February 9, 2024 - Smooth, paired well with spiced tenderloin, less new oak than the 2020 Talbot. I liked the balance and depth of flavor. 65% Sauvignon Blanc & 35% Semillon. Drink now to 2032. My style.
November 24, 2023 - Taut juicy mouthwatering. . Peach, almonds, honeysuckle with lemony acids. Medium to long finish. Very nice
December 18, 2022 - 16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Three white Bordeauxs from the 2019 vintage. All three showed well. The Domaine de Chevalier (94pts) convinced with strong, bright fruit core but was missing a bit of harmony with the high acidity not being balanced by enough textural softness. The Cos (92pts) had that balance but not the same level of depth and length. And the (consensus winner) Pape Clement (95pts) was the marriage of both with textural softness, elegance, paired with superb freshness and aromatic depth. As I’m always worried how white Bordeauxs will develop in the age of premox, there’s no time to waste to pop a cork on any of these three wines.
TN: This had very little expression on the nose but showed a bit more on the palate with a citrus and gooseberry mix on the palate. Very well defined but not much more than that. The frame, however, is impeccable with a well-integrated medium+ to high acidity and a good textural softness. Medium+ long, citrus driven finish. Overall quite pleasant but a bit simple.
Decanting: Not decanted, maybe a bit of air would have helped to open the wine
November 26, 2022 - Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Prélude to the tasting. Gooseberry and passion fruit with nice herbal drops of thyme and asparagus. Rather low intensity, but impressive linearity. The palate was just slightly creamy and added a touch of spice. Fresh and crisp acidity. This was a tad above the other 2019 whites from Pape Clément and Domaine the Chevalier.
March 29, 2022 - Flowers, pomelo, lemon curd and a refreshing touch of spicy, green apples and vanilla gives this fresh, lively, crisp, slightly honeyed wine its character. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release. Drink from 2022-2032.
March 16, 2022 - Great nose of apricots, herbs and flowers. Fresh fruit started the profile which was chalky, linear and lifted. This finished long and clean. Delicious wine!
March 16, 2022 - Lord's 2019 in bottle tasting. Preferred to the 2017.
August 1, 2020 - 2019, Cos d’Estournel Blanc, Saint-Estèphe AOC (65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon, 8% Neuholz, 14.4% Alkohol, pH 3.15. Sowohl die Sauvignon-Blanc Reben als auch der Sémillon konnten mit ihren tiefen Wurzeln der Trockenheit entgegenhalten und litten nicht unter Wasserstress. Die diesjährige Assemblage enthält mehr Sémillon als gewohnt. Verkostet am 10.7.2020 in Windisch). Mittleres Gelb. In der Nase ein Gedicht, sehr komplex mit Jasminblüten, weissem Pfirsich, Grapefruit und Limetten, Anflügen von Rauch und sogar weissem Pfeffer. Im Gaumen sehr reichhaltig, opulent, druckvoll, ein Mund voll Wein, mit einer reifen, satten Frucht, gepuffert von einer top integrierten Säure, wirkt charmant und doch gradlinig, verspielt aber seriös. Endet sehr langanhaltend, salzig und mit etwas Oragenblütenhonig. Wird früh Spass bereiten, hat aber auch das Potential zu reifen. 2022-2030+. 94 vvPunkte. vvWine.ch
June 8, 2020 - Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange peel pop from the glass. Round, lush, juicy and fresh, with a myriad of ripe, sweet, fleshy citrus notes and a dab of honeysuckle in the finish. The wine was made using 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon. This is the finest white wine yet from Cos d'Estournel. 95 Pts