Château Cos d'Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2018 - 2nd Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

The vat room, as spectacular in its own right as the château's pagodas, equipped with vat lifts that allow gravity to be used not only during vinification but also during aging, was used for the first time in 2008. It crowns the estate's considerable efforts to bring this wine to the highest possible level, with the ambition of rivaling the quality of the premier cru classés. The deep gravel soil generally makes it the most full-bodied of the Médoc wines, the most voluptuous in texture, while retaining a finesse and complexity characteristic of its proximity to Lafite. The latest vintages have gained even more in aromatic purity and sincerity of expression. A very aromatic and intense white Bordeaux is produced on the soils of La Goulée, a little further north, and bears the same name.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

Deep purple-black in color, it needs to be swirled for a long time to reveal its powerful nose of crème de cassis, stewed plums, wild blueberries, and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, star anise, tree oil, and cloves, as well as a hint of charcoal. The full-bodied palate is bursting with taut, muscular black fruit and earthy layers, framed by very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and unwavering freshness, leading to a very long and wonderfully earthy finish. A very impressive behemoth that will need 7 to 10 years to show its full potential and should be enjoyed for the next 40 years and beyond. 2028-2068

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Businessman Michel Reybier, who acquired the estate in 2000, has invested heavily in providing Cos d'Estournel with everything it needs to produce the finest wine possible. The construction of one of the world's most advanced wine cellars, designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is a prime example of this. Cos has always produced expressive wines with a rather exuberant style. In the early 2000s, it even veered into caricature at times, overshadowing the finesse that the terroir is capable of expressing. Things have now changed, and with its latest vintages, Cos has rediscovered an expression that once again appeals to us.

James Suckling

About wine:

The richness and beauty of this wine are impressive: blackcurrant, cherries, berries, and fresh cloves. The fruit is very pure here. The palate is full-bodied and the tannins are perfectly integrated and refined, so much so that you can't taste them, yet they are definitely there! Very creamy and layered, it has great length and beauty. The finish tends towards tar and licorice. Tight now, but the texture is special. Try after 2027.

Jeb Dunnuck

About wine:

An incredible wine, worthy of the best wines of the vintage, Château Cos d'Estournel 2018 is composed of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, aged in new French oak barrels (50%). While some 2018 wines promise immediate pleasure, this is not one of them. Rather, it is a veritable treasure trove of tannins, powerful, perfectly balanced and exceptionally pure. Exhilarating aromas of crème de cassis, pencil lead, damp earth, cedar wood, violet, and acacia flowers, full-bodied richness, massive, ultra-fine tannins, and a magnificent finish all combine to make this a legendary Saint-Estèphe that will require a good decade of bottle aging to evolve for 50 years or more. If you are tempted to taste a bottle in its youth, it will need to be aerated for a long time. 2031-2081

Jean-Marc Quarin

About wine:

Dark, intense, black color. Very aromatic and complex nose. Hints of ripe fruit, hazelnut, and spices. Soft on the palate, very aromatic in the middle, rich, full-bodied, juicy, and powerful, with a southern character and even a certain heaviness, yet the wine soars on the finish, very flavorful, very Saint-Estèphe in its texture, without any harshness, still spicy and very deep. I am delighted to see it back at this level.

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is elegant, distinguished, and offers a lovely texture, precision, concentration (with finesse), subtle power, and depth. There are notes of ripe wild blackberry, pulpy wild blackcurrant and, more subtly, violet, combined with hints of crushed strawberry, blueberry, crushed red berries and touches of racy minerality, primrose, licorice stick, nutmeg, pepper and tobacco. The palate is fruity, balanced, elegant, and refined (like a square of silk), offering juiciness, a tangy structure, deliciousness, lovely definition, tension, generosity, a slight airiness, a nice texture, and a subtle creaminess and richness (all with subtlety and mastery). On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/fleshy blackcurrant, wild strawberry and, more subtly, cherry, combined with hints of small wild red berries and touches of tonka bean, blond tobacco and toasted hazelnut. Good length. The tannins are elegant and precise. A lovely, smooth and sapid persistence.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

A simply stunning bottle of wine. With a deep, dark color, the nose is marked by aromas of flowers, licorice, five spices, redcurrant, blackberry, orange peel, smoke, and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, elegant, long, deep, rich, and pure, the vibrant fruit sustains the expansive finish that seems to go on forever. Much less wine was produced this year, with yields of only 30 hectoliters per hectare.