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

Decanter.com -97pts:*You need to take a little time to let the concentrated flavours seep out, this is a long hauler. The tannins build slowly but surely through the palate, sombre and serious right now, particularly for an estate that is known for its exuberance. The opulence is there if you give it time, and as the tannins elongate and relax, richer notes of bilberry fruits, toasted cedar, salted chocolate, turmeric and black pepper spice arrives. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044* - 05/21

Falstaff Magazin - (94-96) pts: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit feiner Edelholzwürze unterlegte dunkle Waldbeerfrucht, Brombeeren, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, kandierte Orangenzesten, zarter Nougat. Saftig, feine Fruchtsüße, reife Kirschen, elegant, reife, integrierte Tannine, mineralisch unterlegte Textur, feiner Nougat im Abgang, bleibt lange haften, verfügt über sicheres Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2021

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: *Diskrete Ausbaunoten in der Nase, spürbare aromatische Präzision; beginnt sehr geschmeidig und fruchtig, entwickelt gemächlich seine Struktur aus erstklassigem Tannin, der Alkohol ist spürbar, aber ausgezeichnet ausbalanciert; vermählt gekonnt Opulenz mit Eleganz.* - 09/2021

Weinwisser - 19+/20pts: *62 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 38 % Merlot, Lese vom 10 – 24. September, 39 hl/ha, ITP 80, pH 3.90, Alkohol 13.46 vol%, 55 % neue Barriques. Dicht verwobenes, sehr geheimnisvolles Bouquet mit Wildkirsche, edler Cassiswürze und verführerischem Veilchenparfüm. Im zweiten Ansatz tiefschürfende dunkle Mineralik, Lakritze, erkalteter Earl-Grey Tee und ein Hauch Muskatnuss. Am vielschichtigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, feinkörnige Extraktfülle, engmaschiges Tanningerüst, ungeheuer präzise vinifiziert, ein perfekt modellierter Körper. Im gebündelten nicht enden wollenden Finale eine perfekte Symbiose von Terroir und Balance. Der Cos strahlt dabei eine unglaubliche Harmonie aus. "Ein überragender Cos," meint Dominique Arangoïts stolz, dem kann ich mich nur anschliessen.* - 05/21

JancisRobinson.com - 18,5/20pts - JL: *Purple-black colour to the rim. Deep and dense (like an endless pool) but aromatically restrained. Some cassis with aeration. Big and bold with marked tension and supercharged but finely hewn tannins. Enough fruit to provide unctuosity. Fresh, dry and saline through to the finish. Powerful but sculpted. Very long ageing. 13.5% Drink 2030 – 2055.* - 05/21

Vinous.com - (94-96) pts - AG: *The 2020 is a gorgeous wine from a very unusual year in which the Merlot is a bit more prominent in the blend than usual because of dehydration in the Cabernet. Even so, the 2020 is a wine of mid-weight finesse more than opulence. All the elements are impeccably balanced throughout.* - 05/21

Vinous.com - (95-97) pts - NM: *The 2020 Cos d’Estournel is a very different proposition to the Les Pagodes, more so than in other years. Much more intense on the nose of intense black fruit, it is beautifully defined, with enticing scents of blackberry, Dorset plum and topnotes of blueberry and briar. After 30 minutes in the glass, it develops more Saint-Estèphe-like traits: freshly tilled soil, cigar box and touches of warm gravel. There is an openness to these inviting aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins (so different from the "iron girders" of yore). There is freshness and a sense of light in this Cos d’Estournel, though the backbone remains in situ on the cedar and mint finish (a nod to neighboring Pauillac, perhaps), then a lingering marine/seaweed note on the aftertaste. This is a finely crafted, very succinct Cos d’Estournel that may well be hiding something up its sleeve for after bottling, and I suspect it will gain more spine during its barrel aging.* - 05/21

The Wine Cellar Insider - 97-99pts - JL: *Deep garnet in hue, the wine shoots from glass with tobacco leaf, currants, spice box, cigar wrapper, blackberry and cassis. Elegant, fresh and vibrant, the wine is silky, long and precise. There is a cool spicy note that rides along with all the layers of soft, polished fruits on the mid-palate and in the finish. This is a refined vintage for COS. You find lower alcohol and the wine feels more energetic on the palate and in the finish, even though the pH is high at 3.9. Let it sleep for at least a decade before popping a cork. Produced from a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, 13.46 % ABV, the harvest took place September 10 to September 24.* - 05/21