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2021 Cos d'Estournel

96 WE

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From the critics:

96 DEC

96 WE

95 JS

95+ TWI

94 JD

Featured Review
Dense and seriously structured, this wine with its polished leather and cedar aromas is concentrated in tannins. The wine's structure dominates, partnering acidity and ripe texture. Drink from 2028. Wine Enthusiast

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

Critic Reviews

This stands out for its structure, subtle power, balance and finesse. Perfumed and softly sweet on the nose, ripe and concentrated, glorious and inviting. Creamy and chalky at the same time, lovely texture and density with bright and concentrated strawberry and red cherry fruit. Crisp, sweet, salty and sour, a lovely combination of flavours and textures with great drive and an undercurrent of minerality and salty wet stone finish – real St-Estèphe signature.

Decanter | 96 DEC
Dense and seriously structured, this wine with its polished leather and cedar aromas is concentrated in tannins. The wine’s structure dominates, partnering acidity and ripe texture. Drink from 2028.

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE
Floral aromas with violets, lavender and currants. Lead pencil, too. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins that caress and please. Elegant and sophisticated. Linear line of tannins running through this. Needs two or three years to soften. Hold for now.

James Suckling | 95 JS
A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Cos d’Estounel has a deep purple-black color. It hits the ground running with expressive notes of black cherries, fresh blackcurrants, and mulberries, leading to hints of violets, crushed rocks, black olives, and forest floor. Light-bodied and tightly wound in the mouth, the palate features vibrant black berry and floral layers, with a fine-grained texture and bright acidity, finishing long and minerally.

The Wine Independent | 95+ TWI
The Grand Vin 2021 Château Cos D’Estournel checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 55% new French oak. It’s a more restrained, elegant Cos that brings beautiful red and black currant fruit as well as classic damp earth, graphite, scorched earth, and hints of tobacco leaf. This medium-bodied, elegant, seamless 2021 has ripe, polished tannins, remarkable purity, and outstanding length. At just 12.74% alcohol, pH of 3.79, and an IPT of 77, it’s up with the top handful of wines in the vintage. I’d happily drink a bottle today, but it will ideally be given 3-4 years in the cellar and should evolve for 20 or so years in cold cellars.

Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD
The 2021 Cos d’Estournel is one of the denser, more muscular wines of the vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, charcoal, sweet cigar wrapper and subtle hints of smoked meats, framed by a touch of toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s rich and quite concentrated for the vintage, with a chassis of sweet, generously extracted tannin and a long, lusty finish.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP
The 2021 Cos d’Estournel marries power with finesse. It has all the intensity that is typical of the wines here, but also a real sense of precision. Dark-toned fruit, licorice, leather, spice, tobacco and incense all unfold in a rich, heady wine with bitter, astringent tannins. The 2021 is hard to taste today, as it is decidedly quiet and understated.

Vinous Media | 93 VM
Alluring from the get-go, with boysenberry and creamed plum flavors that offer an almost exotic edge, backed by liberal accents of rooibos tea, mulling spices and sweet tobacco. Caressing in the end, this also shows a chalky spine that’s better integrated than most in this vintage, plus a pretty, lingering curl of alder. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2037. 14,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Wine Details for 2021 Cos d'Estournel

Type of Wine Bordeaux Red : Picture in your mind a combination of cedar, lead pencil, blackcurrant, plum and mineral aromatics, and texture that caresses your palate like a playful lover. The experience is thrilling from the first whiff to the final seconds of a tannic, generous finish - that is what you'll get from a Bordeaux Red
Varietal Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country France : Wine is the lifeblood that courses through the country of France, pulsing with vigorous pride and determination. Viticulture is not just a hobby or an occupation in France; it is a passion, a cherished tradition that has been passed down through generations of wine stained hands. Winemaking is a beloved art that has been ingrained in the culture, an aptitude instilled in sons by fathers and the hallmark for which France’s reputation was built, allowing it to be renowned as, arguably, the most important wine producing country in the world.



For centuries, France has been producing wines of superior quality and in much greater quantity than any other country in the world. It boasts some of the most impressive wine regions, coveted vineyards and prestigious wines on earth. The regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Sauternes and Champagne have become the benchmark, for which others aspire to become. Legendary producers such as Chateaux Margaux, Domaine De La Romanee Conti, Chapoutier, d’Yquem and Dom Perignon are idolized world-wide.



France has stamped its name on nearly every style of wine, from the nectar-like sweet Sauternes to hedonistic Chateauneuf Du Papes classic Bordeaux and Burgundy, to its sparkling dominance in Champagne. Many of the most infamous grape varietals in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay originated in France and are not only beloved, but utilized in the creation of some of the greatest wines on earth. French wine production commands the attention of the wine market year after year. With over 860,000 hectares under vine, and numbers close to 50 million hectoliters of wine produced annually, France dominates the market and sets the standard for not only product quality, but also quantity.



France’s many contributions to the world of wine have been absolutely indispensable. The country is the originator of the term “Premier Cru,” coined the term Terroir (a French term so complex there is no literal translation) and has laid the blueprint for a structured appellation system, which others have implemented in their own countries. French vineyard techniques and winemaking practices are mimicked world-wide. California vintners have been replicating Rhone style wines for decades, South America has adopted the French varietal of Malbec and countries around the world are imitating Burgundian styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.



With vast diversity in terroir, France is home to some of the most hospitable winegrowing locations on earth. The combination of topography, geology, climate, rainfall and even the amount of sunlight combined with the long historical tradition of winegrowing and making, has allowed the vintners of France to not only hone their skills, but learn from nature to create a product that like the world in which it resides… is very much alive.
Region Bordeaux : Even among the greatest and most reputable wine regions on the planet, Bordeaux stands above the rest. The winemakers of this region have a single-minded dedication to the fine art of viticulture and their efforts never fail to show. If you consider yourself a fine wine enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to visit Bordeaux - life changing. Whether you wish to drink some inspirational and gripping wine as soon as possible, or you want to add some masterpieces to your collection, no region on Earth is a more obvious choice.

The noble and beautiful Garonne and Dordogne rivers surge through southwestern France, enriching the soil in a way very few other places can boast. The limestone-based earth is rich in calcium, and the almost oceanic climate conditions give the staple Bordeaux grape varietals vigor and flavor like nowhere else. For their illustrious reds, Bordeaux winemakers rely on a proven combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Meanwhile, a sip of their excellent white wine hints at the use of Semillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc.Each of these varietals carries a unique identity, making every quality wine a character piece to rival Citizen Kane. It can be incredibly hard to choose only a few wines to collect for your cellar!
Subregion Left Bank
Appellation Saint Estephe
Cru Second Growth

Overview

Producer Chateau Cos D'estournel : Terroir is a French term for all the natural environmental forces which affect a wine-growing region, from soil structure to each and every nuance of the climate. It is so complex that there is no English translation. It is vital to the success of vine growth and grape ripening. Wine-growers around the world take great pride in the terroir in which they are granted. This is especially true for Chateau Cos d’Estournel.

Cos d’Estournel lies at the entrance to Saint-Estephe; a village in the northern reaches of the Medoc. Ideally situated at the heart of an undulating landscape of rolling contours that serve as inspiration for its name. “Cos” is derived from the word for “hill of pebbles,” in the old Gascon dialect. Here on a plateau of deep gravel which encompasses the core of the site of both gravel and clay, while both hills sloping downward benefit respectively from eastern and southwestern exposures. The exposure along with soil type of each plot planted down to each row as well as respect for nature and environmental concerns determine the selection of grape varieties and growing techniques.

Here, the terroir dictates winegrowing. It is not the ideal to plant the varieties desired or thought to excel in the terrain but decided solely by nature. It is mastery of nature’s design with human understanding and appreciation that allows for this geographical and geological hot-bed to thrive. Merlot is found to the east where clay-limestone soils are prevalent. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on the highest parts of the plateau, where drainage is ideal. Cos d’Estournel benefits from an unparalleled combination of soils and exposures which allows the wine to expresses itself through its unrivaled genius collaboration of human and natural contribution.

Its prized location, nestled between the Gironde Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean, is where the oceanic climate tempers the extreme weather conditions and where Louis Gaspard d’Estournel planted the seeds of the iconic chateau that we know today. Upon inheriting the property in 1791, he was deeply convinced that the terroir of the hill of cos was exceptional. He invested massively in the acquisition of neighboring lands swelling the property from 14 to 45 hectares. His passion, innovation and respect for the land and nature led to the tremendous success that Cos d’Estournel still enjoys to this day. He worked tirelessly to propel his property to top tier status. Sadly, he died in 1853 but the fruits of his labor would come to fruition when in 1855, when Cos d’Estournel was officially classified a Second Growth Bordeaux.

Today, the property is owned and operated by Michel Reybier who is committed to the same excellence implemented by the man whose name remains on the door of this exceptional estate. He was so moved by the extraordinary personality of the estate and the audacity of its founder that when looking to procure a Bordeaux property, he said that it would be “Cos and only Cos.” Since taking control in 2000, he has implemented the planting of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, which are used to produce the Cos d’Estournel Blanc and Les Pagodes De Cos Blanc. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot were planted to supplement Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the second wine, Les Pagodes De Cos. The flagship remains true to its identity and to what nature dictated, blended of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and married on the optimal growing hill of pebbles. 32,000 cases are produced annually.

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