Cos d'Estournel 2009

St Estephe, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes
This is amazing as always with layers of fruit and firm, velvety tannins. Full body, incredible depth of fruit and length. Currants, raspberries and Indian spices. It goes on for minutes. A monumental Cos. Greatest ever from here. Better in five years, but amazing. Score: 100 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 22 September 2015
What a fabulous nose of currants, raspberries and Indian spices. Nutmeg and clover. Full-bodied, with an amazing precision and superb compacted fruit. Endless. Laser guided. Shows such intensity. Decadent and rich and changing all the time. Mystical wine. Dense, yet agile. More refined than when I tasted it in November in Hong Kong. Try in 2018. Score: 100 James Suckling, - Maturity: 2018+ 15 February 2012
This smells like Harlan a bit. Supercharged in fruit, with intense aromas of tar, spice, cardamon, clove, blackberry and black pepper. Crazy nose. Full-bodied, with masses of fruit, yet focused and in form. Chewy tannins, with great length. This goes on and on. Incredibly exotic. Could be best ever from here? Score: 97 - 100 James Suckling, Wine Spectator 01 April 2010
One of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted, the monumental 2009 Cos d’Estournel has lived up to its pre-bottling potential. A remarkable effort from winemaking guru Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot (33%) and a touch of Cabernet Franc (2%) was cropped at 33 hectoliters per hectare. It boasts an inky/black/purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of white flowers interwoven with blackberry and blueberry liqueur, incense, charcoal and graphite. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, balance and intensity as well as perfect equilibrium, and a seamless integration of tannin, acidity, wood and alcohol. An iconic wine as well as a remarkable achievement, it is the greatest Cos d’Estournel ever produced. It is approachable enough at present that one could appreciate it with several hours of decanting, but it will not hit its prime for a decade, and should age effortlessly for a half century. Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2072 01 March 2012
The 2009 Cos d’Estournel is one of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted ... in the world! An extraordinary effort I tasted on two separate occasions, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with a dollop of Cabernet Franc has a whopping 14.5% alcohol, but a remarkably normal pH of 3.69. Kudos to Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier for this amazing wine made from yields of 33 hectoliters per hectare. It will be a legendary claret that should last for 50-60 years. A black/purple color is accompanied by aromas of graphite, ink, creme de cassis, blackberries, cedar, and incense. Full-bodied and unctuously textured, with an ethereal personality, tons of nuances, and a burgeoning complexity, it is an enormously well-endowed, fresh, perfectly balanced tour de force in winemaking. As mentioned above, it should drink well for 50-60 years. This wine possesses this vintage’s classic characteristics of enormous power, massive fruit, and extraordinary freshness and precision - largely unprecedented, particularly for Cabernet-based wines in the Medoc. (Tasted two times.) Score: 98 - 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-70 01 April 2010
IPT (total polyphenol index) 99 is volunteered, along with 14.5%, TA 3.1 g/l (sulphuric, ie 4.75 tartaric), pH 3.69. 56% of the crop went into Cos. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 80% new barrels. Prats: ‘A bit like 2003, average yield 33 hl/ha. We had to reject all the [most stressed] south-facing parcels where the vines shut down. It’s a very atypical, baroque Cos.’ Very dark indeed. Blackish crimson. Not much scent though obviously very ripe. Firmer than some of the more obvious Napa Valley-style wines in 2009 with the tannins much more obvious. But a coolness on the finish. This may come round eventually. It is much more demanding than most 2009s and will need SO long. A very exaggerated wine with a bit of a hole in the middle. A definite lack of freshness. Does remind me a little bit of Pavie 2003. To be generous I’m assuming that in the far distant future it may resolve itself but I can’t quite understand why they let the grapes get so ripe. Harvest dates are pretty similar to Ch Latour but the results are very different. 16.5+ points. 14,5% Alc Score: 16 - 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2024-2040 01 April 2010
A famed Super-Second, Jean-Guillaume Prats has succeeded in taking quality at Cos to new heights with a superb run of vintages since 2001. Cos is a property that is constantly measuring itself against the First Growths in an effort to push quality to the heights. One of the most talked-of Chateaux in Bordeaux, Cos is fast becoming one of the most controversial also, the 2009 pushing the limits of ripeness and exoticism. 65CS 33M 2CF. 14.5% alcohol and tannin index of 99! A complex nose of cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, blackberries and candied peel but less typically Cos than in previous years. In the mouth it is incredibly opulent and packed with luscious sweet fruit. Very ripe and seductive with hints of prunes and the texture of pure silk. Great precision and strength with a soy sauce finish and and powerful finish. Fabulous wine even if such flamboyant ripeness is not at all typical! Score: 95 - 98 Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010
Tasted twice on separate occasions at the property. Stylistically, the Cos d’Estournel sets itself apart from the entire Left Bank, though I am uncertain whether this is a positive thing. Coming in with an IPT of 99 and tangible 14.5% alcohol, it is endowed with an extremely rich, decadent nose with macerated black cherries, cassis, a touch of crème de menthe, melted chocolate and a hint of fig. This is an extremely powerful nose that bears more relationship with the Douro than the Gironde. It is endowed with Leviathan tannins that form a massive, arching structure, moderate acidity, the power seeming to dominate the finish at the expense of a little finesse. This is a Cos d’Estournel that wants to make a bold impression. Leaving it for 15-20 minutes there is a change in the glass, becoming rounder and more harmonized, certainly some of the heat dissipating and yet one has to question whether stylistically, it has forsaken its identity as quintessential Saint Estephe? Another sample with one hour decanting with a little smoother and yet still showed a little hardness and alcohol on the finish. Tasted March 2010. 89-91+ points Score: 89 - 91 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 29 March 2010

Tasting Notes

This is amazing as always with layers of fruit and firm, velvety tannins. Full body, incredible depth of fruit and length. Currants, raspberries and Indian spices. It goes on for minutes. A monumental Cos. Greatest ever from here. Better in five years, but amazing.

Score: 100

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 22 September 2015

What a fabulous nose of currants, raspberries and Indian spices. Nutmeg and clover. Full-bodied, with an amazing precision and superb compacted fruit. Endless. Laser guided. Shows such intensity. Decadent and rich and changing all the time. Mystical wine. Dense, yet agile. More refined than when I tasted it in November in Hong Kong. Try in 2018.

Score: 100

James Suckling, - Maturity: 2018+ 15 February 2012

This smells like Harlan a bit. Supercharged in fruit, with intense aromas of tar, spice, cardamon, clove, blackberry and black pepper. Crazy nose. Full-bodied, with masses of fruit, yet focused and in form. Chewy tannins, with great length. This goes on and on. Incredibly exotic. Could be best ever from here?

Score: 97 - 100

James Suckling, Wine Spectator 01 April 2010

One of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted, the monumental 2009 Cos d’Estournel has lived up to its pre-bottling potential. A remarkable effort from winemaking guru Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot (33%) and a touch of Cabernet Franc (2%) was cropped at 33 hectoliters per hectare. It boasts an inky/black/purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of white flowers interwoven with blackberry and blueberry liqueur, incense, charcoal and graphite. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, balance and intensity as well as perfect equilibrium, and a seamless integration of tannin, acidity, wood and alcohol. An iconic wine as well as a remarkable achievement, it is the greatest Cos d’Estournel ever produced. It is approachable enough at present that one could appreciate it with several hours of decanting, but it will not hit its prime for a decade, and should age effortlessly for a half century.

Score: 100

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2072 01 March 2012

The 2009 Cos d’Estournel is one of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted ... in the world! An extraordinary effort I tasted on two separate occasions, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with a dollop of Cabernet Franc has a whopping 14.5% alcohol, but a remarkably normal pH of 3.69. Kudos to Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier for this amazing wine made from yields of 33 hectoliters per hectare. It will be a legendary claret that should last for 50-60 years. A black/purple color is accompanied by aromas of graphite, ink, creme de cassis, blackberries, cedar, and incense. Full-bodied and unctuously textured, with an ethereal personality, tons of nuances, and a burgeoning complexity, it is an enormously well-endowed, fresh, perfectly balanced tour de force in winemaking. As mentioned above, it should drink well for 50-60 years. This wine possesses this vintage’s classic characteristics of enormous power, massive fruit, and extraordinary freshness and precision - largely unprecedented, particularly for Cabernet-based wines in the Medoc. (Tasted two times.)

Score: 98 - 100

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-70 01 April 2010

IPT (total polyphenol index) 99 is volunteered, along with 14.5%, TA 3.1 g/l (sulphuric, ie 4.75 tartaric), pH 3.69. 56% of the crop went into Cos. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 80% new barrels. Prats: ‘A bit like 2003, average yield 33 hl/ha. We had to reject all the [most stressed] south-facing parcels where the vines shut down. It’s a very atypical, baroque Cos.’ Very dark indeed. Blackish crimson. Not much scent though obviously very ripe. Firmer than some of the more obvious Napa Valley-style wines in 2009 with the tannins much more obvious. But a coolness on the finish. This may come round eventually. It is much more demanding than most 2009s and will need SO long. A very exaggerated wine with a bit of a hole in the middle. A definite lack of freshness. Does remind me a little bit of Pavie 2003. To be generous I’m assuming that in the far distant future it may resolve itself but I can’t quite understand why they let the grapes get so ripe. Harvest dates are pretty similar to Ch Latour but the results are very different. 16.5+ points. 14,5% Alc

Score: 16 - 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2024-2040 01 April 2010

A famed Super-Second, Jean-Guillaume Prats has succeeded in taking quality at Cos to new heights with a superb run of vintages since 2001. Cos is a property that is constantly measuring itself against the First Growths in an effort to push quality to the heights. One of the most talked-of Chateaux in Bordeaux, Cos is fast becoming one of the most controversial also, the 2009 pushing the limits of ripeness and exoticism. 65CS 33M 2CF. 14.5% alcohol and tannin index of 99! A complex nose of cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, blackberries and candied peel but less typically Cos than in previous years. In the mouth it is incredibly opulent and packed with luscious sweet fruit. Very ripe and seductive with hints of prunes and the texture of pure silk. Great precision and strength with a soy sauce finish and and powerful finish. Fabulous wine even if such flamboyant ripeness is not at all typical!

Score: 95 - 98

Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2010

Tasted twice on separate occasions at the property. Stylistically, the Cos d’Estournel sets itself apart from the entire Left Bank, though I am uncertain whether this is a positive thing. Coming in with an IPT of 99 and tangible 14.5% alcohol, it is endowed with an extremely rich, decadent nose with macerated black cherries, cassis, a touch of crème de menthe, melted chocolate and a hint of fig. This is an extremely powerful nose that bears more relationship with the Douro than the Gironde. It is endowed with Leviathan tannins that form a massive, arching structure, moderate acidity, the power seeming to dominate the finish at the expense of a little finesse. This is a Cos d’Estournel that wants to make a bold impression. Leaving it for 15-20 minutes there is a change in the glass, becoming rounder and more harmonized, certainly some of the heat dissipating and yet one has to question whether stylistically, it has forsaken its identity as quintessential Saint Estephe? Another sample with one hour decanting with a little smoother and yet still showed a little hardness and alcohol on the finish. Tasted March 2010. 89-91+ points

Score: 89 - 91

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 29 March 2010

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