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

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

The fermentation cellar, as spectacular in its own right as the château’s pagodas, is equipped with tank lifts that allow for gravity-fed processing—not only during vinification but also during aging—and was first put into use in 2008. It represents the culmination of the estate’s considerable efforts to elevate this wine to the highest possible level, with the ambition of rivaling the First Growths in quality. The deep gravel soil generally makes it the fullest-bodied of the Médoc wines, the most voluptuous in texture, while retaining the finesse and complexity characteristic of its proximity to Lafite. Recent 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 its name.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Deep purple-black in color, it requires a long swirl to reveal its powerful nose of blackcurrant cream, stewed plums, wild blueberries, and chocolate-coated cherries, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, star anise, tree oil, and cloves, as well as a touch of charcoal. The full-bodied palate is brimming with taut, muscular black fruit and earthy layers, framed by very firm, ripe, and grainy tannins and unwavering freshness, leading to a very long and wonderfully earthy finish. A truly impressive behemoth that will need 7 to 10 years to reach its full potential and should be enjoyed over 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, invested heavily to equip Cos d’Estournel with everything needed to produce the finest wine possible. The construction of one of the world’s most advanced wineries, 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 occasionally veered into caricature, pushing the finesse that the terroir is capable of expressing into the background. The tide has turned, and with the latest vintages, Cos has regained an expression that once again captivates us.

James Suckling

About the wine:

The richness and beauty of this wine are impressive: blackcurrant, cherries, berries, and fresh cloves. The fruit here is exceptionally pure. The palate is full-bodied, and the tannins are so perfectly integrated and refined that you don’t notice them—yet they’re definitely there! Very creamy and layered, it offers great length and beauty. On the finish, it shifts toward notes of tar and licorice. It’s tight now, but the texture is exceptional. Best enjoyed after 2027.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

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

Jean-Marc Quarin

About the wine:

Deep, intense, black color. A very aromatic and complex nose. Hints of ripe fruit, hazelnut, and spices. Soft on the palate at first, very aromatic in the mid-palate, rich, full-bodied, juicy, and powerful, with a southern character and even a massive presence; nevertheless, the wine soars on the finish, very flavorful, very Saint-Estèphe in its texture, without any harshness, consistently spicy, and very deep. I am delighted to see it back at this level.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is elegant and refined, offering lovely texture, precision, concentration (with great finesse), subtle power, and depth. It features notes of ripe wild blackberry, pulpy wild blackcurrant, and, more subtly, violet, combined with hints of crushed strawberry, blueberry, and crushed red berries, as well as touches of refined minerality, primrose, licorice root, nutmeg, pepper, and tobacco. On the palate, it is fruity, balanced, and elegant, with great finesse (like a silk scarf), offering juiciness, a tangy structure, indulgence, lovely definition, tension, generosity, a touch of airiness, a nice texture, as well as a delicate 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 as well as touches of tonka bean, blond tobacco, and toasted hazelnut. Good length. The tannins are elegant and precise. A lovely, smooth, and savory finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

A simply stunning bottle of wine. Deep and dark in color, the nose is marked by aromas of flowers, licorice, five-spice, 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.