PAGODES DE COS

2023 du Château Cos d'Estournel Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

Vivid ruby colour, reserved aromatics, well balanced, chalky slightly austere tannins, less exuberant than the 2022 vintage, while still delivering seductive and highly spiced black cherry and cassis fruits, showcasing the potential of St Estèphe in the vintage. Harvest September 12 to 29, 20% new oak. In organic conversion. Drinking range: 2027 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

75cl bottles (wood case of 6)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2023 Les Pagodes de Cos makes a strong statement out of the gate. A blast of intense dark fruit, leather, spice, menthol, game, licorice, dried herbs and chocolate infuses the palate with remarkable textural intensity. Ample and resonant in the glass, with fabulous balance, Les Pagodes is exceptionally fine in 2023. The long, sustained finish is a thing of beauty. Drinking range: 2027 - 2043 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 2% each Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, a typical blend for this wine. This takes 47% of the crop. Compared to G d’Estournel (tasted alongside) this leads with more fruit on the nose, with dark chocolate, dried cherry, fresh blackcurrant and white peach notes. The palate is polished, showing a very nice texture, taut and sinewy but not deficient, holding up very nicely in the midpalate, with no falling off of substance, the dark fruits of the nose here wrapped in powdery tannins. It finishes with a fine grip. A really attractive Pagodes; this vintages suits the Cos style I think. The alcohol on analysis is 12.9%. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The polished and creamy texture here is extremely attractive, with blueberry, blackcurrant and crushed-stone aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with linear tannins, showing polish and finesse. Creamy mouth-feel. Second wine of Cos. 12.9% alcohol. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.