2021 Cos d'Estournel
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Tasting Notes
Cos d’Estournel has produced a very sophisticated and streamlined Grand Vin in 2021. The tannins are hugely concentrated yet manage to stack neatly upon one another, building impressive structure on the palate. Despite the concentration of tannins, they remain very supple and elegant. There was some chapitalization to add body and overall, the wine feels very well-balanced with an excellent sense of precision on the palate. Yields were down to 32 hl/ha and the wine is 12.74% alcohol, with some chaptalisation. Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Critic Scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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.
The 2021 Cos d'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.
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)
About the producer
Louis Gaspard d’Estournel inherited Cos and Pomys in 1791, founding Cos d’Estournel in 1811, investing significantly in the property and expanding the estate from 14 to 45 hectares. The estate rapidly rose to prominence and the wines were exported around the world.