Cos d'Estournel 2017

St Estephe, Second Growth

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96 75cl Bottle Case 12 £1,140 per Case Cases [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

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!

Score: 98

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025-2065 16 March 2020

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.

Score: 97 - 100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 27 April 2018

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.

Score: 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2057 01 March 2020

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%.

Score: 92 - 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 May 2018

The grand vin 2017 Chateau Cos D'Estournel checks in as 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new French oak. It's a classic 2017 that shows the straight, very classic style of the vintage with its medium to full body, ripe, present tannins, and solid spine of acidity. Beautiful cassis, green tobacco, graphite, and cedar pencil notes all emerge from the glass, and as with the Pagodes, it's still tight and reserved on the palate. Reminding me of the 1996 with its classic, balanced style, give bottles 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Score: 94

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2025-2045 26 February 2020

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.

Score: 94 - 96

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2045 01 May 2018

Inky with black core and purple rim. Dark-fruited and lightly charry to give a savoury/fruit complexity. Extremely pure cassis. A little more chewy than the Pagodes but still remarkably silky, with clarity, precision and length but without excess richness. Deep and long. Amazing balance already. Great precision, helped by a decade of experience in the new chai, says technical director Dominique Arangoits. Opens in the glass to reveal a hint of something floral. Plenty of depth but no excess weight, and modest alcohol. (17.5+ Points)

Score: 17 - 18

Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2040 27 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.

Score: 94

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2026-2040 01 April 2018