April 18, 2024 - Drinking perfectly now. Smooth tannins with a ripe blackcurrant core. Got the Cos power. The length of the finish brings down the score. Slight mature taste with a earthiness that doesn’t dominate
February 27, 2024 - A Big wine. Attacks your mouth relentlessly. Some Ppl here say the wine is ready for consumption. I disagree. This needs more time to settle down and mellow out. It’s a good wine but it’s not in balance. Even tried the 2nd day. I decanted this for about N hour an left in the bottle for a day an a few other hours. It’s powerful I get a lot of dark fruits on the nose It has a long lingering finish. The finish is better than the initial taste. This has the potential to score higher but not at the moment for me. I gave it a 92. It’s too aggressive. Giving a glass 3 hours off air an oh how things have changed The wine has finally integrated an balanced out. I gave it a 92 when it was in its aggressive state. It’s at a 93 now an could possibly be a 94.
February 24, 2024 - I selected this wine to accompany some great ribeye for a celebration dinner at Bavette's in Chicago.
Decanted for about an hour before consuming, which opened the wine up rather nicely. Think of a football player doing ballet. A lot of creamy red and black berries alongside hints of licorice, mint, cedar, along with smoldering tobacco and leather on the backend. Clear fruit and great structure with polished tannins. Like some other reviewers, the fruit was indeed hogging a bit of the spotlight, but perhaps that's what a nice fat ribeye steak needs next to it. Drink now or wait at least a few more years for prime balance.
93-94 points. Delicious.
February 15, 2024 - A silky, supple and yet tannic wine, this is divisive due to its "modernity", but its a very very good wine, indeed, excellent. Paired with filet mignon it was a bit over the top. This wine was better on its own tonight. I think the ideal steak pairing would be ribeye. As noted above, Excellent.
February 7, 2024 - Red Bordeaux Blend (chez moi): a very good & mature 2nd wine from a GCC BX
January 6, 2024 - From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 2 hours. Strong "barnyard" horesesh*t, asian spice and dried licquorice scent; the palate suffers from 14,5% alc. heat all the way from the stern, distinctively St. Estèphe entry to the over-rich, muscle-bound, stiff, almost Napa-thick mid-palate. This is miles away both from my memories of pre-2000 Cos GV, and indeed from almost all other, more happy recent experiences with many less exalted, but mainly balanced, appealing, generous 2009s (Angludet, d'Armaihac, Clerc Milon, Gloria... etc.) but NOT including Phélan, which I remember tasting about as sullen and unsmilingly dour as this Pagodes. If that's the future of Pagodes, even Cos GV, let alone St. Estèphe in general, then I suddenly find myself caring less about the hefty price hikes of recent years, and thinking about selling off some bottles in stock to buy something more enjoyable instead. 89-90P(?)
November 27, 2023 - Outstanding and ready. After a brief decant this is a full-throttle intense Bordeaux. Dark fruits and cassis on the palate.
November 14, 2023 - Why just 91 points? because it sat at the adult table!
This grape juice is one of the best 2nd wines and 2009 was a great one. However, sitting at the adult table (Cos d'Estournel 1985-2009) it was difficult for this young gun to participate. Very close to its older brother though (2009 Cos d'Estournel).
harmonizing tannins and acidity, astonishingly long finish - ready to drink and enjoy, also down the road of time.
Compared to the first wine from the same estate, it is less complex.
October 14, 2023 - This poured dark as a moonless night. Aromatically, dark-fruited with some earthy and faint floral notes. The depth and polish of fruit here is quite striking. Excellent balance with a long finish and lots of youthful exuberance. I suspect this will improve further over the next 5 years or so given the wine's considerable stuffing. I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. Hard to believe it's a second wine.
October 12, 2023 - A high 95 because it is one of the best 2nd wines imho!
2009 vintage is perfect for PnP and a fantastic buddy on a fall sundowner. Problem: to tasty so that you will share it with your loved ones (tip: open two bottles at the same time;-)).
harmonizing tannins and acidity, astonishingly long finish - ready to drink and enjoy, also down the road of time.