Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2013

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

Blended of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2013 Cos d'Estournel opens with notes of sautéed herbs, roast beef, potpourri, eucalyptus and crushed rocks over a core of redcurrant jelly, crushed blackcurrants, kirsch and violets. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers lovely freshness and a good amount of depth, textured by a chewy frame and finishing long and mineral tinged.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byNeal Martinthe10/28/2016

The 2013 Cos d'Estournel has a fine bouquet: no vegetal signs here, clean and precise with blackberry, briary and iodine scents. While it does not possess this estate's usual complexity you have to admire the delineation interwoven into this wine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well judged acidity, a gentle grip in the mouth and well integrated oak. There is still some edginess on the grainy finish that will be addressed by another 3-4 years in bottle, but this is certainly one of the better 2013s and it should give 15 years of pleasure.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

the3/31/2016

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2016

Very, very impressive for the vintage with a dark fruits and impressive spice and mineral undertones. Full body, chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Tight and layered. Needs two or three years to open.

Wine Advocate

86-88 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe8/29/2014

The smallest crop since 1991 has produced a 2013 Cos d'Estournel composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine-s attractive dark ruby color is followed by decent fruit on the attack, but then narrows out to reveal an elegant but superficial wine that needs to be drunk over the next 7-8 years. Yields were a striking low 27 hectoliters per hectare.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

88-91 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe5/16/2014

(78% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot and 2% cabernet franc):  Bright red.  Strong floral notes complement bright red cherry and sweet spices on the enticing nose.  Bright and fresh in the mouth, with clean flavors of red fruits and herbs lingering nicely on the palate.  The tannins are smooth and fine.  A lighter-style Cos but very much in tune with the year and better balanced than most.  This may be another 1971 in the making.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe5/7/2014

After some atypical releases in recent years, most notably the body built 2009, this is a welcome return to a more classic style of Cos, with firm, St Estèphe tannins, good grip and structure and a fresh, acid-driven finish. Appealingly low in alcohol at only 12.7%, too.

matthewjukes.com

17,5 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/23/2014

(78 Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 Merlot, 2 Cabernet Franc) 71 IPT. Wow a ‘feminine’, beautiful, fragrant Cos. A rare beast indeed with incredible delicacy and charm. Purists might miss the point here, but taken as a standalone wine this is a beauty. Pure, bright and an extraordinary expression from this Château perhaps more famous for making hefty, pumped-up wines! I love the perfume – it is exotic, haunting and magnetic. The team never believed, in early September when the heavens opened, that they could make something as lip-smacking as this wine. Strangely, they had to learn ‘how to make a lower alcohol wine’. The warm spells in July and August saved the vintage. It could have been disastrous without this lift in the ripeness. Yields are one third down at 26hl/ha. They could have picked later but, on reflection, they would have made an overbalanced wine and so in 2013 Cos has made a rare and wonderful addition to its family.

Vinous

90-92 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/17/2014

Cloves, cinnamon, menthol, plums and spices meld together in the 2013 Cos d'Estournel. Suave and silky to the core, the 2013 impresses for its balance and class. This isn't a huge wine, but all the elements fall into place effortlessly. In 2013, Cos is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

My Bettane + Desseauve

17-17,5 / 20

the4/15/2014

Très bel échantillon, aux arômes racés et ultra classiques de cèdre, tendance Pauillac, dense, assez linéaire dans sa texture, marqué par une très forte proportion de cabernet-sauvignon pour le cru (78%). Belle garde prévisible et retour à un style ouvertement médocain.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/15/2014

The Grand Vin is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 27 September and 10 October at 26.3hl/ha. It is being raised in 60% new oak and the alcohol level is around 12.7%. The fruit was sorted in the vineyard, two trips through the vineyard to weed out the millerande berries. I like the focus on the nose. It is not powerful but it is intense and very well defined with blackberry and cassis notes unfolding in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, a crisp level of acidity and overall, a somewhat relaxed feel, a nonchalant Cos d'Estournel that has accepted the growing season for what it is. It is actually cut from a similar cloth to the Montrose this year, although I find a little more persistency coming through towards the finish. This is a decent Cos d'Estournel that will need 4 to 6 years in bottle.

Decanter.com

17,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/14/2014

Rich colour, fragrant nose with fine aromatic complexity to come, robust and  slightly spicy on the palate, leaner than usual, good long-term

Jamessuckling.com

90-91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/8/2014

A fresh, spicy young wine with a subtle fruit and tannin structure. Bright fruit and acidity. It’s like the 1985 but cleaner. I like the balance to this for the vintage. Only 12.7% alcohol.

René Gabriel

17 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/3/2014

Weniger als eine halbe Ernte. 26 hl/ha. 78 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 % Merlot, 2 %Cabernet Franc. 12,7 % Vol. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Kirschen, Rosen und Veilchen, ein sehr frisches Bouquet, vielschichtig, zeigt Primäraromen von eine sehr angenehmen Art, im zweiten Ansatz Tabak und Zedern. Im Gaumen eigentlich ein eher leichter Wein mit einer delikaten Aromatik von einem schon fast parfümierten Cabernet, feinste Tannine von einer traumhaften Eleganz. Für abonnierte Cos-Fans ist es vielleicht schwer hier einen Super-Second zu erkennen. Für einen Delikatessensuchern ist dies eine durchaus tänzerische, feminine Variante eines fragilen Jahrganges. Die Powersucher und Bombendegustatoren werden ihn wohl in der Luft zerreisen. Solche, welche sich in letzter Zeit über grosse Alkoholgehalte und Mazerationübertreiber geärgert haben, werden hier eine weinige Mussestunde kaufen können. Bei diesem Cos 2013 ist mit die Idee des Begriffes «Modern-Claret» in den Sinn gekommen.