Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2021

Vinous

93 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2024

The 2021 Cos d’Estournel marries power with finesse. It has all the intensity that is typical of the wines here, but also a real sense of precision. Dark-toned fruit, licorice, leather, spice, tobacco and incense all unfold in a rich, heady wine with bitter, astringent tannins. The 2021 is hard to taste today, as it is decidedly quiet and understated.

Vinous

93 / 100

byNeal Martinthe2/23/2024

France

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byWilliam Kelleythe2/22/2024

The 2021 Cos d'Estournel is one of the denser, more muscular wines of the vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, charcoal, sweet cigar wrapper and subtle hints of smoked meats, framed by a touch of toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's rich and quite concentrated for the vintage, with a chassis of sweet, generously extracted tannin and a long, lusty finish. 93+

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/22/2024

Floral aromas with violets, lavender and currants. Lead pencil, too. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins that caress and please. Elegant and sophisticated. Linear line of tannins running through this. Needs two or three years to soften. Hold for now.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/22/2024

Alluring from the get-go, with boysenberry and creamed plum flavors that offer an almost exotic edge, backed by liberal accents of rooibos tea, mulling spices and sweet tobacco. Caressing in the end, this also shows a chalky spine that's better integrated than most in this vintage, plus a pretty, lingering curl of alder. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2037. 14,500 cases made.  –JM

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

95 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/30/2024

Lovely stuff, elegant and sculpted, great quality, showcasing the successful side of a cool vintage. There is some austerity, as you would expect, with chewy tannins holding blueberry and black cherry fruits, well balanced with grilled cinnamon and sandalwood smoke. 55% new oak. Among the wines of the vintage.

matthewjukes.com

18,5 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe8/2/2022

As always, I tasted the Cos family of wines with owner Michel Reybier and winemaker Dominique Arangoïts. This was only my third rendezvous of the campaign, and so it gave me a fabulous benchmark to compare to all other wines. Of course, tasting at Cos is a huge pleasure not last because the wines always seem honest and open regarding the vintage conditions. This is, therefore, one of a handful of Châteaux that I regard as barometers for the region and also the vintage. It was here that any notion of 2021 as a ‘disaster’, as a couple of hacks labelled it, went out of the window. With a sub 13% alcohol footprint supporting this magnificent wine, there was always going to be a freshness and directness about Cos. It is a charming and honed wine with intense, dark, smooth fruit touched by cool earth and bright acidity. It was impossible to suppress a beaming smile with a unique balance of freshness and low alcohol countering the lip-smacking exuberant fruit. As it turned out, the very best wines of 2021 are precisely terroir-specific, and this is one of the most accurate, rewarding and satisfying wines in 2021. It will be fascinating to see how it evolves, given its unique balance of sensational fruit, colour, detail, and life-affirming freshness. 18.5

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe6/8/2022

A firm red with solid, compact tannins. Medium to full body with plenty of blackcurrant, pencil-lead and graphite character. Compact and structured throughout, with a firm finish. Linear and muscular tannins at the end that are very formed and curated. It will be interesting to see how this one evolves. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-94 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/2/2022

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Cos D'Estournel is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot that saw 55% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, elegant, medium-bodied style that carries plenty of pure cassis and almost blue fruits as well as graphite, spicy wood, and hints of tobacco. The tannins are polished, and it has terrific balance, good density, and outstanding length. It's certainly in the more focused, elegant, narrow style of the vintage, but it's beautiful. 92-94+

Bettane & Desseauve

98 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/24/2022

Réussite éclatante. Grand nez où le thé noir épice des notes parfaites de fruits rouges. Corps merveilleusement harmonieux, comme si la vigne avait moins souffert de la tyrannie de son microclimat. Bravo à toute l’équipe. 64 % cabernet-sauvignon, 30 % merlot, 4 % cabernet franc, 2 % petit verdot.

The Vintage Journal

96-97 / 100

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2022

Deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate, blackcurrant brambly aromas with inky graphite notes. Superbly concentrated wine with deep-set pure blackcurrant, blackberry confit fruits, fine graphite/ vigorous textures, superb mid-palate density and underlying malty/ spicy oak. Very chocolaty with a leafy tannin plume. Superb fruit definition, complexity and precision. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot. 55% new French oak barriques. 12.74% alc

Alexandre Ma

95-96 / 100

byAlexandre Mathe5/16/2022

Cos d'Estournel 2021 presents relatively reserved fruity notes but offers incredible concentration highlighted by the spicy notes of Sichuan pepper, nutmeg, and cumin. However, such lovely spices are no comparison to the aesthetic mouthfeel, which is the essence of this wine. The smooth and springy texture is like an egg off its shell, which caresses your taste buds and melts into milky chocolate. The smooth and natural changes in flavors are really astonishing. After 15 years of aging, I believe it will bring more pleasant surprises. Cos d'Estournel?????????,??????????????,????????????????????????????,?????????????????????Q????????????,????????????????,???????????????,????15?????????????

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/16/2022

Earthy, spicy, black raspberries, blackberries, flowers, and black currants create the nose and the core of its medium/full-bodied palate. Soft, silky, fresh and polished, there is a nice sweetness and refined edge to the fruit on the palate, finishing with layers of vibrant, peppery, tea-stained, black currants with a gentle hint of herbs on the backend. The wine was made from blending 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc,13% alcohol, pH of 3.7. The yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place September 23 to October 7. The Grand Vin was produced from 50% of the harvest. The wine is going to approachable early in its life. Drink from 2025-2055. 95-97

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe5/13/2022

Vinous

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/12/2022

The 2021 Cos d'Estournel has an attractive nose, more complex than the Pagodes (as you would expect), graphite and subtle cigar box scents permeating the black fruit and the Cabernet Sauvignon more expressive at this stage vis-à-vis the Merlot. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. One of the most velvety Cos d'Estournel wines I have encountered at this stage, though linear and strict on the saline finish. This is old-school in some ways, and a bit grumpy in its youth – a wine that will oblige cellar aging. A Saint-Estèphe for the patient among you. (12.74% alcohol)

Vinous

94-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2022

The 2021 Cos 'Estournel is a wine of real breadth and volume. It is also quite a departure from recent vintages in that strong Cabernet aromatics are very much front and center. Cedar, tobacco, dried herbs, menthol and licorice lend notable complexity to the bouquet. I expect the 2021 will need time to be at its best. Cos is usually much more alluring in its youth than the reticent but hugely promising 2021.

vvwine

96-98 / 100

byAdrian Van Velsenthe5/10/2022

(64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot). Kräftige Farbe. In der Nase feinduftig, mit Kräutern, exotischen Gewürzen, einer klaren Kirschfrucht, dazu etwas schwarze Johannisbeere und florale Aromen. Im Gaumenleichtfüssig, schlank, saftig und frisch, hochelegant, das Holz perfekt verpackt, die Tannine sind seidig, markant, machen sich erst ganz hinten bemerkbar, der Wein zeigt einen grossen Trinkfluss, hat Charme und endet langanhaltend auf einen Mix aus roten und dunklen Beeren sowie eine leicht salzige Note. Ausgezeichnet in Balance und vielleicht der burgundischste Cos, den ich je probieren durfte. Wird früh zugänglich sein, doch sein Reifepotential ist nicht zu unterschätzen. 2027-2050+ (Verkostet im April 2022. Château Cos d'Estournel)

Anthocyanes

96-98 / 100

byYohan Castaingthe5/6/2022

Assemblages réalisés. Nez complexe et dense, très précis avec des arômes de fruits noirs, de cassis, de violette et de fleurs. La bouche est droite tout en étant dense et profonde avec des tanins d'une grande précision, une fraicheur assumée et une texture ciselée bien que structurante. Tout l'esprit du millésime dans ce vin identitaire. Laisse entrevoir des caractéristiques que l'on ne perçoit pas d'habitude. Très bel équilibre d'ensemble. Grand potentiel de garde. Bravo !

Wine Advocate

94-95 / 100

byWilliam Kelleythe4/29/2022

The 2021 Cos d'Estournel is very promising, offering up rich aromas of dark berries, plums, exotic spices, loamy soil and rose petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless palate that's impressively vibrant and concentrated, with powdery tannins, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish. Only 53% of the production made it into the grand vin, and the blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Technical director Dominique Arangoïts reports that Cos was spared by frost and coulure at flowering, harvesting between September 23 and October 4, and fermenting a touch hotter than has been the case in recent years, at around 28-29 degrees Celsius.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

byGeorgina Hindlethe4/1/2022

Super rich dark berries on the nose, fragrant and seductive, this draws you in both from the nose and colour with a deep, inky purple and pink tone. Charming and lively, this is sophisticated with a minty, fresh, high-toned fruit profile that is poised and focussed, delivering each element in a straight line right now. Not so expansive but layered vertically with tobacco, coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla notes alongside bramble fruits. It’s tightly packaged but so refined, elegant and classy. One to watch for sure. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.