Cos d'Estournel - Saint-Estèphe 2017

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 17/03/2020

Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age! Drinking Window : 2025 - 2065. 98+

Vinous

95 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 11/03/2020

A bold, dramatic wine, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is seriously impressive today. Time in barrel has done wonders for the 2017, a wine that has really gained depth in élevage. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, new leather, licorice, smoke and incense infuse the 2017 with tons of character, with the 60% new oak very well judged. In 2017, Cos has a level of textural resonance that eludes many Saint-Estèphes. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

par James Molesworth le 07/02/2020

Bright and expressive, with an extroverted core of loganberry, plum and black cherry fruit racing to the fore, carried by a polished and sleek structure. Reveals a subtle mineral edge through the finish, with alluring black and red tea notes swirling around. The rare seductive St.-Estèphe. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2036. 15,000 cases made. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

par James Suckling le 13/01/2020

Quite the bottle here! Spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, as well as dried meat and plums with cedar and sandalwood. Full body. Deep and dense in the center palate and a long, long finish. Shows finesse and tightness. Very polished tannins. Long and ethereal. Try after 2023.

Le Point

16,5 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 20/06/2018

Fruits noirs, un peu fumée, bien charnu, délicat, gourmand, tendre en milieu de bouche, de la fraîcheur, vivacité en finale, fruit pur, finale longue.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 12/06/2018

A wine that might surpass the 2014 and 2015, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel checks in as a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, harvested between the 12th and 30th of September, and brought up in 60% new French oak. While it’s not a huge wine, it has incredible purity and precision as well as terrific notes of crème de cassis, graphite, damp earth, and crushed rock. Possessing ultra-fine tannin, beautiful balance, and again, awesome purity of fruit, it’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and cruise for two decades in the cellar.

Vinifera

90 / 100

par Jacques Perrin le 28/05/2018

Nez expressif, déjà bien ouvert, sur des notes de pêche, d’agrumes. On retrouve cette expressivité en bouche, avec un corps équilibré, expressif, très agrumes sur la finale, d’une agréable vivacité.

Vinous

92-95 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 15/05/2018

The 2017 Cos d'Estournel is a sleek, polished wine built on finesse more than power. Sweet, perfumed aromatics and silky tannins add to that impression. In 2017 the Grand Vin shows a distinctly red-fruit and floral character that matches its mid-weight personality nicely. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. New oak is around 60%.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 11/05/2018

Quite dark in color, the wine is full bodied, concentrated, lushly textured and offers a serious depth of flavor. Power and elegance make a perfect pairing here. The glycerin filled finish coats your palate, leaving you with a mélange of dark fruits that keep going for almost 50 seconds. The wine was made from blending 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, reaching 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The harvest took place September 12 to September 30 and the Grand Vin was made from only 40% of the harvest.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 01/05/2018

The 2017 Cos d’Estournel is matured in 60% new oak and comprises 13% alcohol, approximately the same as the 2016. It has a more expressive and welcoming bouquet than usual, maybe more indicative of how this wine will mature in bottle, less opaque than the 2016. A common theme throughout the range from Cos d’Estournel is a Pauillac-inspired backbone/tannic structure coupled with an attractive scent wafting over from the estuary...think mudflats, oyster shells and the tang of sea spray. It gains a little intensity with aeration but never fully lets go. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannin, rendering this one of the most approachable barrel samples from the estate in recent years. The coolness of the latter part of the season defines this Saint-Estèphe more than the precocity of June: streamlined, cool and linear with a velvety finish that feels sleek, to the point of being understated, though that belies its length and focus. This is simply a very classy wine in the making and typical of the more recent sophisticated style pursued by the property in recent years.

Wine Advocate

97-100 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 27/04/2018

The final blend of the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers up intense scents of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and black cherries with touches of incense, spice cake, star anise and plum preserves plus a perfumed hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with very firm yet wonderfully ripe, "sweet", fine-grained tannins at just 13% alcohol—something of a miracle in our modern times. The palate sports fantastic freshness and tons of energy emitted from the intensely perfumed black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lingering mineral note. Truly profound.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

par Jane Anson le 25/04/2018

This is exceptional, if a touch below the intensity and harmony of 2016. I love the density that's displayed in this wine, showcasing luxurious, well-enrobed tannins. The complexity steals up on you little by little, the dark cassis and plum fruit character deepening through the palate with flashes of sage, charcoal, cigar box, graphite and taut tannins. The colour difference is marked between the grand vin and second wine, with the Cos extremely deep damson in colour following a one-month maceration at 30 degrees and clever use of the press. Harvested 12- 30 September. 40% of production went into the grand vin. 3.7pH. IPT68. 60% new oak.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2040

WeinWisser

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 25/04/2018

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. 43 hl/ha. 40% Grand Vin. Granatrubin mit funkelnden Reflexen und violettem Rand. Komplexes, rotbeeriges Bouquet, Wildkirsche, rote Johannisbeeren und Eisenkraut. lm zweiten Ansatz würziges Rosenholz und heller Tabak. Am eleganten Gaumen mit seidigem Tannin und gutem Zug, lm geradlinigen Finale mit Wacholder und Kirschhâuten, der Wein wirkt aktuell etwas burschikos und endet mit zarter Adstringenz.Zurück zur Klassik!         
18/20 2023 - 2040

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 17/04/2018

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

par Roger Voss le 17/04/2018

This impressive wine is serious, dense and richly endowed with great swathes of black plum. An excellent wine from this estate, ripe black fruits, layers of acidity and dark tannins are perfectly poised. This is a wine for long-term aging.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

par James Suckling le 06/04/2018

Love tasting this wine. You almost want to drink it for its harmony and balance. Full-bodied and so complete with cloves, spices, dark berries and hints of chocolate. Wonderful integration on the finish.