Pagodes de Cos - Saint-Estèphe 2016

Vinous

92

byNeal Martinthe8/13/2020

The 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos has a wonderful bouquet of vibrant, expressive red berry fruit, strawberry and raspberry, conveying a tangible sense of mineralité and tension; the new oak is very well integrated here. The balanced palate offers fine-boned tannins and very well judged acidity. Utterly harmonious, with a caressing and beautifully poised finish. This is a top-class Saint-Estèphe that will age with panache. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Jancis Robinson

16,5

byJancis Robinsonthe2/5/2020

Yvesbeck.wine

92

byYves Beckthe3/20/2019

Pourpre violacé. Quelle densité et quelle fraîcheur olfactive. Notes intenses de cerises et de mûres suivies d'un peu de café et de pain fraichement cuit. La mise en bouche reflète bien le nez, surtout au niveau du fruit. Caractère compact, crémeux et équilibré. Les tannins se révèlent très lentement et apparaissent en fin de bouche. Ils sont fins et octroient de la puissance. Structure rafraîchissante. Seule la finale est un peu en retrait, mais au vu de la matière présente c'est juste une question de temps. Une très belle réussite pour Pagodes. 2022-2036 92/100

Jeb DUNNUCK

93

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/1/2019

The second wine of the estate is no slouch. The 2016 Pagodes de Cos has some grand vin character in its cassis and graphite aromas and flavors. Showing more incense, graphite, and hints of flowers with air time, this medium to full-bodied, rounded, beautifully textured effort is well worth a case purchase. Drink this beauty, the equal to most estates’ top wines, while you wait on the grand vin to come around.

Wine Spectator

91

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

This has good energy, with a light briar note through the mix of raspberry, plum and cherry paste flavors. Subtle chalk and iron streaks add texture and cut on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2031. 18,333 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

94

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

A red with very deep and intense fruit character, yet rich tannins to back it all up. Full-bodied, layered and powerful. The second wine of Cos d’Estournel is serious again in 2016. Try from 2025.

Vinous

92

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

The 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos is matured in 30% new oak. It has an intense bouquet for a deuxième vin, featuring blackberry, bilberry, light cedar and graphite aromas, quite Pauillac in style. The medium-bodied palate is fresh and vigorous though not deep, displaying fine tannin and exerting a gentle grip. There is a symmetry about this Les Pagodes, which is longer than other vintages, with just a hint of graphite and cracked black pepper on the finish. Excellent. 13.02% alcohol.

Vinous

91

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

The 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos is super-expressive today. Pliant and inviting, yet also medium in body, the 2016 has much to recommend it. Grilled herb, tobacco, menthol, chocolate, licorice and black cherry are all seamless in this silky, open-knit second from Cos d'Estournel. The 2016 is incredibly harmonious, even in the early going.

Wine Advocate

92

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

The 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos is blended of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. It has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with notions of warm cassis, black cherries and smoked meats giving way to scents of charcoal, underbrush and cloves plus a waft of new leather. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with generous black fruits and some compelling red fruit sparks, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and finishing long and spicy.

WeinWisser

17

byTjark Witzgallthe5/22/2017

50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 46,5 % Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot und 0,5 % Cabernet Franc. Purpur mit Granatschimmer am Rand. Verspieltes Bouquet mit viel Veilchen, dahinter Schattenmorellen und Kirschtabak. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, dahinter packen dann die Tannine zu, der Körper wirkt dadurch sehnig, zarte Adstringenz im Finale.

Bettane & Desseauve

94-95

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

Beau second vin complet, ne souffrant que de la comparaison avec le premier ! On reverra la notation en fin d’élevage.

Wine Advocate

90-92

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

The 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and a splash of Cabernet Franc, delivering 13.02% alcohol and matured in 30% new oak. It has an intense bouquet with aromas of blackcurrant, bilberry, graphite and a touch of sea salt (just a nod to the Gironde Estuary perhaps?). The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, quite sleek in the mouth with plenty of black fruit tinged with graphite. It has a little more persistence compared to the 2015 Pagodes last year from barrel, very harmonious with a twist of bitter black cherry and tobacco on the finish. Very fine—drink from two or three years in bottle.

The Wine Cellar Insider

90-92

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

Fresh, sweet black raspberries and bright red fruits are the center of this crisp, spicy wine. Produced from blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.3% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.02% alcohol and represents 55% of the harvest. 

Vinous

88-90

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

An attractive second wine, the 2016 Les Pagodes de Cos is built on finesse and nuance rather than power. Silky and gracious from the outset, the Pagodes is quite expressive today. In 2016, it has a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot, yet it remains quite understated in style. Grilled herbs, smoke, leather and tobacco infuse the delicate, lilting finish in this attractive, midweight Saint-Estèphe.

matthewjukes.com

17,5

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

(50 Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5 Merlot, 3 Petit Verdot, 0.5 Cabernet Franc) | 30% new oak | 13% alc. | 55% production goes into this wine. | 45 hl/ha. | 65 IPT There is more tension here than expected and this wine appears more tart and not as exotic or as perfumed as it has been in years gone by. This is a Pagodes vintage that requires some ageing. There is a lift of fruit on the finish and some breeding which endeavours to carry it to the next level but it is too early to tell. This is a different shape and it has a slimmer line and it is more of a terroir-driven style of Pagodes. There are some nice highlights of red fruit found on the finish but you must be patient for it to perform. 17.5+

Decanter.com

92

byJane Ansonthe4/21/2017

This is a serious wine representing 55% of the overall production, with the other 45% in Cos ('not one drop into a third wine or bulk' says director Aymeric de Gironde). Extremely dark black cassis fruits and graphite show the power of St-Estèphe clays. Fresh, bright and well structured (3.61pH, 65IPT), this is bristling with fruit and silky tannins, and may even close down for a few years. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 0.6% Cabernet Franc from vines averaging 35 years old, aged in 30% new oak. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040

Jancis Robinson

17

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2017

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc. Picked 26 September to 15 October. Fresh, muscular, racy nose. Sweet start – really rather flirtatious! Racy and elegant. But not for the long term. 

Wine Enthusiast

93-95

byRoger Vossthe4/19/2017

Barrel Sample. The tannins are really deceptive in this wine. It is sumptuous and elegant at the same time. The black currant fruit and acidity are a foil for the powerful tannic structure. Balanced and rich in fruit, it is ready for some serious, but not too long, aging.

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

The brightness and focus to this second wine of Cos are certainly impressive. You can see the quality. Full body, a tight and focused palate and beautiful fruit and density. Ultra-fine tannins. Gorgeous. Sophisticated.