Cos D'Estournel 2009 Barrel Sample

[Jim Goodman]

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I was helping a friend inventory his cellar the other day, and he had this strange half bottle with a Cos D'Estournel label on it that had handwriting…. I asked what it was and he said that the winemaker had been in town and given it to him, it was a barrel sample. I said, "perfect for lunch", and to my surprise, he agreed and opened it up.

What was it like…? It was inky in it's color with great aromas of dark berries. It has an amazing palate feel and great finish. Also had hints of dark fruit and dark/blue berries with a bit of licorice and spice. Loved how even the thin film on the glass ("legs") was deep wine colored! Big wine with lots of structure and good tannins. It was truly amazing…. Not that I want to give it a "number", but if I had to, let's just say that I don't think it could get any higher !

[Christer Byklum]

2009 Château Cos d'Estournel;
(Barrel sample) Deep ruby, ruby/pink rim. Intense, sweet, huge, cassis, blackberries, coffee, plum jam. Again, huge and sweet on the palate, think Napa Valley, Arnold wrestling plum juice, huge tannins, and are they fully ripe? Some green and herbal touches in the finish, burnt coffe beans, blockbuster. Very dry finish, just tannins and herbs. 86-93 (Very difficult to judge the future of this one)

My view of it.....

[Jeff Leve]

Jim... Welcome to the boards. It's good seeing you here. I loved 2009 Cos. For me, it was was one of the most exciting wines I tasted..

I tasted it 4 times. This is one of my notes.

St. Estephe
2009 Cos d’Estournel is midnight black, with dark purple accents. The wine smells like a basket of fresh picked blackberries and blueberries with fresh 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 fresh, pure essences of black and blue fruit complicated with 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 in a discussion on the wine 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 is never touched by human hands.”

The wine is expensive. For most people, the thought is paying $300 for 2009 Cos D’Estournel is out of the question. That is 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 on buying 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. I can also share this little known fact, not much 2009 COS was sold to America. Other countries took larger shares. I have no idea what is going to happen in 2011 when the wine is released, but based on the quality, if you can afford it. It is worth considering.

2009 Les Pagodes de Cos is a scaled down version of Cos d’Estournel. It lacks the intensity and completeness, but at a fraction of the price, it offers some of what makes COS sublime in 2009. Dark berries, floral, spice and chocolate aromatics fill your glass. The long finish ends with waves of ripe, dark, fresh berries and spice. 91-93 Pts

[Christer Byklum]

I tasted it twice, with similar feelings both times. As Jeremy Clarckson of Top Gear would describe a Dodge Wiper, massively fast, but with no finesse, and horrible turning capasities..... But I do not find the 07 Chateauneuf du Papes sexy either, I think it's a wine that defines your style of palate...... Some love big, bulky muscles, like a Dodge Charger, others like fragile, lean and layered, like an old Ferrari, both will get you there quickly..... but very different experiences, and both styles are not for everyone to enjoy.