Château Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2001 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

The 2001 Cos d'Estournel is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot—a very high percentage of Merlot in this vintage and a very late harvest, which started on October 1st. Deep garnet in color, the nose is singing with savory notes of smoked meats, tapenade, bay leaves and beef drippings with a core of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, dried cherries and baked blackcurrants with wafts of peppermint tea and dried roses. Medium-bodied, the palate practically tingles with vibrant dried herbs, red fruit preserves and minty notes, structured with firm, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and minerally.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe6/12/2018

Suave, with a cool, minty hint weaving around the core of mulled red currant, blackberry and plum fruit. Lovely spice, black tea and singed juniper notes are perfectly inlaid throughout, showing a tug of charcoal at the very end. Drink now through 2025. 17,705 cases made.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe9/14/2009

Tasted at the Cos d'Estournel dinner at St. John. This has a very deep garnet core. The nose has great purity and poise: aromas of cassis, violets, blueberry and a touch of limestone. Very focused although there is still a lot of new oak to be subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with similar fine tannins to the 2000, though this is perhaps even more sensuous in texture, velvety, leading to a primal, plumy finish. What you might call a sexy, modern style of Cos d'Estournel with a bright future ahead. Drink 2015-2020+ Tasted March 2009.

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2004

A beautiful effort, the 2001 Cos d’Estournel (65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot) exhibits a poised, noble bouquet of black currants, cedar, spice box, and licorice. A hint of truffles emerges as it sits in the glass. Medium-bodied with sweet fruit (mostly black) and nicely integrated wood, it builds incrementally in the mouth, ending with a 50-second finish. Drink this stylish, restrained yet substantial claret over the next 15+ years.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2004

Wonderful spice and currant aromas to this young wine. Full-bodied, with super well?integrated, refined tannins. Long caressing finish. This is very, very silky. Just like from barrel. Cos is on top of it now. Best after 2008.

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2003

One of the candidates for the wine of the vintage, Cos d'Estournel's 2001 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, amongst the highest percentage of Cabernet of any recent year. Administrator Jean-Guillaume Prats, an articulate young man who leans toward the more progressive school of winemaking but still has one foot rooted in the traditions of the past, thinks this wine will have to spend longer in barrel before it is bottled without fining or filtration, The color is inky purple and the wine offers up an impressive nose of melted licorice intermixed with camphor, graphite, creme de cassis, blackberry, spice box, and toast. The wine is medium to full-bodied and pure, with superb concentration, a multi-layered texture, and a finish that goes on for close to a minute. There is wonderful sweetness yet profound elegance and length in this terrific 2001! Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.

Wine Advocate

91-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2002

The 2001 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot representing 40% of the total production. It boasts an opaque ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of cassis, spice, licorice, and vanilla. What makes it stand out in the company of other 2001s are its terrific multi-layered texture and tremendous length. Prats is doing a lot of experimentation, including 12-15 days of cold maceration prior to fermentation, and aging the wine in barrels on its lees ... unusual for a Medoc estate of this size. The results speak for themselves. Young administrator Jean-Guilhaume Prats compares the 2001 Cos to the 1988 and 1979, classic efforts with good acidity, definition, and tannin. One of the vintage's greatest successes, this 2001 is one of the dozen or so wines that appear to be superior to their 2000 counterparts. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025.