Chateau Cos d’Estournel, 2er Grand Cru Classé, Saint Estèphe, Bordeaux, 2016 Tasting notes

I tasted the Cos d’Estournel at the chateau with Aymeric de Gironde, the General Director of this Second Growth. He told me about the new challenges: “I the old days we had to fight to obtain a minimum alcohol degree. Now we have to keep our foot on the breaks to stop the alcohol.” Aymeric is a big fan of the vintage 2016. “But I wouldn’t want to have a vintage like this every year: It was like God wanted to scare us and then wanted to save us on the last moment.” He explains with an apologetic smile. “But on the other hand, this is one of the most sophisticated and complex wines we have ever made. I don’t think I will live to see such a wine here again in my lifetime!”

Cos d’Estournel (19,5 points)
[76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc]

Deep intense color without being inky black. Extremely expressive nose with fresh fruit and some floral notes with the level of sophistication of a great wine. This complex wine has a superb creamy texture and is remarkably long. An impeccable expression of the fruit, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is linear without any dips and opens up with a incredible complexity. A great Cos d’Estournel. Probably the best I have ever tasted on futures!