Château Cos d'Estournel Complete Guide

The Saint-Estèphe estate was created by Louis Gaspard d'Estournel, who inherited vines near the village of Cos in 1791. His boldness and risk-taking enabled him to rapidly expand his vineyard to 45 hectares. A lover of travel and exploration, Louis Gaspard d'Estournel earned the nickname Maharajah when he exported his wine to India.

Our finest bottles of Château Cos d'Estournel

 

Many of the signs associated with the château echo his travels. The cellar roofs are topped with Chinese pagodas, and sculptures and labels are reminiscent of a howdah (an elephant with a hut on its back for transporting travelers).
Unfortunately, Louis Gaspard d'Estournel had to sell his property, and the château passed from owner to owner throughout the 19th century. However, the quality of the wines remained intact, taking advantage of technological advances to offer wines ever closer to their terroir. The new owner, Michel Reynier, kept his audacity and ambition to make the best wine. Over the years, he will invest in buildings, cellars and vines.
Even then, Louis Gaspard d'Estournel understood the high quality of his terroir and the great potential of his vines. That's why, over the years, he continued to expand his vineyard. One owner followed another, but always with the same philosophy of expansion and development. Today, Cos d'Estournel boasts 100 ha of vines.

 

Cos d'Estournel vineyards

Nothing defines the quality of the château's terroir more explicitly than its name. Indeed, the word "Cos" is of Gascon origin and means "hill of pebbles".
The heart of the vineyard lies on a deep gravel plateau. From this plateau rise slopes, one facing east and the other south, both on gravel and clay soils. Already at that time, everything had been studied to ensure that the work in the vineyard and the grape varieties were adapted to the great diversity of this terroir and its environment.
It has to be said that both the estate and the vines are pampered. The 100 hectares are divided into 10 parcels, each with around 40,000 vines. Each plot is assigned a winemaker who looks after the vines throughout the year. He'll know every nook and cranny, and be able to give it the best possible care.
When it comes to working the vines and harvesting the grapes, it's not uncommon to make an intra-parcel selection. Each plot has its own characteristics and its own grapes, so the sorting and work are very severe, but this is the price we have to pay in order to offer a wine that is representative of the terroir and quality of Château Cos d'Estournel.
Each batch is vinified separately to ensure perfect identification.
Another distinction that shows that Cos d'Estournel remains a family estate: it's not uncommon to see winemakers who are assigned plots working with their grandfather or son, passing on the know-how that is so important to the vineyard.

 

In the cellars

Château Cos d'Estournel boasts the distinction of being the first Bordeaux estate to have an entirely gravity-fed winery. This means that from the moment the grapes are harvested to the moment they are bottled, the entire process takes place without a pump, simply by lowering the product. This avoids any shaking and protects the berries as much as possible.

 

Cos d'Estournel, exceptional wines

The estate has produced some exceptional vintages in recent decades.
Great Bordeaux vintages such as 1982 and 1986 are among the estate's landmark years. Another fantastic vintage, 1990 and 1995, earned Robert Parker magnificent tasting notes. More recently, 2005 and 2010 will stand out in the Bordeaux vineyard. But if there's one year to remember, it's 2009, when Robert Parker awarded the Grail with a score of 100 out of 100.

An ephemeral, exceptional cuvée

COS100

In keeping with its philosophy of quality and luxury in all simplicity, the estate decided to harvest a small quantity of Merlot from the women's plot for the 2015 vintage.
The aim of this cuvée was to get as close as possible to the soul and identity of the estate. A wine of uncompromising quality.

 

 Pagoda de COS, before to discover the identity of the estate

This cuvée was created in 1994 and comes from a well-defined terroir. The average age of the vines is around forty years, with a large majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot.
The aim is to offer a Cos d'Estournel style with more gourmandise and fruit extraction.
It's a good idea to have it in your cellar to wait for the first wine.

 

When should you drink a Cos d'Estournel wine?

The château's wines are endowed with great depth and complexity. Patience is required to enjoy them at their best. A decade or so is needed for the tannins to round out and the wine to reveal its full splendor.
On great vintages such as 2005-2009-2010 or even 2015–2016A minimum ageing period of fifteen years is required.

 

What to drink Cos d'Estournel with?

Once you've had enough, you'll be able to enjoy this sublime bottle. Don't hesitate to open it 2 hours before drinking, to see if it's worth decanting or not. We recommend that you serve it with simple, delicate dishes, such as duck breast or lamb mouse. For bottles aged longer, a poultry dish with character will be perfect.

You have all the keys you need to taste the estate's wines.

 

> Our finest bottles of Château Cos d'Estournel