Chateau Cos d'Estournel 2018

- 97-100 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, Lisa Perrotti-Brown: "The 2018 Cos d'Estournel is composed of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc and has 14.59% alcohol. Aging in 50% new barriques, it has a deep purple-black color and drifts effortlessly, gracefully, seductively out of the glass with slowly unfurling notions of blackcurrant cordial, wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries and plum pudding with touches of violets, licorice, wild roses and yeast extract plus a waft of loose tobacco. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house with a solid frame of super firm, super ripe tannins and seamless freshness to back up the vibrant, crunchy, oh-so-muscular fruit, finishing long with loads of mineral layers. Amazing structure will keep this beauty for at least half a century and probably a full one!"

- 95-97 Punkte WINE ENTHUSIAST, Roger Voss: "Barrel Sample. Big, rich and smoky in nature, with powerful fruits and dense tannins, this is a wine that is straining at the limits but still within balance. Rich, smoky flavors shine along with the black plum fruit and bright acidity. It will age for many years."

- WINESPECTATOR, James Molesworth in seinem Artikel "The 2018 Bordeaux Barrels Diary: St.-Estephe, for starters: "The 2018 Cos-d'Estournel St.-Estèphe grand vin is off to a rocking start, dense yet polished, long and vibrant, rippling with cassis and plum fruit carried by well-embedded acidity. While the crop here was low—just 2.2 tons per acre, due not only to the mildew issues but also a windy September that reduced the juice in the already-small berries—the quality is very high. 65 percent of the crop made it into the grand vin, when typically the selection is closer to 50 percent."

- 97-100 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni: "A regal, soaring Saint-Estèphe, the 2018 Cos d'Estournel is also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. On the palate, the 2018 is dark and sumptuous, with striking aromatic presence and silky tannins that wrap around a rich core of exotic fruit. Black cherry, savory herbs, leather, spice and menthol build in the glass in a wine that is both aromatically intense and richly textured. The 2018 has been nothing short of breathtaking on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. Don't miss it."

- 100 Punkte FALSTAFF, Peter Moser: ""Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Nuancen von Cassis und frischen Feigen, aber auch rotbeerige Aspekte klingen an, exotische Gewürze, feiner Edelholztouch, ein ungemein facettenreiches und verführerisches Bukett. Stoffig, komplex, dunkle Kirschen, extraktsüße Textur, perfekte Tannine, rund und reif, dunkle Beeren und feiner Nougat im Abgang, bleibt minutenlang haften, mineralisch, rote Kirschen im Nachhall, sehr vielversprechendes Entwicklungspotenzial, hat eine große Karriere vor sich. (2020 - 2060)"

- 97 Punkte DECANTER, Jane Anson: "This has some austerity on the attack, then announces its arrival in the inimitable way that Cos is able to do: with a slow build up of exotic spices, liquorice root, cedar and cassis. It stretches out through the palate and you keep waiting for the tannins to punch through like they did in 2010, but it doesn't happen, even though this is a big wine with high alcohol and an IPT of 80. There's a great menthol freshness on the finish, helped no doubt by a fresh 3.65pH. It has the luxurious signature of Cos, the glamorous touch that you look for in this wine - like at Mouton and at Angelus - that is part of their DNA, but it's also married to elegance and a touch of slate minerality. This is a wine that you would be thrilled to own. 12mm of rain on 12 September and 20mm in mid-August were just enough to stop any blockages in ripening, although the 30hl/ha yield is low due to a touch of mildew and some concentration in September. This compares to a more generous 45hl/ha in 2016. 65% of production went into the grand vin. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend, and the wine is aged in 50% new oak (a little lower than the usual 60%). A candidate to upscore when in bottle. Drinking Window 2028 – 2042"

- 17,5 Punkte JANCIS ROBINSON; Julia Harding: "74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample.
Black core with narrow purple rim. Intense black fruit with just a hint of charry oak. Smells sweet and ripe but pure and fresh-fruited too. Glorious Cabernet here. Deep, chewy and rich on the palate, firm velvet texture, incredibly moreish and so fresh, as much from the tannins as from the acidity. Leaves your mouth clean with dark, savoury, rocky length. Very precise winemaking. I love those dry clean-tasting tannins on the finish."

- 18 Punkte Rene Gabriels BORDEAUX TOTAL, Andre Kunz: "Kunz Fassprobe 19: (74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 14.59% vol. Alkohol) Frisches, kräftiges, elegantes, mineralisches Bouquet, blaue und schwarze Beeren, Tabak, Lakritze, Black Currant. Ausgewogener, klassischer, aromatischer Gaumen mit dichter Frucht, viel feinem Tannin, fein muskulöser Struktur, vielfältiger Aromatik, langer, herber, aromatischer Abgang. Kann noch zulegen."

- 97-99+ Punkte JEB DUNNUCK: "Deeply colored, the 2018 Cos D'Estournel shows the incredible purity and elegance that this estate delivers these days as well as fabulous crème de cassis, graphite, white flowers, and spicy oak aromas and flavors. Made from 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new barrels, it builds with time in the glass and has a full-bodied, decadent yet also seamless mouthfeel, layers of tannins, and a great finish. This is as classy as it gets and certainly a candidate for the King of Saint-Estèphe in 2018. Given its purity and balance as well as depth of fruit, it should offer loads of pleasure in its youth yet also evolve nicely for 3-4 decades. This estate has been on an incredible roll over the past 7-8 years and this is another killer wine. For those interested in the technical data, this wine hit 14.59% alcohol, with a pH of 3.69, total acids of 3.3, and a whopping IPT of 80."

- 98-99 Punkte JAMES SUCKLING: "The beautiful integration of ripe fruit and ripe tannins gives the wine a layered and agile mouthfeel. Soft and gorgeous with silky tannins that really kick in at the finish and carry the wine for a long time."

- 18,5 Punkte WEINWISSER: "74 % Cabernet Sauvignon 23 % Merlot, 2 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot, 14,5 % vol, 2/3 Grand Vin, 29,5 hl/ha. Dichtes Granatrot mit aufhellendem Rand. Komplexes Bouquet mit Wildkirschen, Rosmarin, Wacholder. Im zweiten Ansatz Waldhimbeeren und Lakritze. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur und blitzblank polierten Tanninen, dann packt der Cos zu und zeigt sein gewaltiges Lagerpotenzial, wird engmaschig und muskelbepackt. Im gebündelten, langanhal tenden Finale mit schwarzbeerigen Konturen, dunklen Edelhölzern und Brasiltabak. Endet mit dieser typischen St.- Estèphe- Arroganz. Hat sein enormes Potenzial (leider) nicht ganz ausgeschöpft, kann noch zulegen!"