2008 Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe

Cos d’Estournel’s multimillion Euro renovation project (as seen on Wine: The Firm) has turned its winery into a futuristic sight incredible to behold. Gravity flow is now all-important to ensure that the wine is moved around in the gentlest way possible. The 2008 is the first vintage to be made in the new winery and fortunately for investors in Cos’s grand project, we think you can taste the difference. This was by far the finest wine we tasted in St Estèphe.

The majority of wines from this cooler commune were austere and lacking the ripe fruit found elsewhere in Bordeaux in 2008. This however has dark, brooding fruit yet is elegant and fine with lovely minerality and savoury complexity. It may need a while but this should be very impressive indeed in fifteen years’ time.

Black-purple-red, deeply concentrated blackcurrant fruit, full, plummy, slightly smoky, even exotic with superb internal (mostly Cabernet) ripeness, vibrant and virgourous, very good length. Drink 2017-35.
(Decanter - Apr-2009)

Extremely deep purplish crimson...Dense terroir expression dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. Then some spice and much less brutal than some earlier vintages. Not as concentrated as Latour but (slightly) more energetic than Lafite. Great balance and very fine tannins. Some old hands will object that this is a little ‘lighter’ than, say, 2005 – but I think it’s very well judged. Not a trace of unripeness of fruit or tannin. And some real personality jumps out. Should have an unusually long drinking window. Very ,very clean. Fine and neat. Livelier than many other vintages
(Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com - Apr 09)

Closed but promising, this is a classic Cos revealing lots of tannin along with damp earth, black currant, sweet black cherry, graphite, licorice and truffle characteristics. This medium to full-bodied, structured, firm, broodingly backward, impenetrable effort demands 5-6 years of bottle age; it should drink well for 20-25 years. (Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - May 2011)

The inky/purple-hued 2008 Cos reveals exceptionally precise, fresh aromas of black fruits, crushed rocks, licorice, flowers, and subtle smoke. Dense and high in tannin, the extraordinary richness of polyphenols has given the wine power, substance, and depth, but the sweetness of the tannin and the seemingly low acidity...has given the wine a precision and elegance that is remarkable. ...This wine should gain weight, richness, and a few Parker points by the time it is bottled. It is even denser and richer than the 1996...It should evolve for 30-35 years.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2009)