Cos d'Estournel 2017

The wine in this vintage

The April frost that struck much of Bordeaux in 2017 largely spared the vineyards closest to the estuary, including the hill of Cos; the season then continued with a warm summer and a steady harvest, producing classic, fragrant and well-balanced wines. Cos d'Estournel 2017 is an elegant, precise red: blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, cedar, graphite, fine spice and a floral note, with a fresh palate, silky tannins and a long, harmonious finish. Robert Parker rated it 98 points. Less powerful than the 2016 and 2018, it wins you over with balance and finesse; it is already enjoyable and can be kept for several more years as it gains complexity.

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

• 98 Robert Parker
• 95 Wine Enthusiast
• 94 Wine Spectator

Technical details

Producer

Château Cos d'Estournel

Region

Bordeaux

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2017

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95.7/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0160117