Chateau Cos d’Estournel

Chateau Cos d’Estournel Overview

Chateau Cos d’Estournel is located in the St. Estephe appellation of Bordeaux, France. The 100-hectare vineyard is planted with 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyards are located close to the border between Pauillac and St. Estephe at the southern tip of the St. Estephe appellation. The vineyard has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters at its peak. The vines are about 40 years old on average. The vineyard can be further divided into 72 separate parcels.

The wines of Chateau Cos d’Estournel are rich, sensuous, age-worthy, concentrated, refined, powerful, elegant, and tannic. They are meant to age. The perfume offers a unique incense quality that is not found in other Bordeaux wines. The best vintages of Cos d’Estournel are: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1996, 1990, and 1982.

The wine is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Cos d’Estournel is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted braised, and grilled dishes. Cos d’Estournel is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

The wine of Cos d’Estournel is labor-intensive starting the moment the grapes enter the gleaming new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation. Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over-extraction or harsh tannins. Today, Chateau Cos d’Estournel is aged in an average of 50% to 60% New French oak barrels for about 18 months before bottling.

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