CHÂTEAU COS D'ESTOURNEL

2017 2ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

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 Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

* 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.

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot (their vines aged 80–100 did very well this year), 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Petit Verdot. Harvested 12–30 September. 60% new oak. pH 3.7, IPT 68. 40% of the harvest made it into the grand vin this year (it can be up to 60%), hence a very good Pagodes this vintage). 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. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 17.5+ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 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. Rating: 97-100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 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. Read more at http://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-cos-destournel-st-estephe-2eme-cru-classe-2017-20503#K49Zzk08yo9qdRAO.99 Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 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. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 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. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Dominique Arangoïts feels the hydric stress of summer was a little harder on his Merlot planted on gravel than it was on his Merlot planted on clay, which coped well, and as a consequence he has no qualms about topping up the grand vin volume with some Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon still dominates of course, at 66% of the blend, but this comes with 32% Merlot, and 1% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This is the first time Petit Verdot has been included in the blend since 2012, says Dominique, which must surely be a marker of the ripeness of the vintage. There was no frost damage of note here, and so the yield was a healthy 43 hl/ha across the entire vineyard. The picking kicked off on September 12th, and was all done by the 30th. This wine took 40% of the crop, the rest going into Pagodes. The analyses reveal this to have 13% alcohol, total acidity 3.2 g/l and an IPT of 68, and the élevage will be in 60% new oak barrels. This glossy-crimson coloured wine has a really striking nose, pure, intense, focused and expressive, bursting with dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit, showing a curranty concentration but not with an overly dark fruit profile, the aromatics instead lifted by a precise and floral perfume. While striking, this is convincing and composed rather than over the top. The palate is rather wrapped in oak (and why shouldn't it be at this stage?), but there is great substance here, great finesse, with polished textural confidence, praline and smoke from the oak, along with lightly desiccated fruits, black olive stones, violets and peonies. The tannins are wonderfully finessed, polished and velvety, while the finish is composed and harmonious. This is one of the most striking wines on the Médoc in this vintage. Super. 95-97/100 Rating: 95-97 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

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