2020 Chateau Cos d'Estournel - 2eme Cru St. Estephe

Decanter.com -99 pts - PK: *A first-growth level wine. With aristocratic ease it conveys nimble energy and sneaky sensuality. Pencil lead, white tobacco, cassis, juicy blackberry and cherry gorgeously delineated with refined tannins providing impressive structure for long-term cellaring. The pH is the highest since 2003, but you get neither heat nor imbalance. Impressive dry extract and rather 'normal' alcohol at 13.5% evokes a positively classic feel, leading to a subtle yet super-long finish. For owner Michel Reybier, the vintage marks 20 years of 'passion at the helm'. Comes encased in a uniquely gold-coloured engraved bottle with the phrase 'C’était Cos sinon rien' - Cos or nothing else.* - 02/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 95 pts – PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Anklänge von Heidelbeeren und Schokolade, einladendes Bukett, zarte Edelholznuancen im Hintergrund, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten. Kraftvoll, saftig, reife Kirschen, lebendige Säurestruktur, feine Tannine, zarte Mineralität, blättrig im Abgang. Noch etwas verschlossen und streng wirkend, wird von Reife profitieren.* - 02/2023

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - (96-98) pts - LPB: *Deep purple-black in color, it pops with explosive scents of ripe red and black currants, black cherry preserves and black raspberries, followed by sparks of violets, wild sage, pencil lead and clove oil, with emerging hints of iron ore and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate has amazing elegance and grace contrasted by jaw-dropping energy, featuring a firm frame of finely grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with a whole firework display of mineral nuances. I love the way this Cos d´Estournel shimmies and shines—a unique vintage signature expressed so beautifully at this estate!* - 05/21

Vinum Magazin – 18/20pts: *Recht ausdrucksvolle Aromatik, Backgewürze; wuchtig und vollmundig, spürbarer Alkohol, aber auch grosse Fruchtigkeit, erstklassiges Tannin; die Opulenz ist geblieben, aktuell noch etwas auf Kosten der Eleganz.*

WeinWisser – 19/20pts – GL, TW: *Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, edle Cassiswürze, Herzkirsche, exotische Hölzer und dunkle Mineralik. Am geradlinigen Gaumen seidige Textur, balancierte Rasse, straff, engmaschiges Tanninkorsett und muskulöser Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale mit schwarzbeerigen Konturen, tiefschürfender Terroirwürze und Olivenpaste. Beeindruckend, wie vor zwei Jahren! Die Formkurve zeigt hier weiter nach oben.* – 03/2023

JancisRobinson.com - 18/20pts - JL: *62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot. Special (heavy) engraved bottle to celebrate 20 years of Michel Reybier ownership. Deep, purple-black colour. Profound wine with a mass of fruit and tannin. Gives little away at the moment. Broad and full on the palate then tightens to a long, persistent finish. Powerful but contained. Clearly loads of potential.* - 11/2022

Vinous.com – 97 pts – AG: *The 2020 Cos d'Estournel is a wine of extreme elegance. Silky and light on its feet, the 2020 is incredibly nuanced. In fact it is without question the most finessed of all the top wines in Saint-Estèphe, showing more in common with some of its neighbors in the north of Pauillac than the more potent wines of Saint-Estèphe. Impossibly soft, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red fruit, spice and orange zest. The 2020 is not a huge Cos, but rather a wine for readers who appreciate elegance over power. I can't wait to see how it ages. Magnificent.* - 12/2022

Vinous.com – 97 pts – NM: *The 2020 Cos d'Estournel, which was bottled in July, has lost some of the exoticism that it showed out of barrel. Within five minutes of aeration it develops a complex bouquet: black fruit laced with graphite and subtle cedar aromas, a charcoal back-note and later pressed iris flowers. I foresee this gaining more nuance with bottle age. The palate is taut, lean and precise. Lightly spiced on the entry, with finely-chiseled tannins, again, not quite as precocious as it showed in barrel, allowing the terroir to come through more. There is something almost understated about this vintage vis-à-vis others, razor-sharp precision with just the right amount of salinity on the finish. This is a classy offering that will mature beautifully in bottle. A keeper.* - 12/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 99 pts – JL: *A gorgeous, stylish wine, here you find a series of waves packed with blackberries, black plums, black cherries, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, soy and an array of spices. Rich, deep and intense, the wine hits all the right notes as it melds power, fruit, freshness and elegance to create an opulent, velvety, silky finish that builds and expands as it hangs with you. This is so good now, it will be hard to wait to pull a cork. But its best days are all in the future. So, wait a bit and you will be amply rewarded with an incredible wine. Drink from 2028-2060.* - 03/2023