Château Cos d'Estournel 2017

Château Cos d’Estournel 2017 — Saint-Estèphe

This Château Cos d’Estournel 2017 embodies an elegant, precise and remarkably balanced expression of Saint-Estèphe. A Second Growth with an immediately recognisable style, Cos d’Estournel combines the depth of great gravel terroirs, the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon and a highly distinctive spicy aromatic signature: cassis, blackberry, blueberry, black plum, black cherry, cedar, graphite, blond tobacco, cocoa, liquorice, oriental spices, violet, noble earth and a long mineral finish.

Château Cos d’Estournel is one of the great historic names of the Médoc, renowned for wines that are deep, structured, aromatically complex and capable of ageing for several decades. The 2017 vintage, fresher, more classical and less solar than the very powerful years around it, highlights the cru’s precision, balance and aromatic finesse. In Saint-Estèphe, this year produced wines that are straight, slender and refined, with fine freshness on the finish.

Terroir: Saint-Estèphe, deep gravel and controlled power

The vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is located in Saint-Estèphe, in the northern Médoc, on deep gravel rises resting on clay subsoils. This combination gives wines that are powerful, structured and capable of preserving remarkable freshness. The gravel favours drainage and Cabernet Sauvignon ripeness, while the clay brings density, depth and texture.

The style of Cos d’Estournel combines the classical firmness of Saint-Estèphe with a more exotic and spicy aromatic dimension. Cabernet Sauvignon brings cassis, graphite, cedar, tension and structure; Merlot contributes roundness, flesh and fruit depth. In the 2017, the terroir is expressed with clarity: precise black fruit, fine tannins, Médoc freshness and a long, spicy and mineral finish.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep purple with garnet and dark ruby reflections, bright, dense and still youthful. The colour reflects the measured concentration of the 2017 vintage, the depth of the Saint-Estèphe terroir and a still-slow evolution towards greater complexity.

Nose: precise, deep and expressive, with cassis, blackberry, blueberry, black plum, black cherry, fresh black fruits, violet, cedar, graphite, blond tobacco, cocoa and liquorice. With aeration, nuances of precious woods, oriental spices, sweet pepper, mocha, fine leather, noble earth, black mint, incense and gravel minerality may appear.

Palate: medium to full-bodied, dense, velvety and very balanced, with precise black fruit carried by clear freshness. Flavours of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, plum, cedar, graphite, tobacco, cocoa, liquorice and spices unfold with finesse, supported by ripe, fine and structuring tannins. The finish is long, fresh, mineral and spicy, with an impression of precision, elegance and great Médoc classicism.

Expression of the 2017 vintage

The 2017 vintage in Bordeaux is marked by a more classical, fresh and slender profile than very rich years. The best Médoc crus produced wines of fine precision, with refined tannins, measured ripeness and freshness that lengthens the finish. In Saint-Estèphe, Cos d’Estournel draws on the depth of its gravel soils and the rigour of Cabernet Sauvignon to offer a 2017 that is balanced, serious and highly legible.

Today, this Château Cos d’Estournel 2017 remains young but can already show expressiveness after careful aeration. It has fine ageing potential, less massive than the 2016 but highly harmonious in its classical register. With time, notes of cedar, tobacco, fine leather, graphite, cocoa, forest floor, light truffle, melted spices, incense and mineral nuances should gradually join the purity of black fruit.