Château Cos d'Estournel 1996

Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, this is a huge, backward wine. The 1996 possesses an opaque purple color, as well as pure aromatics of cassis, grilled herbs, coffee, and toasty new oak. Massive on the palate, and one of the most structured and concentrated young Cos d'Estournels I have ever tasted, this thick, structured, tannic wine has shut down significantly since bottling. It requires 7-8 years of cellaring, and should last for 30-35 years. It is a fabulous Cos, but patience is required. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030.

Lots of tobacco, berry and spice on the nose. Light herbal undertone. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a caressing, nicely textured finish. Chewy. I would wait a little. 1995 looks better to me now. Outstanding, but not as exciting as I remember. — ’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. Tasted twice, consistent notes. 26,000 cases made.

A brilliant year for the Left Bank in Bordeaux. This was stubborn in its youth and took time to open, but now stands, in my opinion, as one of the all-time great vintages of Cos. At 25 years old it still delivers, just utterly delicious, with complex slate, pencil lead, graphite, undergrowth, black truffle flavors and a crushed-mint finish. It remains juicy, with perfectly integrated fine tannins and tons of personality. 65% new oak.

At first there was a slightly green note on the nose, but then on the palate the fruit was rich, dense and rather glorious. As it opened up in the glass, I got the slightest suggestion of brett on the nose, followed by a hint of ashes. It's pretty good stuff but not nearly as thrilling as the 1989 served alongside it. (JR)

Saturated deep ruby. Ineffable aromas of black fruits, minerals, licorice and Havana tobacco. Rich, dense and thick; powerful but harmonious. Layered texture over a strong backbone. Very long on the palate, with thoroughly ripe, noble Cabernet tannins. Superb.

The aromatics capture the wine’s mature essence with earthy, wet forest floor, tobacco leaf, cigar box and bright red fruits. There is lift in the fruit, coupled with a leafy, red-berry assortment on the finish. This is probably close to fully mature, where it should remain for at least 15 or more years before entering its slow decline.

Deep, dense garnet with violet and black highlights. Very spicy, profound bouquet: cassis, blackberries, teak, rosewood, Darjeeling tea, truffle and currants; compact and immensely concentrated. Firm on the palate, fleshy, tightly layered tannins yet ripe, giving the body an incredible contour; black berries again, more truffle and plenty of licorice on the finish. Standard bottles are currently closed; this large format shows itself between the fruit and enjoyment phases.

Normally, around two percent of press wine is used for the Grand Vin. In 1996, even this base material was so sensational that five percent of press wine ended up in the blend. Already at the en primeur tasting it was clear to me: this may be the best Cos ever made. Cult potential! 97: Barrel sample (19/20): A bouquet smelling of fine woods, cedar and cloves, perfectly poised, with incredibly deep layers of aroma. On the palate, an exceptional balance, flesh and tannins seamlessly aligned, an astringency that demands further aging, endless aromatic finish. Perhaps a Cos that could one day reach 20/20? 99: Deep purple with violet highlights. Compact, hugely spicy bouquet, plenty of noble wood notes, black cherries, black coffee, a hint of dried herbs and candied orange peel. On the palate royally dense yet finely structured, creamy extract, perfect balance, mahogany and teak. The ripe Cabernet defines the wine and gives it a magnificent aromatic profile. One of the greatest Médoc (19/20)! 02: Still very closed and even decanting is rather pointless. Undoubtedly one of the truly great Cos vintages and also proof that, unfortunately, far too many newer vintages are not as good as they could be. 03: At Restaurant Brandenberg: great, yet totally closed. 05: Yves-Alain Beck pulled a chilled magnum from his cellar just before midnight to end the treberwurst dinner. The wine has dramatic depth and a lot of flesh. You could compare that flesh to a hyper-tender T-bone steak – only fruitier… (19/20). 05: Medium garnet-ruby. Very toasty bouquet, coffee notes, black olives, pumpernickel, tobacco, green-spiced yet perfumed Cabernet spice. Juicy palate, shows sweetness and a terroir that radiates a similar sweetness, comes across graceful and, for the moment, a bit slimmer than in its early youth. Gains with air and seems about to reach its first drinking window. Two hours of decanting should support this theory. (19/20). 06: Spicy bouquet, Amarena cherries, black berries, currants, fine smoky notes, turpentine, tobacco. Firm on the palate, again very deep-digging aromatic tones, grainy, compressed tannins, still has a long future. 07: Deep, saturated garnet with violet and black highlights. Very spicy, probing bouquet, cassis, blackberries, teak, rosewood, Darjeeling tea, truffle and currants, compact and enormously concentrated. Firm on the palate, fleshy, tightly layered tannins; these tannins are ripe and give the body an incredible contour; again black berries, truffle and lots of licorice on the finish. While the standard bottles are currently closed, this Cos in Impériale showed itself between fruit and pleasure phase. If, as a Cos fan, you’re upset about the prices for the 2003 and 2005 vintages, you should jump on this. For now, this probably greatest “Maharajah classic” still costs, with a bit of luck sourcing, only about 150 francs / 100 euros. 09: Now in brilliant early maturity and still a good buy – considering the prices of newer Cos. 10: Again experienced at first maturity and already brilliant with a fine meal. (19/20). 11: Bright garnet, subtly brightening with a ruby rim. Bakelite nose, mocha touch, radiates plenty of spice. Malty palate, fleshy with concentrated, spiced extract, ripe Cabernet with a subtle Napa affinity, ends with a hint of dried fruit and dried Malaga raisins. Not a typical Bordeaux – but Cos, in its best years, was often different from the others. 11: We were playing cards at Brandenberg and everyone brought two bottles (for 5 hours of wine enjoyment – nota bene). Because two of my friends had a 1996 Cos with them, we drank one at the beginning and one at the end. Two statements. First: drink now. Second: buy more! (19/20). 13: Impériale bottle at Schloss Spitz (A). Still very dark and only brightening at the rim, showing fine, first maturity tones. The nose is pure cedar, then lots of Dominican tobacco, malt, dark bread crust, mocha, pumpernickel. On the palate, juicy, very fine; rarely have I experienced so much finesse in a 1996 Bordeaux already, sensational balance and a dark-berried, smoky length, first drinking maturity. A truly great Cos, a terrific Impériale. (19/20). 15: Magnum. First maturity at the rim, still quite saturated in the middle. Open bouquet, extremely lots of cedar and bright mocha notes; it’s no longer as forceful as it used to be, but it has compensated with ever-growing complexity. On the second approach, showing dark spices, especially clove buds, cedarwood and Dominican tobacco. On the palate it first shows its greatness; it is dense, almost still compressed, and proves its further potential. The tannins still show a fine sandy grain; in the finish a hint of green-spiced Cabernet. Although decanted, it still seemed slightly reductive to me. Proof of this theory: it improved again after a quarter of an hour. (19/20). 15: It came right after the gigantic Lynch. It therefore seemed almost a bit reserved. Fine glutamate notes at the beginning, cedar, graphite, conveying a subtly cool Cabernet note. On the palate, still fine muscles, so only at the beginning of its drinking window. (19/20). 16: Brilliant to drink now. In a 1996 blind tasting, it was one of the best for me. (19/20). 16: Medium wine-red, finely lightening rim. The bouquet is very spicy, exotic woods, medium drive but highly complex with a mineral touch. The scent is incredibly graceful. On the palate it is sublime and elegant. You can almost feel the proximity to the neighboring estate in the finesse. A mature delicacy. And still a good buy. (19/20). 16: One of the darkest wines among the older vintages we tasted. Saturated purple with a delicately brick-red outer rim. Divine spicy bouquet, lots of cedar, black peppercorns, coffee and nuances of Brazil tobacco. On the palate, beautifully balanced, again with appealing spice and, in the dark-chocolate-bitter finish, showing very fine black-berried contours. It is at a peak that will last for a good ten years. This is one of the greatest wines among the Cos that could still be described as classic back then. 16: At the lovely Soppensee with friends. That was a fabulous, perfect bottle. So fine, dense and elegant. (19/20). 17: An Impériale during a big-bottle evening at Vila Vita in Portugal. Wonderfully perfumed spicy cedar scent with bright tobacco notes. On the palate, black-peppery, finely fleshy with a back aroma of dried bananas. Shows superb balance in everything. (19/20). 19: Since it’s quite a warm summer day now, I’m drinking it a bit cooler. I love this wine and this is exactly how I like Cos best. Today we simply live in a different time. That’s fine too. But not quite my taste. (19/20). 20: Dull garnet inside, tiny orange maturity tones at the rim outside. Magical, multi-layered bouquet. This is how Cos should be! Cedar, graphite, ripe plums, herbs, fine woods, meaty notes, glutamate and roasted notes. The nose recalls a top-class Cabernet perfume. On the palate, medium weight, delicate texture, fine flesh, well balanced and noble. Today’s Cos come with much more power. Sometimes less is more. A brilliant, classic Cos. Bordeaux with grandeur. It costs today as much as the 2016, bottled ten years later. Smart advice – keep a reserve! 21: Still very dark, gently matured wine-red. Finely spiced bouquet, lots of cedar scent, light cigars, white pepper, teak, graphite, a slightly inky touch, indicated terroir notes and damson plums. Very appealing and a nose beautifully matured. Harmonious presence on the medium-weight palate, showing a very balanced astringency that is fading yet still supportive. A true Cos classic, now at its peak of enjoyment and likely to hold this level stress-free for another good ten years. Overall more reassuring than exciting. In my inventory it’s listed at 90 francs. The cheapest Swiss supplier (Lucullus) asks roughly double today. That’s about the same as a few of the much too young, youngest Cos vintages. As mentioned, I enjoyed this wine the evening before. (19/20). 22: Double magnum. Medium garnet with a minimal outer rim, showing relatively few maturity reflections. Brilliantly spiced bouquet, above all cedar to the fore, then graphite nuances, currants, tar and prunes. Above all, it shows on the nose that “certain something” one expects from a great Bordeaux. On the palate, juicy with particularly fine tannins, bursting with harmony and offering everything one wishes from a mature, great Médoc wine. Above all, unbridled pleasure – at a very high level. Here, the often-cited big-bottle bonus certainly fully applied. (19/20).

Deep, dense, velvety, creamy and powerful bouquet with plum, cedar, tobacco, fine notes of currants and peanuts. Dense, powerful, elegant, aromatic palate with fine tannins, varied sweet aromatics, long, concentrated finish. 19/20 to drink

Tasted for a Decanter masterclass back in May, this is yet another wine this year that proves 1996 Médocs are totally on their game and should not be ignored. For me, this is one of the all-time best vintages of Cos, combining the gourmet truffle and cocoa bean welcome that this estate is known for with the powerful tannic frame of St Estephe, and ripe but still juicy cassis fruits. So much personality and pleasure on offer here. 65% new oak.

Vigorous. The tension gives it freshness, but also a slightly austere edge. The fruit remains fresh, with tannins still present that are just shy of full ripeness.

This Cos is clearly defined by the fresh side of Cabernet, with nuances of eucalyptus and blackcurrant, complemented by notes of spice and blond tobacco. The wine has more muscle than flesh, which suits it perfectly. It stands out for its finesse and vigor. It even shows a sweet-and-sour edge thanks to its sweetness and acidic structure. A great, highly distinctive wine in top form. It is at its peak but has enough drive for the years to come.

Logo on the cork: CB The nose smells of green bell pepper and the palate is marked by acidity; a reminder of a mediocre period for Cos. Lots of bottle variation.