PAGODES DE COS
2020 du Château Cos d'Estournel Saint Estèphe
Spicy redcurrants with dark chocolate, as well as bark and black tea on the nose. Full-bodied with firm and fine tannins that are nicely velvet in texture. Delicious and savory finish. Needs four or five years to come together. Try after 2026. Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
* 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 2020 Les Pagodes de Cos is dark, sumptuous and super-expressive. There is an element of mystery to the 2020, it’s a wine that is not ready to show all of its charms just yet. Ripe dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, tobacco, incense and dried herbs all build nicely in a Pagodes that balances fruit richness and energy. Drinking range: 2024 - 2035 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Les Pagodes de Cos, which represents around half the volume, no longer displays Graves-like tropes that it did in barrel. It coheres nicely in the glass with quite high-toned black fruit laced with allspice and light iodine scents. The palate is medium-bodied and has retained the smooth veneer that I remarked upon from barrel, gentle grip, quite pure with blackberry, dark chocolate and light cedar notes towards the finish. It's a Deuxième Vin that just wants to give pleasure without making you wait. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Les Pagodes de Cos is very easy to like. Silky tannins and pretty, lifted aromatics play off a core of supple fruit. In most vintages, the Pagodes is perhaps a bit more exuberant. I am curious to see what things look like once the 2020 is in bottle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Les Pagodes de Cos has a well-defined, almost Graves-like bouquet of a mélange of red and black fruit: punnets of freshly picked strawberries and raspberried, and blackberries following later. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins. This Les Pagodes has a smooth veneer, just a faint wisp of dark chocolate and espresso infusing the predominantly red fruit. A second wine that will probably drink well after one or two years in bottle. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot 30% new oak 13.28% alc 39 hl/ha 68 IPT I am rather impressed with Pagodes in 2020 given that it seems like it is, in almost every way imaginable, a scaled-down version of its parent wine. I know that the traditional sense of a second wine is precisely this, but in the modern era of Bordeaux many, if not all, second wines are very different creatures indeed, having purposefully different characters and fulfilling very different roles within their respective portfolios. Pagodes has never seemingly strayed too far from the arms of Cos d’Estournel – it is not safe out there in the wild world and why would any wine want to go it alone if you had Cos as your parent? In 2020, it seems that Pagodes is inextricably entwined in the arms of its family. Of course, this is a tender, refreshing and enthusiastic wine with a forward air and pliable fruit tones. There is the trademark 2020 freshness on the finish, bringing a snap of acidity to add a ‘full stop’ to the end of this wine’s sentence. But there are also genuine Cos traits here with luxurious hints of oak and occasional profound black fruit puddles which you can jump into or step over. This is a lighter, more compact fellow but it is every bit as expressive as legions of ‘first wines’ in this vintage and for that reason, I hope that you manage to taste this wine one day. Wine writers use the prefix ‘mini-’ far too often and rather sloppily if you ask me, but in 2020, Pagodes is, genuinely, a mini-Cos. Rating: 17.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2021)
The second wine of the château, the 2020 Pagodes De Cos is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the balance equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all raised in 30% new barrels. It shows the pure, elegant, concentrated style of the vintage with its fresher dark fruits, graphite, tobacco, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, with beautiful mid-palate concentration, this classic, elegant, focused 2020 is very much in the style of the vintage and will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 20 years or so. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
The 2020 Les Pagodes de Cos is composed of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The harvest took place September 10–24 with a yield of 39 hectoliters per hectare. The alcohol weighs in at 13.28% with a pH of 3.85 and an IPT (total phenolic index) of 68. It is being aged in French oak barrels, 30% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out of the glass with pretty, open-knit scents of stewed black plums, boysenberries and warm cassis, plus savory hints of charcuterie, woodsmoke, black truffles and bouquet garni. Medium-bodied, the palate is packed with crunchy black fruit flavors and dried herbs accents, supported by bags of freshness and well-managed, grainy tannins, finishing with great length and a lively skip in its step. Drinking range: 2024 - 2039 Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)
Maintains both a spiced kick and creamy texture through the palate, giving form and character. Silky texture, with cinnamon and saffron-laden blackberry fruits. This is precise and confident with sweet and tender tannins, the power is almost hidden at this point but it is there. 38% of overall production. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Structured and fresh with present but unaggressive tannins. Fruit bright and lifted. Upright and classic in its demeanour and clearly with ageing potential. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Since its creation in 1994, Pagodes de Cos has always been crafted from the grapes of vines that grow on the same clearly defined terroir; they are 40 years old on average.
A seductive, balanced, voluptuous wine, the 2020 vintage continues to embody the personality of Pagodes de Cos and is an excellent introduction to the singular style of Cos d’Estournel.
Particularly smooth, Pagodes de Cos 2020 is both delicate and fresh, an elegant, highly delectable wine with seductive notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, violet, blackcurrant liqueur and tea. Winemaker's notes (Apr 2021)
Château Cos d'Estournel
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.