Château Cos d'Estournel 2002

One of the candidates for wine of the vintage, this beauty has a dense purple color to the rim and a classic, noble nose of graphite intermixed with black currant, spice box, licorice, and red and black fruits. Medium to full-bodied with exceptional precision and definition, this beautifully textured wine stands out as one of the most successful wines of this irregular vintage. A brilliant effort, it should be at its best between 2008 and 2020.

Has a plush edge, with plum skin and pulp flavors liberally lined with singed tobacco and alder notes. Shows ample maturity but remains very fine-grained, with a roasted bay accent emerging on the finish. -- Non-blind Cos-d'Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 16,417 cases made.

This has a truffle edge to the nose and almost a Pomerol character. A number of 2002s are a little awkward, but this is generous and welcoming. Harvesting started on 30 September in this vintage, with an east wind that concentrated or dehydrated the grapes, meaning that the overall yield was 33hl/ha. The fruit quality feels ripe and it's a lovely wine to drink now, but it may not age as well as some of the other vintages. Matured in 60% new oak – the level of new oak was reduced from this year onwards. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend.

A refined and pretty wine with spice, berry and chocolate character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh, fruity finish. Subtle spicy aftertaste. Underrated wine. Drink now.

This is coming along very well, giving mature, savoury notes which seem to bear little resemblance to the mega-fruity and 15% alcohol 2009, for example. The nose has a lovely cedar, liquorice and sandalwood bouquet with firm blackcurrant fruit in support, and firm but fair tannins on the palate with good length. Its weakness is a lightness of body in the mid-palate; so, there is some gravitas missing, but it is nonetheless classic and very enjoyable for a lighter style. (RH)

Good red-ruby. Deep, aromatic, highly complex nose combines raspberry, espresso, tree bark, leather, graphite, cedar, coconut and exotic woodsmoke. Lush, sweet and pure, with very ripe flavors of currant, dark chocolate and graphite, nicely framed by perfectly integrated acidity. Finishes broad and suave; the tannins here make those of the young 2004 seem a bit tough by comparison. Superb, complete wine. Drink from 2010 to 2020.

Fully developed, this is drinking just great today. No decanting is needed—just pop, pour, and enjoy all the round-textured red berries, tobacco, exotic spice, wet earth, and herbs that fill the nose and your palate. The elegant finish shows only a minor touch of dryness at the very end, which does not detract from the overall experience of the wine.

Dark, sparkling garnet with purple highlights. Intense, dense bouquet of ripe plums, fine woods, dark chocolate, perhaps a little reserved at the moment, only hinting at its true greatness. Rich palate, lush tannins already showing some silkiness, a core of cassis, ripe small dried fruits, showing reserves, will certainly be a great Cos.

I often play an awkward role, because during my visits to Cos d'Estournel I’m always asked for my personal opinion on the wines just tasted. Since the 1985 vintage I haven’t missed a single en primeur tasting. And unfortunately, in recent years Cos has rarely seemed to meet my expectations. As one of the most expensive Super Seconds, it was usually not, or only partly, on a par with the top Médoc Grands Crus and received corresponding scores. For the 2002 vintage, my comments came more easily and no diplomacy was needed to adjust the wine: 19/20 points for one of the very best Cos of the last 20 years! Jean-Guillaume Prats: <div style="font-style:italic;color:#990033">Perhaps I have now completed my apprenticeship at Cos and sometimes had to pay my dues. Skill is one thing, experience is another. It’s only in the very last few years that I have truly come to know Cos. It should not be concealed that the change of ownership also left negative marks on the quality philosophy. Even within the team, certain adjustments were only managed with difficulty. Now the old team is gone, there is a new owner, and I had the chance to restore everything to the way this estate deserves. Admittedly, the basic quality of this 2002 Cos already originated in the vineyard through natural influences. The dying back of the fruit at flowering reduced yields as early as spring. Since it didn’t rain for several weeks before harvest, the berries remained small and concentrated enormously. Alcohol potentials of 13.4% by volume set a record. We measured another record after fermentation in the cellar: the tannin index rose to 90 on the 100 scale. Acidity levels are high, yet very ripe, and together with the dramatic concentration and supporting tannins, they create balance at a very high level.</div> 03: Barrel sample (19/20): Dreamy, dense bouquet, prunes, tar notes, dried bananas, cedar, extremely profound, remaining very noble despite its incredible intensity. On the palate, regal poise, black berries and mahogany notes, truffle and black currant, extremely fine tannin structure with a subtly sweet glow, broad astringency, extremely long. Here the Cos team proves that it is possible to reconnect with the old successes of 1985, 1988 and 1996, and this 2002 is once again the definitive proof that it belongs to the top category of the very best Médoc wines. A long-lived wine that unites classicism and modernity. (19/20). Tasted again just before bottling in April 2004: Deep, extremely dark violet-garnet. Crazy, noble bouquet, lots of fine woods, warm fruit, blackberries and dark nuts. Full on the palate with rich, round tannins, a fine dark-chocolate note in the silky extract, a dream Cos that found its balance already in youth and will continue to evolve at a very high level, great, intense aftertaste. (19/20). 07: Intense, dense bouquet, ripe plums, fine woods, dark chocolate, perhaps a little reserved at the moment, but showing true greatness in the making. Rich palate, plush tannins already showing polish, cassis at the core, ripe small dried fruits, shows reserve and will certainly be great. 09: Currently rather closed and showing some edges from its concentration. I dial it back a bit to 18/20 and hope that in two or three years it will again be at barrel-sample level. 11: Now at the beginning of a likely 15-year window of optimal drinking. Lots of mocha and roasted notes, a bit of pumpernickel bread, with a medium-weight yet nicely fleshy body. From a market perspective, an absolutely affordable Cos. (18/20). 12: Still very dark with an almost violet sheen. The nose shows black cherries, a touch of cedar, exotic woods, multifaceted and layered, medium drive. Fine material on the palate, concentrated extract, licorice and black pepper powder in the slightly crumbly finish. Here they came close to the limit in vinification. (18/20). 13: At a dinner at Cos it offered both youthful and grand drinking pleasure. It is one of the few great 2002s that still has quite a lot of reserves – apart from Mouton. (17/20). 16: Now slimmed down, the fruit has almost disappeared and not much followed. Slim on the palate with a somewhat upfront firmness. Drink up. I wouldn’t have thought it would fade so quickly without becoming oxidative. (16/20). 20: Saturated, very dark wine-red with a density that puts the 2000 and 2001 vintages in the shade. Intense bouquet, gently reductive (mercaptan), black-berried, mocha, pumpernickel bread. On the palate, full, with a musculature that’s illogical for the vintage. Here too, dark roasted aromas showed a vigorous vinification course. It bluffs its way a bit and seems eager to please. Typicity and honesty would be different. In the finish it clearly shows the lavish extraction. At least it shows better today than before. Nevertheless, I suspect it will gradually dry out. (17/20). 21: Still quite dark garnet, with minimal brick-red reflections on the rim. The bouquet begins discreetly floral and showed a cool, i.e. just-ripe Cabernet shimmer. Inky onset, a hint of geraniol and emerging notes of lovage. Well-held palate, and in the aromatic finish one finds on the one hand residual fruit, and on the other hand withered leaf notes. End phase at a good level. (17/20).

Compared with the two previous vintages, it shows a more nervy, more herbal character, yet also an appealing mouthfeel sensuality. Not fully accomplished, but a transitional vintage.

Logo on the cork: The crown Bad bottle Dark, intense color with slight evolution. Moderately aromatic nose with ripe fruit and a touch of cedar. Soft on the attack, caressing on the mid-palate, yet the wine turns extracted and harsh on the finish. This is a bad bottle!