Na een koele en droge zomer werden de druiven binnengehaald tussen 12 en 30 september. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot en 1% Cabernet Franc. Elevage in 60% nieuwe eik. Explosieve en absoluut volmaakte wijn van het allerhoogste niveau. Gezien de doorgevoerde inspanningen is dit niet helemaal verwonderlijk. Wat echter wel verrast is de onwezenlijke charme die deze Cos uitstraalt. Cos grenst aan Lafite in Pauillac en de kwaliteit benadert sinds 2001 die van de Premiers Grands Crus Classés. De fantastische nieuwe installaties behoren tot de meest vooruitstrevende van Bordeaux. De chai wordt volledig aangestuurd via zwaartekracht; er komen geen pompen aan te pas. Deze Cos d’Estournel zal u verbluffen en de Wine Advocate score van 97-100 liegt er niet om!
IN DE PERS
95 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Februari 2020)
The 2017 Cos d’Estournel showed extremely well from barrel and likewise in bottle, continuing this estate’s strong run of form since the 2014 vintage. You instantaneously fall in love with the nose that bursts forth with blackberry, raspberry coulis, crushed stone, iodine and pressed iris petal. The 60% new oak is beautifully integrated. Quintessentially Cos d’Estournel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple black fruit laced with black truffle and graphite, quite Pauillac-like in style, which is no surprise given its location. This is very focused and perhaps understated compared to the 2016, yet its freshness and vivacity are undeniable. "Streamlined, cool and linear" I wrote at en primeur... I have no reason to alter that sentiment. Drink 2025-2060.
94-96 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Mei 2018)
The 2017 Cos d’Estournel is matured in 60% new oak and comprises 13% alcohol, approximately the same as the 2016. It has a more expressive and welcoming bouquet than usual, maybe more indicative of how this wine will mature in bottle, less opaque than the 2016. A common theme throughout the range from Cos d’Estournel is a Pauillac-inspired backbone/tannic structure coupled with an attractive scent wafting over from the estuary...think mudflats, oyster shells and the tang of sea spray. It gains a little intensity with aeration but never fully lets go. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannin, rendering this .one of the most approachable barrel samples from the estate in recent years The coolness of the latter part of the season defines this Saint-Estèphe more than the precocity of June: streamlined, cool and linear with a velvety finish that feels sleek, to the point of being understated, though that belies its length and focus. This is simply a very classy wine in the making and typical of the more recent sophisticated style pursued by the property in recent years. Drink 2022-2045.
95 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Maart 2020)
A bold, dramatic wine, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is seriously impressive today. Time in barrel has done wonders for the 2017, a wine that has really gained depth in élevage. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, new leather, licorice, smoke and incense infuse the 2017 with tons of character, with the 60% new oak very well judged. In 2017, Cos has a level of textural resonance that eludes many Saint-Estèphes. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink 2027-2057.
92-95 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Mei 2018)
The 2017 Cos d'Estournel is a sleek, polished wine built on finesse more than power. Sweet, perfumed aromatics and silky tannins add to that impression. In 2017 the Grand Vin shows a distinctly red-fruit and floral character that matches its mid-weight personality nicely. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. New oak is around 60%.
94 Jane Anson – decanter.com (April 2018)
This is exceptional, if a touch below the intensity and harmony of 2016. I love the density that's displayed in this wine, showcasing luxurious, well-enrobed tannins. The complexity steals up on you little by little, the dark cassis and plum fruit character deepening through the palate with flashes of sage, charcoal, cigar box, graphite and taut tannins. The colour difference is marked between the grand vin and second wine, with the Cos extremely deep damson in colour following a one-month maceration at 30 degrees and clever use of the press. Harvested 12- 30 September. 40% of production went into the grand vin. 3.7pH. IPT68. 60% new oak. Drink 2026-2040.
98+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW – robertparker.com (April 2018)
Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age! Drink 2025-2065.
Due to its proximity to the Gironde estuary, none of the vines were impacted by frost in 2017 at Cos d’Estournel. Flowering took place on May 22, which was exceedingly early. In June, there were early signs of water stress, and the vines were slowing down and sluggish, according to technical director Dominique Arangoïts. But the vines at this vineyard are now coming in at an average age of 55 years old, which suggests they are capable of managing a bit of water stress. Thankfully, by the end of June, there was enough rain to reinvigorate the vines. This hydric stress appears to have equated to the formation of relatively small, thick-skinned berries in 2017. Thanks to the early flowering, it was an early start to the harvest: September 12. Harvest continued through until the end of the month.
97-100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW – robertparker.com (April 2018)
The final blend of the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers up intense scents of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and black cherries with touches of incense, spice cake, star anise and plum preserves plus a perfumed hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with very firm yet wonderfully ripe, "sweet", fine-grained tannins at just 13% alcohol—something of a miracle in our modern times. The palate sports fantastic freshness and tons of energy emitted from the intensely perfumed black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lingering mineral note. Truly profound.
98 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com
Quite the bottle here! Spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, as well as dried meat and plums with cedar and sandalwood. Full body. Deep and dense in the center palate and a long, long finish. Shows finesse and tightness. Very polished tannins. Long and ethereal. Try after 2023."
97-98 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Maart 2018)
Love tasting this wine. You almost want to drink it for its harmony and balance. Full-bodied and so complete with cloves, spices, dark berries and hints of chocolate. Wonderful integration on the finish.
16,5/20 Julia Harding MW – jancisrobinson.com (April 2018)
Very deep crimson. Lifted and lightly leafy nose alongside fresh dark fruit. Darker and more savoury on the palate, like char but seems to be more from the fruit than from the oak, a dark savoury character. Dry, fine texture. Sober, firm but supple. Not a lot of joy (yet) but there's harmony and elegance. Drink 2025-2040.
94-96 Jeb Dunnuck – jebdunnuck.com (April 2018)
A wine that might surpass the 2014 and 2015, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel checks in as a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, harvested between the 12th and 30th of September, and brought up in 60% new French oak. While it’s not a huge wine, it has incredible purity and precision as well as terrific notes of crème de cassis, graphite, damp earth, and crushed rock. Possessing ultra-fine tannin, beautiful balance, and again, awesome purity of fruit, it’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and cruise for two decades in the cellar.
94 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.fr (April 2018)
17,5-18/20 Revue des Vins de France – rvf.com (April 2018)
95-97 Roger Voss – wineenthusiast.com (April 2018)
Cos d'EstournelZodra de D2 Saint Estèphe bereikt vanuit Pauillac, verheft Cos d’Estournel zijn herkenbaar silhouet met XIXde eeuwse Pagodes. Cos is zo de onmiddellijke buur van Lafite Rothschild, zoals Léoville las Cases dit is in Saint Julien voor Latour. Het terroir is excellent en erkend als Deuxième Grand Cru Classé sinds 1855. Eigenaar Michel Reybier, een industrieel uit de voedingsindustrie en magnaat in het hotelwezen, laat Cos wedijveren met de Premiers Grands Crus Classés. De uitrusting was mooi, ze is nu hyper efficiënt. Sinds 2009 maakt bijvoorbeeld een "state of the art" liftensysteem pompen overbodig. Conische inox cuves zorgen voor een uiterst precieze vinification parcellaire. De eerste "perfecte" 100 parkerpunten volgden voor 2009 en 2016. Het zullen niet de laatste zijn...
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