1961 Château Cos d'Estournel
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Tasting notes
The 1961 Cos d’Estournel has quite a wide tawny rim to the extent that it implies a wine past its best. However, the bouquet is absolutely heavenly: exquisitely defined, gentle and unfolding with each swirl. There is something almost Burgundian about the aromatics: the purity, the detail and its seductive nature. It is very confit-like with hints of fig and a touch of fennel. There is a complexity here that is utterly beguiling. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, perfect acidity, refined and elegant. It is “old school” Saint-Estèphe for sure but what else could it be? Maybe, I could criticize the persistence on the finish: the “tail” is shorter than the finest wines of the vintage, yet it is just a refined, sophisticated 1961 that has clearly aged in consummate style. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical at the property.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Typically dark and densely pigmented with no sign of browning at the edge, this big, intense, concentrated, still tannic wine has at least a decade of life left in it. The fragrant bouquet offers up scents of cedar, oriental spices, and fruitcake. It is very rich, deep, and long on the palate, with masses of ripe black fruits. An opulent beauty! Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 1/91.
Typically dark and densely pigmented with no sign of browning at the edge, this big, intense, concentrated, still tannic wine has at least a decade of life left in it. The fragrant bouquet offers up scents of cedar, oriental spices, and fruitcake. It is very rich, deep, and long on the palate, with masses of ripe black fruits. An opulent beauty! Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 1/91. Jan 1998, www.robertparker.com
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.