Castle Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2014

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

If you want to know what St.-Estèphe smells like, this is it. Aromas of spices, black truffles, forest floor, dried strawberries and tar. It’s full-bodied yet pinpointed on the palate with fabulous density and richness. It’s opulent but in a reserved and checked way. This needs at least five or six years to come around, but it’s already fantastic. What harmony and structure. Try in 2022 if you can keep your hands off it!

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Cos d'Estournel is rich, powerful and seductive, with notable unctuousness but a medium-bodied frame. Plum, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate and lavender notes flesh out in an effortless, sumptuous wine that will provide superb drinking for the next few decades. The 2014 needs time to shed some baby fat, but it is quite impressive, even in the early going. The blend is 65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 % Merlot and 2 % Cabernet Franc.
95+

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

the1/4/2017

Intense, with a roiling core of luscious loganberry, blackberry and black currant fruit. Singed spice, apple wood and black tea accents emerge steadily on the finish. Has a rare combination of density and precision. Will cruise in the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2035. From France.—J.M.

Le Point

18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

Fruits noirs, floral, bouche élégante, fraîche, tanins vifs et mentholés mais sans dureté, droit, tendu, fin, un Cos tannique mais frais.

Vinous

92-95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Cos d'Estournel brings together gorgeous textural richness and ripeness, yet retains considerable aromatic freshness. Mocha, red plum, raspberry jam and rose petals are all beautifully nuanced. I very much like the sense of translucent energy here. Sweet floral and spice notes add to the wine's racy, voluptuous personality. Today, my impression is that the 2014 Cos will reward consumers with a long window of pure drinking pleasure. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-96 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

Intense in color with a showy nose and the already present tones of tobacco leaves, anise, earth and vine-ripened berries, this wine is luxurious on the palate, plump and concentrated with roasted espresso bean, cocoa, warm berries, spice and freshness to the ripe fruits in the finish. Produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon,33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.77. The wine is aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. After a rocky start with the difficult 2013 vintage, Aymeric de Gironde has clearly stepped up his game! 95-96 Pts

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Cos d'Estournel 2014 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 25 September and 10 October at 33.7 hectoliters per hectare. The pH came in at 3.77 and an IPT of 87, quite high compared to some other properties in the northern Médoc. It has "cool" nose, by that I mean it is not a flamboyant set of aromatics like the 2009 or 2010, but rather "streamlined" and focused, very delineated with black fruit intermingling with incense and iris. It is very controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, but "full" tannins in the mouth that lend this Cos d'Estournel impressive volume. There is an unerring purity here, a gradual crescendo of intensity towards a peppery finish that lingers long. This is an impressive Grand Vin - classic Cos d'Estournel. Tasted three times with consistent notes.

Bettane & Desseauve

18 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2015

Retour au pur style médocain, beaucoup de corps, de fraîcheur et assise tannique promettant un long vieillissement.

Le Figaro

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byBernard Burtschythe4/30/2015

’évolutiondansleverreestfascinantegrâceauxmerlotsassociésàlabellestructureducabernet.UneréussitemajeurepourcepoidslourddeStEstèphe.

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2015

78% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc. Two plots 2 km apart on top of two hills. 
Pretty dense crimson. Very pure and relaxed. Fresh and racy. Quite dark fruit. Just cuts off very slightly suddenly but overall it is so much better than it used to be – and really fresh. Peacock’s tail. Bravo! 

Drink 2019-2027 (16.5+)

Asian Palate

95 / 100

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Lifted, aromatic nose of violets with gorgeous flavors of dark spices and fresh blackberry. The palate has rounded tannins and an explosion of flavors. This wine has amazing energy and lift with floral notes, dark spices and minerality. There is a freshness in this vintage but the acid levels were not high in 2014 at Cos. Long finish. A wine that will age beautifully.

Decanter.com

18,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/17/2015

Dense black fruits nose – exotic, described as 'bewitching'. Wonderful texture and depth, great richness with fine firmness to back it up. The best 'modern' Cos for years. Drink: 2020-2040 (95)

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/16/2015

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 80% new oak. 
Dense colour. Really very luscious indeed. A streak of St-Estèphe iron filings but surrounded by the more opulent fruit. Fine and refined. More fun than Lafite! Masses of tannins and density. Shorter than some vintages, such as 2005! 

 14.2%Drink 2024-2045

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

I love the style of this Cos with so much Indian spices constituting the aromas and flavors here. Full body, fine tannins and an ultra-long finish. Excellent structure and length yet this maintains finesse.

timatkin.com

97 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

ThebestCossince2010,thisisdenseandconcentrated,butstillremarkablywellbalanced,withsweetnessbalancedbygrassyfreshnessandgoodagingpotential.

René Gabriel

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 % Merlot, 2 % Cabernet Franc. Mit 33,5 Hektoliter pro Hektare eine eher kleinere Ernte. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Royales Bouquet, die fast nur schwarzbeerig ausstrahlenden Fruchtkomponente sind sehr frisch, über dem vielschichtigen, faszinierenden Nasenspiel sind tanzende Veilchennoten zu erspüren, dann schwarze Edelhölzer, Lakritze und eine passende Portion Mokka dahinter. Im Gaumen seidige Tannine, ausgeglichene, reife Adstringenz, mittelgewichtiger Körper mit schon fast dramatischer Länge. Der allererste Cos, welchen ich als Fassprobe verkostete war der Jahrgang 1985. Und ich war damals sichtlich berührt. Und das war jetzt wieder der Fall. Mit einem Wein der dem 1985er in ganz vielen Dingen gleicht. Und dann doch wieder nicht! 19/20 2020 – 2040

Wine Enthusiast

97 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/1/2015

96–98. Barrel Sample. A very firm, dark structure sustains the ripe, bold flavors of black plums and rich berries. The wine has a structured, concentrated background that shows a new, more subtle direction in contrast with the winery's previously showy style.

 — R.V.  (4/1/2015)