Château Cos d'Estournel 2020

Quite expressive aromatics, baking spices; powerful and full-bodied, noticeable alcohol, but also great fruitiness, first-class tannins; the opulence remains, currently still somewhat at the expense of elegance.

A broad, rich, enticing wine, built on a core of exotic mulberry and loganberry notes laced with black tea, spices and incense. Rounded through the finish, with the fruit cruising through under a suave gloss of toast. A real crowd-pleaser, with a luxurious feel that makes this hard to lay off of now. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2038. 13,000 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.

A first-growth level wine. With aristocratic ease it conveys nimble energy and sneaky sensuality. Pencil lead, white tobacco, cassis, juicy blackberry and cherry gorgeously delineated with refined tannins providing impressive structure for long-term cellaring. The pH is the highest since 2003, but you get neither heat nor imbalance. Impressive dry extract and rather 'normal' alcohol at 13.5% evokes a positively classic feel, leading to a subtle yet super-long finish. For owner Michel Reybier, the vintage marks 20 years of 'passion at the helm'. Comes encased in a uniquely gold-coloured engraved bottle with the phrase 'C’était Cos sinon rien' - Cos or nothing else.

A brooding and deep wine just on the nose, with blackcurrants, redcurrants, spices such as cardamom and nutmeg, as well as black truffles with earth. Complex. Full-bodied with fine yet chewy tannins, that are wonderfully interwoven. Very structured and long. Needs five to six years to come around. 62% cabernet and 38% merlot. Try after 2028.

62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot. Special (heavy) engraved bottle to celebrate 20 years of Michel Reybier ownership. Deep, purple-black color. Profound wine with a mass of fruit and tannin. Gives little away at the moment. Broad and full on the palate then tightens to a long, persistent finish. Powerful but contained. Clearly loads of potential. (JL)

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel is a wine of extreme elegance. Silky and light on its feet, the 2020 is incredibly nuanced. In fact, it is without question the most finessed of all the top wines in Saint-Estèphe, showing more in common with some of its neighbors in the north of Pauillac than the more potent wines of Saint-Estèphe. Impossibly soft, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red fruit, spice and orange zest. The 2020 is not a huge Cos, but rather a wine for readers who appreciate elegance over power. I can't wait to see how it ages. Magnificent.

A gorgeous, stylish wine, here you find a series of waves packed with blackberries, black plums, black cherries, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, soy, and an array of spices. Rich, deep, and intense, the wine hits all the right notes as it melds power, fruit, freshness, and elegance to create an opulent, velvety, silky finish that builds and expands as it lingers. This is so good now that it will be hard to wait to pull a cork. But its best days are still ahead. So wait a bit, and you’ll be amply rewarded with an incredible wine. Drink from 2028–2060.

Deep garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, discreet brightening on the rim. Hints of blueberries and chocolate, inviting bouquet with a fine oak nuance in the background, a hint of orange zest. A deep palate, juicy, ripe cherries, lively acidity, fine tannins, subtle minerality, leafy on the finish, lemony-vegetal and leafy on the bitter finish. Very disappointing.

Nice purity, darker and denser than the Pagodes – black cherry, cassis, finely melted oak and some graphite and stony notes. Dense palate showing concentration and power, yet with a very nice sense of freshness, layers of finely grained tannin, crushed dark berry fruit, a fine toastiness present with a very long, pure and fresh finish. A very classic style yet with plenty of muscles and freshness.

Based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, the deep purple-hued 2020 Château Cos D'Estournel has, dare I say, an almost Lafite-like sense of elegance and class, offering gorgeous cassis and darker currant fruits as well as tobacco, lead pencil, acacia flowers, and graphite. Hitting 13.46% alcohol, with a pH of 3.9 and an IPT of 80, this flawless, full-bodied, incredibly elegant Saint-Estèphe has silky tannins, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It will need a decade of cellaring to hit its prime drink window. Of the trilogy of 2018, 2019, and 2020, it's clearly my favorite (that’s splitting hairs), with a similarity to the 2016, and will most likely merit another point at maturity.

Densely interwoven bouquet with refined cassis spice, morello cherry, exotic woods and dark minerality. On the straight, focused palate: silky texture, balanced verve, taut structure, a tight-knit tannic frame and a muscular body. The concentrated finish shows blackberry-like contours, profound terroir-driven spice and olive paste. Impressive, just like two years ago! The form curve keeps trending upward.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 39 hl/ha, 13.46% alc./vol.) Concentrated, deep, complex, velvety bouquet: black berries, cassis, fine woods, pralines, nougat, delicate stewed plums, currants, mint. Finely interwoven, balanced, creamy palate with dense dark fruit, a velvety, finely muscular structure, varied dark aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, and a very long, powerful, aromatic finish with abundant retro-olfactory notes.

(62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 39 hl/ha, 13.46% vol. alcohol) Dense, deep, dark, powerful bouquet, black cassis, dark noble woods, subtle dried-fruit notes. Powerful, dense, dark palate with concentrated fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely concentrated, well-muscled structure, varied, powerful aromatics, very long, aromatic finish. 19/20 2029 - 2050

Brilliant, just so much complexity and depth. The serious tannic heft means this is not the most exuberant Cos d'Estournel but it is such good quality, with edges of violet and peony alongside black tea, turmeric, cloves, blueberry, raspberry, waves of confident tannins, and sea-salted bitter chocolate. Harvest September 10 to 24, 39hl/ha yield, 3.9pH.

The 2020 Cos d’Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color. It is very closed at this youthful stage, but with plenty of swirling it opens to vivacious notes of crushed blackcurrants, juicy blackberries, kirsch, and cinnamon stick, plus hints of star anise, lilacs, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with energetic black fruit and mineral layers, supported by fine-grained, beautifully ripe tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and fragrant. A very elegant expression of Cos, and absolutely beguiling!

Echoing the bespoke bottle created for the 2020 vintage, Cos is flamboyant and impressive. This is a great success for the estate, delivering an opulent wine of noble distinction, with admirable definition and, above all, a long, enveloping finish with a savory grain.

A dark, slightly mysterious nose, initially closed, but hinting at a serious, savory character with black fruit. Freshness dominates the bouquet, with notes of dog-rose blossom coming through afterwards. On the palate, this is a complete, monumental, complex wine. It is very generous, constantly offering new flavors and textures. Majestic tannins.

Cos d’Estournel shows a rare ability to define itself through its fruity intensity while pulling the terroir into the whirlwind. The wine goes straight to the point with serenity and power, without forgetting finesse along the way. Its compact tannins are ideally complemented by an acid structure that shines on the finish and draws all the elements along with it. The result is an energy, persistence, and temperament that stunningly complete the depth and greatness of Cos. It is a major success in 2020. Finesse always ends up prevailing.

Centenarian Merlots account for 38%, adding extra charm and floral aromas (lilac, wallflower) to this third exceptional vintage at Cos. The Cabernets bring remarkable density and tannin quality; the whole is finely coating, powerful, energetic, concentrated, and endowed with a rich, fresh backbone.

96–98. Barrel Sample. Powerful, ripe fruits show exceptional quality and a velvety character that's allied to a ripe structure. With the freshness so typical of the vintage, the wine seems open and fruity but surprises with its density.