2010 Cos d'Estournel
Buying options
Tasting notes
Like Pagodes this is a wonderfully effortless wine which belies huge concentration. Like Ch Margaux this is subtle and descreet and with terrific energy. Very black fruit but importantly, no prune. High-toned and really fruity at the end. Pure, fresh and lovely and long. This is a great Cos and a magnificent understanding of the vintage by Jean-Guillaume Pratts.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeannie Cho Lee MW
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
The amazingly fresh 2010 Cos d'Estournel has a deep, opaque purple hue, with aromatics of vibrant blackberries, cherries, plum, spices and a hint of cedar, and a nice depth of fruit and restrained character to the flavours. It is good to see Cos moving away from over-extraction and crafting a wine that is detailed enough to express its fine terroir. This is a more classic style of Cos, understated and subtle but also with wonderful freshness and length.asianpalate.com
Cos d?Estournel was produced from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and the remainder Petit Verdot. The wine reached 14.5 % alcohol which is a little lower than they achieved in 2009. Representing 55% of the harvest, the wine looks as dark as a midnight sky, with coaxing the wine offers smoke, Asian spice, cassis, boysenberry, stone and minerality in the complex nose. Powerful, dense, pure and packed with tannins as well as a wall of fruit, this wine requires serious aging. Long, fresh and mouth filling, while the tannin levels are less than they were in 2009, due to the higher levels of acidity, (which shaped the wines character) the wine feels more tannic. This broad shouldered, muscular wine will not be fun to drink in its youth. In time, it may become the perfect blend of tradition and modern. Tasters who were not happy with 2009 Cos should love this wine, (It?s closer in style to 2005, with a dash of 1986 blended in, than it is to 2009.) 96-98 Pts Prats thinks 2010 Cos is a perfect definition of what Bordeaux does at its best, mixing austerity, power and elegance. While he loves 2009 Cos d'Estournel for its glamorous style, Jean-Guillaume considers it a unique vintage for the chateau. winecellarinsider.com
This is a deep dark scarlet lake to a coral edge, from which some fragrance of bramble, cedar and even graphite emerge reluctantly. All is held in firmly with fine and attractive tannins, not savoury but leathery. Acids pervade soft fruit, raspberry, redcurrant, cranberry and a memory of strawberry through to the mid palate with an almost silicate zone in its long after-taste. Reserved and secretive now, it will gradually reveal its treasury up to 2060.
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.