2012 Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

2012 Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

Product: 20128004367
Prices start from £530.00 per case Buying options
2012 Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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6 x 75cl bottle
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BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £550.00
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3 x 150cl magnum
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Description

50% of the estate’s crop was used in the production of the Grand Vin this year, which is reflected by this wine’s intense power and complexity. The challenging weather conditions meant that careful management in the vineyard and use of modern technologies in the winery were critical in 2012. Fortunately, Cos d’Estournel was able to do both and the result is a concentrated and juicy wine. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot complete the blend.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate93+/100
The 2012 Cos d'Estournel is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It has a deep garnet-purple color and reveals expressive black cherries, black raspberries and red and black plums scents with subtler notes of cassis, menthol, pencil lead and cigar box plus a touch of lavender. Medium-bodied and elegantly styled, with a rock-solid frame of chewy tannins, it delivers a lively lift on the long finish. This is a lovely wine with slightly chewier tannins and less stuffing than the 2011. Needs 4-5 years.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 30/11/2018 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17.5/20
Very dark and purple. Very interesting, almost putty nose. Intriguing and not so flamboyant and flashy as in some years. Really rather like Lafite 2012 on the nose! Perhaps a little tiny bit bitter on the finish but no excess of sweetness nor alcohol. Very measured. Solid impact. Very dry finish. I absolutely love the nose but find it a bit austere on the finish but at least it is classic St-Estphe. Slightly hard work at this stage; the most youthful wine I have tasted so far. '100% gravity-fed cellar helped us to be restrained in extraction', explained the new director Aymeric de Gironde.
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com, 25 Apr 2013 Read more
Robert Parker92-95/100
It has a saturated purple color, a classic style, abundant tannin, slight austerity, superb concentration, huge fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a structured, muscular, well-delineated finish. This impressive, full-bodied Cos will need time to round into shape. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades.

Proprietor Michel Reybier has produced an outstanding 2012 Cos d’Estournel from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. With a pH of 3.75 and alcohol level of 13.8% this is a ripe wine with the same tannin levels (IPH) as the 2009. The second wine, the 2012 Les Pagodes de Cos, represents 50% of the production.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013 Read more
Decanter18/20
Superb colour, big black fruits, has the opulent smoothness of Cos with freshness and very classy length. Read more

About this WINE

Cos d'Estournel

Cos d'Estournel

Château Cos d`Estournel is named after its 19th century owner, Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel, and it was he who built the bizarre oriental edifice that is a landmark for any tourist in the Médoc. Today Cos d'Estournel is without doubt the leading estate in St-Estéphe. It is located in the south of the appellation on the border with Pauillac and its vineyards are superbly sited on a south-facing gravel ridge with a high clay content, just north of Lafite.

Cos d'Estournel is typically a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc - do not be fooled by the relatively high Merlot content, as these are full-bodied, dark, brooding tannic wines when young which develop a complexity and intensity that can rival many top growths from Pauillac.

In 1998 the Prats family sold Cos d'Estournel to The Tailan Group. Cos d'Estournel is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé.

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Saint-Estèphe

Saint-Estèphe

Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost of the most important communes of the Médoc and borders Pauillac on its southernmost border, with only a gully and stream separates it from Ch. Lafite. To the north lies the Bas-Médoc.

Saint-Estèphe is defined by the depth of its gravel, which is ubiquitous but of varying depths and occasionally very shallow, when clay predominates. This keeps the soil cooler and wetter than its counterparts so that the wines can appear fresh in lighter vintages, but superbly successful in hot, dry years. 

The best châteaux in the south of the commune have the deepest soil and the thickest gravel. Cos d'Estournel has an exceptional terroir with its vineyards being located on a south-facing ridge of gravel with excellent drainage. 

Saint-Estèphe is the least gravelly of main Médoc communes and in the north of the commune the vineyards are heavier and more clay-based leading to a rustic style of wine being produced.

The wines can appear austere in youth with a discernable ferric note at some châteaux, but the best typically display good depth of colour, pronounced acidity an tannins in youth and are exceptionally long-lived. At their best, they are the equal of almost any Bordeaux. The well-regarded St Estèphe co-operative controls the production of about half the appellation.

Recommended Châteaux
Cos (Ch. Cos d'Estournel), Ch. Montrose, Ch. Calon-Ségur, Ch. Lafon-Rochet, Ch. Les Ormes de Pez, Ch. Beau-Site, Ch. Cos Labory, Ch. Phélan-Ségur

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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