Vertical Tasting of Château Cos d’Estournel From 2000 to 2014 Vintages
The second-growth Bordeaux estate Château Cos d’Estournel in Saint-Estèphe is a mystic and mesmerizing winery by any definition. The singular chateau emerges from Médoc’s vast Atlantic forests, and stands as a unique landmark with its distinctive orient-inspired architecture, surrounded by (almost at odds with) neighboring solemn chateaux including first growth Lafite.
But what really strikes people perhaps more than its imposing oriental design is its wines, particularly the reds. The wines are not only a genuine expression of Saint-Estèphe, but achieve a style all of their own. Blended mostly from cabernet sauvignon and merlot, they show great clarity and precision.
Vintage after vintage, the winery has been making great wines, but it’s only since Michel Reybier took over in 2000 that it has been producing world-class reds. James just recently did a vertical tasting from its 2000 vintage to the 2014 vintage at the beautiful Médoc chateau to commemorate its 15 years of ownership under the Swiss entrepreneur, and some of the wines that James tasted years ago still hold well and taste fresh today. A few of the bottles such as the 2002 and 2007 vintages even came as surprises for James as he notes in the tasting, both are underestimated reds.
Even in difficult vintages such as 2011, the winery managed to produce a “racy and superb” red, as James points out in the tasting note. It really raised the bar and the winery’s 2011 red was inarguably one of the best for the vintage, maintains James.
But the strength of this Bordeaux second growth really shines through when its 2009 vintage came along. The wine was named as James’ Wine of The Year 2011. James tasted the wine in different occasions over the past few years, yet still when tasting it this time, the wine lives up to its name. “A true monumental Cos” as he extols. The 2010 and 2005 vintages came close and are both top Bordeaux wines as you can see from James’ vertical tasting below.
Stay tuned as there’s no doubt we will see more great wines from this Médoc winery. Below are the wines tasted by James, ranked by score. Click on the names for notes and scores.
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2009
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2005
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2010
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2003
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2014
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2012
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2011
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2004
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2002
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2008
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2001
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2000
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2006
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2007
Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2013
– Natalie Wang