2019 Pagodes de Cos
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Evolved garnet colour. Light and fragrant. A bit skinny and austere – very unlike wines 1 and 2 in this flight (Ch Capbern and Ch Calon Ségur, Le Marquis de Calon Ségur)! High acidity rather than lots of tannin on the end. Clean and fresh and pure, but only for classicists. Well-balanced finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The second wine of Cos D'Estournel, the 2019 Pagodes De Cos is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, with the balance Petit Verdot. It's classic Saint-Estèphe on the nose with its pure black and blue fruits as well as notes of damp earth, sappy tobacco, cedar pencil, and graphite. This carries to a medium-bodied, elegant 2019 with impeccable balance, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. The balance and purity are spot on, and this will drink nicely for over two decades. It's not far off the style of the 2018 and certainly in the same ballpark qualitatively.
This has attractive tannic hold and lift, it has stretched out over ageing, a little less gourmet than during En Primeur but great quality. Full of blackberry and smoked earth, with a core of freshness that gives lift through the finish. Great quality. 20% new oak.
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.