2009 Château Cos d'Estournel
Buying options
Tasting notes
A wine that caused plenty of arguments among critics and wine lovers at the time, and 15 years on it remains full on and pumped up. Silky texture, smoked caramel, intense cracked pepper, cloves, incense, olive peel, blackberry and damson fruits, impactful but a little too much even now. The terroir character is just starting to assert itself, and this is a one point upscore since I tasted it at the ten years on point. 100% new oak.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
This was always a controversial wine, seen by many as pushing ripeness and extraction too far. Deep blackish crimson. Less concentrated than the Montrose 2009 but with intense fragrance. On the palate it really opens out but the flavour is decidedly medicinal. A bit jagged and tough in terms of impact and obviously very extracted.
Still deeply colored, the nose exudes black fruits, spice, licorice, smoke, Asian spice and black cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich, deep, long, voluptuous and showy. It’s also perfectly poised between its power and elegant nature. Youthful, but continuing to drop its baby fat, while morphing into a stellar tasting experience.
Another magical wine from this property, the 2009 Château Cos D'Estournel reminds me slightly of the 2005 with its incredibly rich, powerful, opulent style married to stunning finesse and elegance. Still youthful yet with a touch of maturity, its deep ruby/plum color is followed by classic Saint-Estèphe notes of blackcurrants, dried tobacco, loamy earth, Asian spices, and licorice. Deep, full-bodied, and massive on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced and has building tannins hiding under its wealth of fruit, with no hard edges and a great, great finish. This tour de force is still 5-7 years away from maturity and is a legendary wine to follow over the coming 40-50 years.
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.