Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2003

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe8/29/2014

Two terrific efforts from this vintage, the 2003 Cos d’Estournel (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) remains one of the superstars of the vintage. It offers an opaque ruby/purple hue as well as notes of incense, camphor, licorice, creme de cassis and graphite. Full-bodied, opulent, incredibly fresh and well-delineated, it can be consumed now and over the next decade. Kudos to the team at Cos d’Estournel.

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe9/14/2009

Tasted at the Cos d'Estournel dinner at St. John. You know you love this wine. It is almost wrong to love it... Like having the hots for a porn star. Super ripe, luscious black fruits on the nose, blueberries, macerated black cherries, once again a hint of violets. So alluring. The palate is full-bodied, low acidity, sumptuous and Rubenesque. This is like getting into bed with a wine dressed in its finest lingerie. Awesome. Drink 2018-2030+. Tasted March 2009.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

94 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2006

Red-ruby. Knockout nose combines currant, espresso, earth and exotic spices. Wonderfully round and sweet, with outstanding volume and density. A spherical, seamless wine that saturates the entire palate. The huge but lush tannins coat the teeth. This is accessible now but has the sheer material for long aging.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/24/2006

The prodigious, fantastic 2003 Cos d’Estournel is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon (unusually high for this chateau), 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 17,500 cases were produced from low yields. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense, and flowers. With extraordinary richness, full body, and remarkable freshness, elegance, and persistence, this is one of the finest wines ever made by this estate. The good news is that it will be drinkable at a young age yet evolve for three decades or more. Kudos to winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier.

Wine Spectator

97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2006

Gorgeous aromas of blackberry, spice and mineral. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. This is first-growth quality. Best after 2012.

Wine Advocate

97-99 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/29/2005

Potentially the finest Cos d’Estournel I have ever tasted, this wine seems to have put on even more weight and gained strength even after its formidable performance nine months ago. Eighty percent new oak was used and the wine was aged on its lees until early summer of last year. A brilliant effort that is super-concentrated, yet also elegant and harmonious, the wine has an inky/purple color to the rim and a glorious nose of classic creme de cassis intermixed with some smoke, graphite, licorice, fig, and vanilla. Full-bodied, opulently textured, and incredibly concentrated, it has surprising freshness and definition for a wine of such intensity and richness. Jean-Guillaume Prats told me that the finished pH is only 3.6, which is lower than I would have suspected given the wine’s textural richness. Moreover, the alcohol is relatively high for a Bordeaux at 13.5% (compare that to the 13.1% of the 1990). The finish goes on for almost a minute as this is a truly profound wine that should take its place in the pantheon of great Bordeaux wines for many decades to come. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2030+

GaultMillau

93-96 / 100

the6/30/2004

Tannique et moelleux avec une densité exceptionnelle. Très belle réussite

Wine Advocate

95-98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/29/2004

Under the inspired ownership of Michel Reybier and his talented winemaking team, led by Jean-Guillaume Prats, Cos d’Estournel’s quality has been on the rise since the 2000 vintage. The 2003 is one of the greatest offerings this hallowed estate has ever produced. This 15,000-case cuvee is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon (atypically high), 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. With a pH of 3.72, and 13.5% alcohol, it is a substantial yet extraordinarily elegant claret. There are no hints of over-ripeness (prunes, saddle leather, etc.) or exoticism, just classic black currant, melted licorice, blackberry, smoke, and spice notes. Seventy percent of the crop made it in to this cuvee, which was fashioned from low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare. Cos d’Estournel appears to have done everything right, waiting to harvest fully ripe fruit (the Merlot between September 12-14, and the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon between September 18 - 25). The wine possesses a thickness and unctuosity typical of the top 2003 northern Medocs as well as remarkable definition and elegance. It is the most impressive young Cos I have ever tasted. However, the tannin is high, so it will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030. Bravo!