2022 Cos d'Estournel Blanc, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
The 2022 Cos d’Estournel Blanc is gorgeous. Rich and layered, the 2022 deftly balances the natural intensity of the year with notable texture. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint, tangerine oil and white pepper are some of the many notes that emerge over time. More than anything else, it is the wine’s balance that is of note.
Drink 2025-2030
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (April 2023)
A blend of 74% Sauvignon Blanc and 26% Semillon, the 2022 Cos d'Estournel Blanc powers out of the glass with intense notes of pink grapefruit, green guava, passionfruit, and lime blossoms, followed by hints of sea spray and wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with tropical fruit and minerally flavors, supported by bright acidity and finishing very long and zesty. pH 3.21.
Drink 2026-2035
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (May 2023)
Grippy acidity keeps up momentum and contrasts beautifully with the ripe fleshy stone fruit through the mid palate. Waves of white pear, citrus, peach, nectarine pit, great quality here, Great stuff, more closed right now that Pagodes as you would expect, but this is steely, flinty and moreish.
Drink 2023-2033
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (April 2023)
Aromatic floral (white blossom) and citrus nose with a grassy edge. Reasonable depth of fruit on the mid palate and maintains some freshness. Harmonious but not top drawer.
Drink 2024-2030
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2023)
Pretty and rich white peach, pear and apple aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with plenty of fruit and bright acidity. Chalky and stony. Happy to watch.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (April 2023)
Green apple, grass, soft floral touches, some orange zest and fresh pineapple. Electric and thrilling, this is sharp, agile, sweet, tangy and salty - a gorgeous combination of fresh citrus fruits and peach flesh with flint and wet stone edges. Lovely direction and focus and still such depth on the mid palate which some are lacking. Has appealing orange, lemon, peach, pear, apple fruit, juicy friendliness and yet this has persistence from start to finish that is so captivating and electric. Round, deep, sensual, rich and opulent but not heavy, retains its firm structure but with a delicious lemony sugary brightness that just lifts the palate and keeps the attention.
A brilliant white wine, just so enjoyable from the moment it touches the palate, widening, expanding, deepening and delighting. 4.21 total acidity, 3.21pH.
Drink 2023-2027
Georgina Hindle, Decanter (April 2023)
Even more impressive, the 2022 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc is 74% Sauvignon Blanc and 26% Sémillon brought up all in used oak. A focused, pure, seamless white, it has obvious minerality in its lemon and lime fruits as well as mint and leafy herb nuances. Hitting 13.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.2, it's going to benefit from a year or three of bottle age and drink beautifully over the following decade at least.
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2023)
About this WINE
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.
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
Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
The blend used for White Graves and Sauternes and rarely encountered outside France. In the great dry whites of Graves, Sauvignon Blanc tends to predominate in the blend, although properties such as Smith Haut Lafite use 100% Sauvignon Blanc while others such as Laville Haut Brion have as much as 60% Sémillon in their final blends. Sauvignon Blanc wines can lose their freshness and fruit after a couple of years in bottle - if blended with Sémillon, then the latter bolsters the wine when the initial fruit from the Sauvignon fades. Ultimately Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine its aroma and raciness while Sémillon gives it backbone and longevity.
In Sauternes, Sémillon is dominant, with Sauvignon Blanc playing a supporting role - it is generally harvested about 10 days before Sémillon and the botrytis concentrates its sweetness and dampens Sauvignon Blanc`s naturally pungent aroma. It contributes acidity, zip and freshness to Sauternes and is an important component of the blend.
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Description
This is built much more on texture than the second wine, Pagodes de Cos, even though the fruit also comes from vines in the northern Médoc. The generosity of the Sémillon, as well as the fermentation in barrel, gives the wine its rounded and creamy texture – even though there is no malolactic fermentation. There are attractive notes of sorrel and wet pebble, and the citrus notes are complemented by pithy textures of lemon peel. This is certainly delicious, but the vintage’s heat and drought deny it the vivacity of a great year.
Sauvignon Blanc 74%; Sémillon 26%
Drink 2023-2032
Score 15.5/20
Berry Bros. & Rudd (April 2023)
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