Cos d'Estournel 2013

The wine in this vintage

Cold during flowering, an erratic summer and an outbreak of rot just before harvest: 2013 was one of the most complex Bordeaux vintages of recent decades, with very low yields. Top estates responded with extremely strict selection, producing lighter but well-made wines. Cos d'Estournel 2013 is a medium-bodied red with a fresh, elegant profile: blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, aromatic herbs, cedar and a note of graphite, with fine tannins and a clean finish. Wine Spectator rated it 91 points. Far from the power of the great years, this Cos is appreciated for its drinkability and precision; it is now at its peak and should be enjoyed now, perhaps as an introduction to the estate's style.

The producer · Château Cos d'Estournel

Recognisable from afar by its Oriental-style pagodas, Château Cos d'Estournel is the great reference point of Saint-Estèphe and one of the most admired Second Growths of the 1855 Classification. The estate was created in 1811 by Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel, a visionary horse and wine trader who shipped his reds as far as India, hence the exotic charm of its architecture. The vineyards occupy the hill of Cos, a gravel ridge facing Château Lafite Rothschild across the border with Pauillac, and are planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Merlot and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Since 2000 the estate has belonged to Michel Reybier, who invested in a state-of-the-art gravity-flow winery. The Cos d'Estournel style combines the power and structure typical of Saint-Estèphe with aromatic richness and tannic refinement, making it one of the longest-lived and most sought-after wines of the Left Bank.

Critics' scores

• 94 Wine Enthusiast
• 91 Wine Spectator
• 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Château Cos d'Estournel

Region

Bordeaux

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2013

When to drink

At its peak

Critics' average

92.5/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0160113