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2009 Château Cos d'Estournel St. Estèphe Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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2009
Château Cos d'Estournel  (St. Estèphe)
98
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.

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.

1,868 Views   Tasted
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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.

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.

5,041 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

8,086 Views   Tasted
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!

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!

11,724 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

13,225 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

15,632 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

16,158 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

20,380 Views   Tasted
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.

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.

21,140 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Chateau Cos d'Estournel, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Cos d'Estournel can be enjoyed early, with a long decanting, but it is not when the wine shows its best. The wine is much better with several years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Most vintages demand at least 12 to 20 years before the wine starts showing its best attributes.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-40 years of life. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau Cos d'Estournel with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Cos d'Estournel is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel is perfect for pairing with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted braised, and grilled dishes. Cos d'Estournel is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Cos d'Estournel Blanc and other wines of the estate

Chateau Cos d'Estournel also makes a dry, white Bordeaux wine, Cos d'Estournel Blanc from a 10 hectare parcel of vines. The wine is produced from a blend of of approximately 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, although that can vary depending on the vintage. The white wine grapes are grown north of Saint Estephe, in the Jau-Dignac and Loirac regions.

In 2018, to improve the quality of their white wine, the estate introduced a second white wine, Pagodes de Cos Blanc. Most of the vines used to produce Pagodes de Cos Blanc were previously used in Goulee Blanc, which is no longer in production.

For the white wine of Cos d'Estournel, the terroir is a mix of sand, clay, small stones and limestone soils. The vineyard is close to their Goulee property, which is in the Medoc, directly north of Saint Estephe which is a naturally cooler terroir.

The debut vintage for Chateau Cos d'Estournel Blanc was 2005. For the first few vintages, the production was close to 100 cases.

Because the initial production was so small, the wine was not available for sale as a future until 2009. At that point, the production rose to close to 200 cases, which was considered enough for their white Bordeaux wine to be offered as a future.

To produce Cos d'Estournel Blanc, the wine is barrel fermented and aged in a combination of new and one-year-old, French oak barrels to maintain maximum freshness. There is no malolactic fermentation or skin contact. The wine is best enjoyed in its youth. The wine is sold as a generic AOC Bordeaux Blanc.

Cos d'Estournel Blanc is best served with all types of seafood and various cheeses.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel makes a second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos, which was first produced with the 1994 vintage. Originally, the second wine was called Marbuzet. The majority of the fruit came from their vineyard called Marbuzet, hence the name. The name was changed after both properties were purchased by Michel Reybier.

Today, the grapes used in the second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos can from time to time, include fruit from Marbuzet, their other estate in St. Estephe, as well as grapes from young vines and declassified wine intended for Cos d'Estournel.

Since 2005, Les Pagodes de Cos has morphed into one of the better second wines in all of Bordeaux. On average, Les Pagodes de Cos is aged in 40% new, French oak barrels.

In 2003, the Reybier group produced their debut vintage of Goulee by Cos d'Estournel from a vineyard they own in the Medoc, which is situated north of St. Estephe. In 2009 Michel Reybier and Chateau Cos d'Estournel purchased vineyards in Tokaji with they obtained the Hetszolo estate.

Michel Reybier is also an investor in Champagne, with a company he owns, The Pressoirs de France group. The company is a large supplier of bulk and inexpensive Champagne to big supermarkets in England. The wine is sold as Michel Reybier Champagne. In 2020, Michel Reybier purchased a large vineyard in Provence, Chateau La Mascaronne.

More than just interests in vineyards takes place in Bordeaux for the owner of Cos d'Estournel. In 2019, they opened a high-end hotel in Saint Estephe, La Maison d'Estournel on the site of the previously named Chateau Pomys. The hotel has 14 well-appointed guest rooms and suites, a restaurant, and a wine-tasting bar. In addition, Reybier also owns the luxury chain of hotels, La Reserve.

Starting with the 2012 vintage, Cos d'Estournel began to use the Tesa system of anti-counterfeiting measures as well, allowing consumers to verify the authenticity of their bottle with the use of a bar code sticker that is placed on the label and the original wood case.

www.estournel.com