar. On the palate, it's big as an ocean, and almost as salty too, with the fulsome black fruit infused with rich seaweed umami. The tannins seem already quite nicely resolved into the wine, so there isn't what British drinkers like to call a "grippy finish". Still, this wine has a looooong way to go.
PS: There were quite a few of us around the table, so we each only had a glass. And yet, I woke up later, in the middle of the night, feeling parched and thirsty. I then spent much of the next day nursing a mild headache. This never happens with pinot noir, no matter how much I drink. Or perhaps that's why pinot is pretty much all I drink, these days. Still, a great Cos, let's check in again in 2050
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3/8/2023 - Hickey987 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Great complex dark fruit flavor up front with good dry aftertaste but a little boring at the end. Overall, great wine that I’d love to drink again.
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1/28/2023 - #1Winelover Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was very interesting as it tasted more like a Napa Cab then a Bordeaux. Clearly the WOTN, it is a full-bodied flavorful dark purple bombshell!
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1/5/2023 - kr522 wrote: 90 Points
I’ve never been a fan of this wine, going back to release, and nothing has changed. The first whiff is raisins and a ton of wood & heat. The amount of oak confounds me, and I’m not particularly sensitive to oak. The flavor profile is moderately better with a nice dark chocolate bite, and the fruit is fresher rather than raisiny, but alcohol owns the finish. I’m confused what they were trying to accomplish
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12/6/2022 - de Joersch Likes this wine: 95 Points
right out of the bottle fantastic ...
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11/30/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good fruit and great structure, well integrated. Not as big as expected. Already drinking well if you don't mind a lively grip.
Long, hints of complexity. Now through 30 + years.
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11/22/2022 - cavedivr Likes this wine: 94 Points
1 oz pour from coravin. Meaty. Sweet BBQ sauce on the nose. Almost like pulled pork. Nose quite closed still. Tannins high. Very drying. Gonna be good, but still not ready. Don't pop those corks yet, people.
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10/18/2022 - gbejjani Likes this wine: 95 Points
At a wine tasting. Intense, focused, concentrated. Nothing in excess. On a mission of purity wrapped in silky tannins with this oh-so Bordeaux dark chocolate semi-bitterness. Spectacular
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10/9/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 97 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of smoke, pencil lead, vanilla, cassis, toast. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is polished and rounded. Nose is a little closed but the palate is perfect.
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9/21/2022 - Hercules Likes this wine: 100 Points
Amazing!
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8/14/2022 - Doc D R wrote: 98 Points
This wine is outstanding now, and is likely to continue improving in the coming years. The bouquet has aromas of plum and strawberries. The wine has a dark purple color. The finish is long. After about 30 minutes of decanting, it really opened up. There is a fair amount of sediment in the bottle, so having a filter on hand would be good.
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6/17/2022 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 90 Points
My first ever Cos d'Estournel, and what a start.. 💯 pointer 2009 vintage.
Remains tight despite the 1.5 hour decant, syrupy cassis and ripe plum notes, complexity not yet apparent this young.
Will easily hit 4 stars by 2024, and the sky is the limit by 2030 and beyond! Doubt my bro TC will have any of his 2009 en primeur bottles left by then 😃 Thanks for graciously sharing and hand-carrying this all the way from HK. Bold and perfect paired with the 1.6 kg Wagyu Tomahawk 🐄
Karaoke at Enoteca with the lads, TC, AK and ET.. Malaysia - Jun 2022
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5/3/2022 - Zweder wrote:
Beautiful, complex and expressive bouquet with tea, coffee, barnyard and celery in the bouquet. On the palate very full bodied with chocolate, red and dark berries, tobacco, a lot of sweetness and tertiary impressions like celery. A beautiful wine, but the tertiary impressions disturb me. I hope this is an off bottle. No score.
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5/1/2022 - kr522 wrote: 91 Points
When I bought this on release I was immediately disappointed in the early comparisons with other 09s….I found it massive and contrived. I haven’t had this in years and wanted to check in. Unfortunately it still drinks as a burly, rustic wine lacking any kind of finesse. I hope one day in the distant future it’s character changes but I think it is what it is
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3/23/2022 - Philip Yang Likes this wine: 97 Points
The best wine in a mini vertical that comprises of the 2003 2005 and 2009 Cos. The 2003 has a pretty bouquet, leathery, relatively lean on the body, some development and has just entered its drinking window. 2005 was sleepy and made for the long haul. Should be laid down for another 5 years at least. The 2009 is marvellous and the hands down winner. Voluptuous, full of fruits and in complete balance. Drinking well now with primary, secondary and just a smidgen of tertiary flavours, with tremendous potential for aging as she inches nearer and nearer towards perfection.
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2/1/2022 - peterchoy wrote: 96 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of deep ruby colour, with fading rim and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blackcurrant and blackberry, red fruit of dark plum, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of chocolate, mineral notes of earth, pungent spice of black pepper, maturity notes of tobacco. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture, medium (+) alcohol and full body, with medium (+) intensity flavours of black fruit of blackcurrant and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of chocolate, animal notes of leather. The wine has a long finish.
Conclusion: Excellent quality St-Estephe with very good intensity on the nose showing very good complexity, with elegant black fruit and oak, rich chocolate and black pepper, and some tobacco maturity aromas. On the palate the wine has great finesse, well-balanced and structured, with ripe and well-integrated tannin, very good concentration in flavours and a long finish. It is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.
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12/10/2021 - Dough Boy wrote: 94 Points
Parker hailed this as “one of the best young wines he’s ever tasted.” Other Parker somms agreed and repeated his 100pt ratings over a decade of tasting. So I had to try one of the four in my cellar. My experience: after a one hour decant at a fine restaurant w friends and another hour or so in the glass, the 2009 Cos is a locked door, impenetrable and massive. Don’t touch it for several years, if not decades. Spice, tannin and reticent fruit spin a tight web of closure around Pratts’ big baby.
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6/28/2021 - jwalkuro Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep garnet color with some rim variation.
Blackberry, plum, red current, spicy herbs.
Big, bold, massive, full body, gorgeous integrated tannin, lovely oak nuiance, very long finish.
I love it.
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6/28/2021 - CourtlyDoc wrote: 98 Points
Nose: Complex, layered, dark fruit, smoky and leathery.
Palate: Smooth and silky from the tip of the tongue to the long, lingering finish. Delicious complex balance of mineral, dark fruit, Worth every penny! One of the best wines of our lifetime!
Food pairing: Spaghetti snd marinara. PERFECTION!
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5/22/2021 - aegerter Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine is starting to drink amazingly well and everything is coming together. It has mellowed over the last years and has emerged from its closed stage. Looking forward to the continued evolution and believe it will deliver 100 points experience a few years from now!
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12/23/2020 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 97 Points
Damn good wine. It's still young, and it needed 3 hours to start singing.
Wonderfully concentrated with great structured. Dark fruits, leather texture, and rich cedar on the nose.
WOTN beating out a '15 verite muse
Only upside from here.
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9/25/2020 - DrZett wrote: 92 Points
Lots of dark berries, herbs and licorice. Very tight - even after 2 hours in the decanter. This has good potential but is in a difficult closed phase, better let your bottles rest for another 6-8 years. There are so many great 2009 Bordeaux which are actually really enjoyable in the moment, but this jut needs more time. Just 92 for now - but potential (94+).
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7/9/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened to breathe for 4h and decanted for Garth’s bday dinner with grilled strip steaks. Gorgeous nose of minerals, cedar perfume. Lost of black fruit, lush and opulent on the palate. Gorgeous wine, my WOTN! 94/95
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5/1/2020 - jmoon Likes this wine: 92 Points
It’s a mess.. with potential. Burly, Broad shouldered and brambly. I bet this was great fun in 2013, where it probably got its high points, but now, despite a 3 hour double decant, in awkward transition. Neither charming nor poetic, this is a street fighter looking for a fight. Quite un-Cos. Will hold on to my others hoping for a transformation in 5-10, which is quite on the cards.
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2/4/2020 - schan109 Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Strong and powerful. Full body and long finishing.
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1/8/2020 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 97 Points
The aroma of this wine is spectacular! Intense dark fruit with a background of roses fill the nose. You just want to sit and smell this for a while. Intense dark fruit like black currants layered with rose hips, tea, spice, leather and smoke. The intensity grows on the mid-palate ending with a long lingering finish. Velvety and tannins are in check. With more years, the rating could easily go up.
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12/26/2019 - kr522 wrote: 92 Points
I’ve owned this since release and check in occasionally to see how it’s doing, and while it’s fine i have to confess i don’t get the excitement. It benefits from the great vintage - deep fruited - but it’s burly and a bit ponderous. Heavy-handed wine making here.
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12/2/2019 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 97 Points
2009, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Kräftiges Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. In der Nase nobel, tief und komplex, zeigt erst Bruchteile von dem was kommen kann, dunkle Beeren, Kirschen, Kräuter, Tabak, Schwarztee, eine kleine Droge. Im Auftakt gradlinig und sehr konzentriert, ein Mund voll Wein, mit vollem Körper, einer ausgesprochen guten Struktur und Massen an feinsten Tanninen, die Säure ist perfekt eingebunden, keinerlei Holzdominanz. Da bahnt sich etwas ganz Grosses an… Muss noch eine Dekade reifen, wird dann zu den besten Cos d’Estournel gehören. 2027-2040+, 19.5 vvPunkte (97/100). vvWine.ch
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12/1/2019 - narraboth Does not like this wine: 90 Points
Tasted in Paris Le Grand Tasting masterclass, I don't think the bottle was faulty as it was checked before serving.
Like someone here said, it's a mess. Very ripen and almost huge nose, seductive but a bit too much. The palate is quite unbalanced; the upper layer is a rather sweet red fruit, but not a clean kind of fruit. It reminds you a glass of juice left under the sun hence too warm to drink. The base is a thick layer of unsettled tannin. The two layers had no intention to merge with each other which made it quite difficult to swallow. I left more than half of my glass unfinished.
I am not experienced enough to predict how it will evolve but the ripen feeling and the lack of freshness made me doubt about its future. Who knows, let's hope.
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11/28/2019 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dekantert. Super, men for ung, framtredende syre, denne bør får et år til før neste flaske.
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10/17/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
WS Grand Tasting. Gorgeous claret. Superfine tannins. Very well delineated dark blackberry fruit. This has huge potential but is already approachable.
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9/26/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
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.
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7/3/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 95 Points
Tasted after a barrel sample of 2018. On the nose a little restrained still. Layered and dense - dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, floral and earthy notes, liquorice. On the palate super ripe, a little low in terms of acidity, but well balanced overall. Polished tannins, very glossy and super long. Lacks a bit of elegance and refinement and, especially next to the vibrant 2018, seems to be from a different era really. Drink or (better) keep. 94-96
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7/3/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Berry Brothers 2018 Bordeaux en primeur (plus back vintages) (Lindley Hall, London): This was (deliberately?) served quite cold and was by far the coldest sample at the tasting. This made it a bit difficult and certainly wasn't the controversial monster I was expecting. Nose of poeny, lilac, ripe fruit with big but round tannins. I can see how this is more 09 than St Estephe and one could mistake it even for a right bank. Best Cos ever? Probably not. A bad wine? Definitely not.
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6/24/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
2009 Bordeaux 10 years in the bottle 2-day horizontal; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019 (Fribourg): Part of a grand Bordeaux 2009 tasting spanning 2 days that revealed 1) a right bank struggling with overripe fruit and overwhelming tannins, 2) wide spreak between top performers and laggards, 3) left bank, and especially Margaux, outshone the right bank cousins, 4) Top wines: Palmer, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan.
Tasting note:
Darkish fruit, intense and slightly liquoresque. A bit of savoury, maybe even brett, fresh herbs. Full bodied and tannic. Unfortunately coulnd‘t quite keep up with the palate.
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6/24/2019 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2009 - 10 Years On - 47 Reds; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019: 2009 Bordeaux after 10 years. 48 red wines. The left bank (average rating 94.2) clearly trumps the right bank (92.6): Elegance, purity and freshness vs over-extraction, ripeness and oxidation. But there are some winners on the right bank (Cheval, Petrus, Hosanna for now, Lafleur, Trotanoy medium-term) but the highest scores were given to left bank wines (Margaux #1 overall, Palmer, Mouton, for now, Latour, St. Juliens medium-term). I guess purists will not like the loads of oak-derived aromas which in some wines are great but can make the wines a bit slutty (Cheval, Margaux, quite a lot of right banks). But there are plenty of more classically shaped wines too. Overall, the 2009s are a lot of fun with many pockets of greatness but I would be very selective on the right bank. If you like more elegant, subtle and classic wines I would focus on 2005/2010/2016. All wines tasted blind and without decanting.
TN: I liked the red fruit and spice character which is quite unique and made this standout among the other left banks. In addition, herbal notes and a sexy nuttiness. Highlight probably the very long and spicy finish. Good structure, less austere than Montrose but a bit too alcoholic for my taste. As one of the very rare left banks it showed its alcohol a bit (vs right bank wines where this was a problem in a lot of wines). Overall good but I doubt it will reach greatness (and the I can’t imagine how it could ever get to the perfect score from Parker).
Average blind score 4 tasters: 94.3
Rank: 26th out of 48 wines
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2/5/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote:
Ten-year check up and this is more or less indistinguishable from barrel tasting. Dark and tight. After 90-minute decant the nose still doesn’t want to give anything up, just dark and brooding. Some sweeter chocolatey notes, but still a lot of glycerin. Black currant and intense. Palate is similarly dark and brooding, although it is pleasantly balanced, not as long as you might hope. Lower acid. I can’t see this budging for another ten years... All fruit and wood right now with no signs of earth. Definitely a technically strong wine, even though it admittedly ticks all the Parkerized modernity boxes, just a little frustrating that it is going to take so long to see any expression or earth influence here. I am a bad judge of young wine, or in this case wine that is showing as more or less brand new, so it’s hard to say, but I’m not sure I see this breaking 94 at any stage. This is what I expected tonight. See you in 2029...
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12/31/2018 - BlueDevilDC Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is a magnificent wine. Deep purple color. Aromas of cherries, brick and cassis. Perfectly balanced on the palate, with smooth and supple tannins and flavors of plums, cherries, earth and spice. I decanted this bottle for 2 hours, then enjoyed it over the rest of the evening. What a great way to cap off 2018!
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12/28/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 100 Points
Tasted November 2015, with me thinking that the note was lost - I am glad that I emailed myself...
Decanted for two hours. This ethereal goddess is perfect in every imaginable way. Massive, yet very refined, the layeredvelvety, yet, silky tannins build with ease, yet do not detour, remaining sweet. The finish is like a glider that does not quit, with each sip remaining quite epic. There are copious nuances, such as cassis, blackberry, Chinese five spice, blueberry liquor, black lava, tile and flowers like freesias and plumeria. The colour is garnet and almost black at the core. Every sector of your palate is appreciating such glorious fruit that exudes all things majestic. This reminds me of a more sublime version of the prodigious ‘03. If one prefers the more diluted, hardened clarets, they would not appreciate this; however, if one prefers the more generous vintages, they would adore this. I seriously cannot find a flaw and this will last many decades. Drink 2022 -.
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12/11/2018 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine opened right up and grew more concentrated over a four hour period. I did not decant because I wanted to experience the full range of flavors and there was no need to settle down the grape. In the third hour the fruit was so concentrated that it was upsetting that I only opened one bottle. I wanted to go back to the beginning. The wine is sexy and elegant with balanced, sweet red and blue fruits. The merlot really came through. Beautiful plum and blueberry flavors. Drinking perfectly right now and a real treat to taste secondary characteristics beginning to come out. There is nothing like a great bottle of maturing French wine. I believe this wine will get better over the next 5 years and I see no reason not to expect it to be a 25-30 year wine. The 10 year mark is beautiful and in 3 years it is at 99 and in 5 years I am certain the wine is a 100 pointer. It is terrific now and do not open with a crowd because you will yearn for more.
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8/24/2018 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Here is a heavy weight in the wine world, you will not confuse this with old-world wine making. Rich, powerful and affluent. Tannic structure is assertive but certainly not overwhelming. Decanted 3 hours and ate Rosemary and pepper crusted standing rib roast. It was a beautiful match. I would suggest leaving this alone for at least a few more years if your want to enjoy its best performances.
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4/8/2018 - soyhead wrote:
nose - chocolate
mouth - bold, powerful, layers of dark fruits, dry tannins, definitely new world in terms of ripeness if not style. a chewy wine needing no food as an accompaniment. The Patriarch's WOTN - frankly i preferred the '05.
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3/1/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
This is a monumental wine. The surreal texture is off the hook. The wine coats and stains your palate. This is decadence with a backbone. Pure velvet with countless waves of perfectly ripe fruit, that expresses a wonderful purity. Inky, dark in color, this is only getting started. 2 hours in the decanted allowed the blackberry, plum, espresso, smoke, licorice, extremely dark chocolate and earthy notes to appear. Make no mistake, this is all about the incredible levels of density and decadent mouthfeel. Prices have not moved much. In time, my bet is, this will be considered one of the stars of the legendary 2009 vintage!
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1/21/2018 - phynes wrote: 97 Points
Tasted the 2009 Cos and Pontet side-by-side. Both incredibly young but fantastic wines. That Cos came across as slightly more powerful and definitely more backward. Would wait at least another five and perhaps ten years before going near it. The Pontet is approaching its drinking window and offered a bit more openness and complexity. Both rated 97 for now - two amazing wines and it will be fun to see how they progress over the next few decades.
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10/5/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Still pretty young. Wow...this is heavy at the moment almost too much. I guess with time it may soften. At the moment 94(-) pts.
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9/24/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Weekend at Magog; 9/22/2017-9/25/2017 (Magog, Quebec): Very dark purple red color. Drank 2 glasses over 75 minutes. This had about 2hrs slow O. Fairly big presently, cedar and oak up front, over 10 to 15 minutes the fruit shows up with bright cassis, blackberry, and some scorched earth. The palate is dense and layered with ripe dark fruits, graphite, tar and oak. I didn't sense any heat here. Pleasant enough for it's youth, but nowhere near ready. Needs 10 years.
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8/5/2017 - fotomill Likes this wine: 94 Points
A massive, heavy Bordeaux. Drank after 2 hours' bottle breathing. Thick, dark. The cork bottom is almost black, and a lump of black sediment was on the surface. Some dark berries, sweet black sugar, prune jam, oak, earth. If you like big and bold reds, you will like this a lot.
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2/9/2017 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful, elegant wine. Fine tannins and flavors of spice and maybe some chocolate. I didn't get much on the nose at all -- decent stemware might have helped. WOTN at our recent event, but even at that probably would have shown much better with a decant and better glasses.
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10/15/2016 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 99 Points
Sourced from London. Ripe and full bodied. Cherries and blackcurrant. Earth and roses. Cafe au lait. Loads of pleasant tannins. Riedel bordeaux glasses. Drunk at 14-16 degrees C. Best 45 minutes after pour.
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9/16/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 99 Points
66x Parker 100-Pointers from Bordeaux 1947-2010 tasted blind (Switzerland): Tasted blind. Dark purple. Expressive and complex nose of dark fruit, forest floor, berries pine, deep and complex. Really Medoc. Full bodied, soft mouth feel, yet enough freshness. Very long finish. Wonderful.
PS: I was pleasantly surprised to see that this wine turned out to be the 2009 Cos. I had this wine several times and it always had issues with lots of alcoholic heat, over-ripeness, never really pleasant and balanced. This is the first bottle that shows impeccable with all in check. So there may be bottle variations of this wine, not atypical when maturity is pushed to the limit. BTW, for Cos lovers, look out for the 2010 Cos which is really amazing, more classic, more consistent in bottle and cheaper. Group score: 18.31, group rank: 25/64
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3/19/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 91 Points
Cos d'Estournel vertical - Check in on some recent vintages; 8/1/2016-9/3/2016: I first tasted this wine during the 2009 arrivage and then again a few times either in 09 horizontals or Matchplays against Montrose. I am not impressed at all by this wine. It is far to hot and "cooked" for me with lots of alcoholic heat. Cos has more Merlot than Montrose in its blend, so the hot 2009 did not really play into their hand as much, rather 2010 did (see my note there). Right next to the 09 Montrose it smells like a Provence wine. I am not a "religious" against fruit forward Bordeaux. As a matter of fact, when you drink Bordeaux from the 80/90ies you often wish for more fruit, but this has gone way overboard. The more extracted the wine, the less aromatic complexity and freshness, that is what is happening here. RP gave it 100 and says this is the best Cos ever. Nay! The best Cos bu a mile is the 2010. If you have the 09, buy the 2010 and put it next to it in a few years and you will clearly see it. If you don't have that kind of cash, buy the 2008 and 2012 are both are 100-200 USD less and fantastic offerings with high freshness and drinkability.
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1/18/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
15 Vintages of Cos d'Estournel (Ripple - Washington, DC): A rich, brooding nose of black currants, even some blueberry, along with roasted almond and scorched earth. Full, rich, opulent, densely tannic and chewy on the palate. Chewy blackberry and dark currant, the rich fruit is matched with complex elements of coffee, earth, gravel, exotic spice, incense, leather. Chewy but velvety, smoky but nuanced, teeth-staining but exciting. Needs so much time in the cellar, but it's interesting to taste this beast so young.
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1/18/2016 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Cos d'Estournel Vertical with Aymeric de Gironde (Ripple Restaurant in DC): This is a bit Californian. Extremely ripe/perhaps slightly overripe black fruits, cassis, baked blueberries, fruit cake and milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, very ripe black fruit driven palate impression and long finish with a hint of heat at the end. I can definitely see this and the 03 being controversial. If you like cult cab, I highly recommend this wine. Not for everyone.
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8/10/2014 - jonanator wrote:
Can't rate this at this young stage. Beautiful inky purple color but just wasn't giving anything up tonight. Very closed down. Will stay away for the next decade
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7/19/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
The wine has dropped most of its baby fat and starting to close up. The color remains opaque, with a thick, rich, dense and intense palate presence that is made even better by the smooth, silky tannins and opulent, plush palate presence. Drink soon, or you might have to wait a decade or longer before popping a cork.
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7/2/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 97 Points
I liked the wine more this time - the colour is just amazing, inky, dark purple, almost black. Just a touch lighter towards the rim. Nose was a bit muted after pouring, but opened up impressively over 40 minutes in the glass. Layers of dark, sweet fruit, cherries, blackcurrant, dark berries, smoke and pencil shavings. Amazing. Powerful, big, with great grip and firm but well integrated tannins, mouthwatering acidity. Extremely long and persistent. The main reason for my higher rating is how seamless and superbly balanced this wine was showing this time despite the panoply of bold flavours. This will be absolutely amazing with quite a bit more bottle age.
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5/1/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
Shiny ink in color with purple edges, the wine comes alive with only a splash decanting. The perfume explodes with a drawer full of spices, smoke, coffee bean, incense, truffle, blackberry, blue fruit, vanilla, clay, earth and liqueur scents. Intense, the wine is packed and stacked with flavor. Powerful, pure and mouth filling, the wine coats your palate with layers of pure black and blue fruit, licorice, lead pencil and spice. This wine offers a beautiful expression pure fruit, balance, harmony and perfectly ripe tannins. The wine has changed since it was first tasted in barrel. The layers of baby fat have morphed into a beautiful, complicated wine that due to its unique style, can be enjoyed young, yet it has the ability to age and evolve for decades.
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4/7/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Amazing colour, very dark, blueish, almost black, lively, glowing. Great nose of sweet fruit (cherries, ripe berries) and stone and wood but also savoury notes, smoke, quite amazing. Vibrant acidity, sweet, slightly jammy fruit character, big (massive actually), layers of drying but well integrated and fine tannins, long finish, lingering, wow. Not exactly classic, elegant bordeaux, but well-made, powerful. Should be great with a lot more bottle age, from 2025+?
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4/7/2013 - vespasian wrote: 90 Points
Quite smoky charcoal and graphite infused nose; good texture but closed down. I can't see the 100 points here.
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2/26/2013 - fc1910 Does not like this wine:
Mövenpickwinetasting: the Mövenpickwinecompany also showed on their arrivagetasting of the vintage 2010 two bottles of potentially highclass Bordeauxs of the vintage 2009. This bottle was one......, it left me totally distracted......, back at home I opened some I- net appearences to see how the real wineexperts rated this......., 20/20, 97- 100, 98- 100, .......could not believe what I had to read, for me this is nothing but a winemonster, roasty, overconcentrated, marmeladestyle with far too sweet fruit, o.k. grainy, fresh and fine tannin, but.... I have drunk and also possessed some former vintages of this chateau, normally a very fine with aging balanced and elegant St. Estephe, this sample....... for me unbelievable how the style has changed, and now 14,5%, and the price......., more than 300.- euros, but for what? I cannot jugde this wine and give a score, otherwise.......
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12/30/2012 - jbroich wrote: 98 Points
Opaque. Blueberry, mulberry, Wild cherry, cedar nose. On the palate blueberry, cedar and faint idea of raspberry. Superb for 2 hours then it closed down, excellent on Day 2. tannins will require a few years to integrate.
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10/15/2012 - kr522 wrote: 92 Points
I was a little torn on whether to rate this based on current drinking experience or what i think it might be in 10-20 years. In the end i rated it on today, but this is a wine that is built to age and hopefully will improve.
Opaque in color, there is black fruit and espresso on the nose but the alcohol and wood are conspicuous. Ink, iodine and dark chocolate combine with grippy tannins to give this a brooding quality reminiscent of many 1986's that weren't ready for prime time for at least a decade. In a vintage as celebrated as 2009 it tastes somewhat experimental
It definitely has a lot of fruit but isn't hedonistic on any level....yet. my fingers are crossed because i have 11 more bottles, i probably won't open another for at least 10 years
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9/29/2012 - mmh wrote: 86 Points
I really don't understand how so many can rate this wine so highly. Very dark, almost black colour. Liquor and chocolate on the nose. Absolutely massive on the palate!!! Very oaky (!), strong, alcoholic and tannic. Some slightly off-putting meat and sausages as well, together with some coffee on the palate. Blind I would either guess that this is a very young vintage port, or possibly some Argentinian malbec from a very heavy bottle. Ok, there is definitely potential for the future, but who knows how it will taste then. Wow, what a strange wine.
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9/26/2012 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Wow! What a luxurious and intense bouquet loaded with fresh cassis and beautiful oak. Same on the palate, still so open and youthful, but also truly great. Licorice, chocolate, beautiful balance between acidity and wonderful and round tannin. Concentrated and a great length. Already so great already, but this will be a sophisticated beauty in 15 – 25+ years from now. So happy to have bought a few and safely tucked away in a friend’s cellar under perfect conditions. 98++ for now
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9/22/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Massive concentration. Polished, slick, sultry, classy, velvety tannines which seem to unfold in the back. Incessant, built for eternity, yet very tight and unforgiving at the moment. Just showing the tip of the iceberg today. Not for current drinking, IMHO. Will probably gain at least 4 points in rating at 10 years from now. My god, what a wine. 18.5/20 for now.
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9/1/2012 - aegerter Likes this wine: 97 Points
It's approachable already and I'm soo looking forward to taste this again 10-15 years from now
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8/15/2012 - Porchino wrote: 97 Points
Parker says100 I say close96 or more
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6/26/2012 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 99 Points
Appoachable already, this is the most deep and rich Bdx I have ever tried... Think of a cross between 1961 Latour and 1990 Montrose with a dash of coffee bean. An amazing wine that could be easy to drink throughout its long long life, although difficult to know how this will evolve.
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6/2/2012 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Loads of 'Rumtopf' (a German dessert basically fruit in rum aged for a long time). Very dense and already very approachable, super modern style, beautiful.
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5/29/2012 - PC73 Likes this wine:
Incredible deep in colour. Powerful nose. Hint of sharpness as the acidity is still to be fully integrated. Licorice on the palate. Too young for me to really tell how this monster will develop
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4/26/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 98 Points
Goedhius Bordeaux Cru Classe Tasting (Saatchi Gallery): Wow what a nose, you do not need to go near the glass to get the powerful nose of cassis, cherries, plumbs, vanilla and tar. I can see that this will not be too everybody's taste as this really is not classical Bordeaux. Very fruit forward with a rich complex mouth and a very very long length but there is elegance and balance there. The thing is you look around the room and everybody has a grin on their face and so do you. Well done Cos an amazing wine which will be interesting to watch develop and I am sure will provoke lots of debate. 98+
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4/24/2012 - Collector1855 wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux 2009 vs. 2010 - Check in on 50 well known Chateaux: I tasted this wine during the 2009 arrivage. Having tasted many Cos before I am not impressed by this wine. It is far to hot, oxidative and "cooked" for me. Right next to the 09 Montrose it was more like a Provence wine. I am not a "religious" opponent of fruit forward Bordeaux, as a matter of fact when you taste Bordeaux from the 80ies and early 90ies you do wish for more fruit, but this has gone too far for my taste. The more extracted the wine, the less aromatic complexity and freshness, that is the trade off... A recent retasting of 03 Cos vs. Montrose confirmed this. Try and compare yourself before you follow the lofty points.
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3/10/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
Inky in color, the aromas pop from the glass and fill your nose with licorice, incense, crushed stone, cassis, black and blueberries, espresso bean and spice. Offering incredible power and concentration, everything is in perfect balance and harmony. This is so plush, it feels like Jean-Guillaume Prats hand polished the berries one at a time before fermentation. From an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the long, fresh, mouth coating, finish is purity at its best. This is completely seamless. This was my first time tasting the wine in bottle. Having tasted 2009 Cos d'Estournel multiple times in barrel, it's nice to see how the wine has evolved. The biggest difference is, the wine has exchanged some of its youthful exuberance for refinement and elegance.
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8/26/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
2009 Cos d’Estournel is black ink with purple accents. The wine smells like a basket of fresh picked blackberries and blueberries with the added aromas of ground spice, coffee, incense, smoke, licorice, and black raspberry liqueur. This powerful wine coats every inch, nook, and cranny of your tongue, cheeks, gums, and palate with pure essences of black and blue fruit complemented by chocolate and kirsch. The seamless finish lasts over 60 seconds. I tasted this wine 3 times with similar results. 99/100 Pts
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Jean-Guillaume Prats explained the role of the new cellars in producing the wine, “Gravity cellars allow for a complete non intervention in making the wine. This allows for the purest possible expression of the fruit grown in the gravelly rock terroir. The wine is always moved by gravity, thus never touched by human hands.” The wine is expensive. For most people, paying $300 for 2009 Cos D’Estournel is out of the question --- a perfectly reasonable point of view. Having finished tasting every major property and a plethora of smaller estates in the Medoc, if you are not planning to buy Latour, Margaux, or Haut Brion in this vintage, if you desire to own what will be a reference point wine from 2009, this is the wine to buy.
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2/9/2011 - roquenroell wrote: 97 Points
at Cos d'Estournel. Huge wine, huge nose - seems more Rhone like then Bordeaux. Too much going on to comment as yet. This will be a huge wine once it settles down. Not necessarily a 100pointer in the long term as yet from this point. Interestingly the Pagodes is quite enjoyable too(94)!
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11/16/2010 - dave747400 wrote:
Farr Christmas Tasting 2010: This monster is packed & stacked. Light nose raises the eyebrows, then the first sip lands the boxing glove right between them. When you pick yourself up of the floor & dust yourself down you look for words to scribble down.
Cool. Velvet. Brooding. Deep. But fresh. How?! Not rated because I have no idea, but surely this will be a fantastic wine long after I'm dead.
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8/21/2010 - Stephen_Skelton_MW wrote: 90 Points
Tasted this wine at the chateau in May when the MWs visited. Bordeaux it is not - too alcoholic, too dulled by fruit concentration and just too much for a wine from here. As to whether - in time - it will turn into something enjoyable - that's a different question, although I suspect that the 14.5% alcohol will always be dominant. At the price, its not a wine I would buy to drink, although I suspect that for a wine investor it might be worth a punt.
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5/1/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
The color of midnight black ink with deep, purple accents. The wine slides down your glass leaving purple tear streaks, that never seem to fade. Incense, spice, fresh blackberry, cassis, hints of blue fruit, coupled with minerals and smoke. Massive waves of velvet textured, perfectly ripe black and blue fruit melt all over your mouth, coating your palate with decadent richness. There is purity, opulence and flamboyance in every sip, backed up with freshness in this potentially flawless Bordeaux wine. There was no sensation of heat and everything was in perfect harmonious balance. The long, almost :60 finish is seamless. The sample remained in my glass for almost 5 hours without any sign of fading. 2009 COS is better than 2003, which it better than 2005. This wine perfectly combines sensuous, hedonistic qualities with intellectual stimulation. This might not be a wine for Burgundy lovers. I get that. But it's purity, opulence and harmony will attract a lot of Bordeaux loving fans.
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