Roy Goble

9.5

It’s going to be a Benoit kind of night. — 5 years ago

with Kevin and D'Aun

Ian Riach

9.1

Before I came to France Ugo mentioned he kind of misses the big US cabs. So I brought this big boy over from Toronto. BIG boy is right. Tres jammy upfront and lots of leather and some tobacco/spice at the end. Smooth, round, classic Napa offering. — 7 years ago

with Ugo

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 8 years ago

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.4

Ooh la la! Fantastic crisp apple-pear fruit laced with a streak of minerality and beautiful richness and length. Lovely now and sould last another 5+ years. — 10 years ago

Michelle Rupp

10

My favorite moscato. Perfect amount of sweetness and simplicity. Found at Trader Joe's. — 10 years ago

Michelle Raspanti

9.1

This wine is inexpensive, kind of sweet, and good for unwinding. I was happily surprised! — 11 years ago

Justin Howard-Sneyd

9.6

Stunning red! But then I would say that.... — 12 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

Is there any better fix to feel like home when you live abroad?
Cherry and cola bomb on the nose along with earthy and irony notes. The palate is a wonderful example of balance with a dense matter, with a kind of thickness to it, some velvety touch on the sides and a bright, ripe cherry all along. Very long finish with cherry and this irony note which plays for a while.
This is, as always, a freaking hit! — 6 years ago

Rob Moose

9.1

This is a big wine, but not when paired correctly with food. Last night it sang with a lamb stew. Tonight in revisiting it solo I find it delicious and appropriately structured/tannic for its age. On the palate, it feels kind of like Bandol. Interested to see where it is on day 3! — 7 years ago

Eli Barton

9.5

I’m not a fan of merlot, and I don’t know much about Bordeaux, but I do have to say this was really enlightening. I only got a slight hint of age on the finish for the first 30 minutes we tasted it. It had a huge savory-meaty aroma that jumped out of the glass, and the dark fruit, black licorice, some herbal flavors had great persistence... still had plenty of acidity. after about an hour it started to taste a little tired compared to the beginning, definitely showed a bit more age but it was still subtle. I’ll remember it for a while. Maybe it was much bigger when it was younger, but I thought it was well balanced. And maybe it wasn’t the best example, but it kind of opened my eyes to merlot and pomerol. — 7 years ago

with Jennifer

Steve Shaffer

9.0

Melon guava nose, musky melon, nutty, chalky on palate. Melon rind finish.
— 8 years ago

with Molly, Alisha and 2 others

George Chen

9.3

This 34 was bit worrisome as level was mid-low shoulder and cork was tad crumbling. But the wine sang LATOUR out of the bottle like Genie out of the bottle and then he escaped rather quickly as the wine's bloom did not last. Still sweet in the core with wet leather, spiced nuts kind of notes...still a wonder of a wine. Sediment was heavy! — 9 years ago

Greg Smith

9.4

My first kiwi wine (as far as I can remember) and very good, mostly my kind of wine, I like a tad more power but it's got plenty of flavour, I'd buy again! — 10 years ago

with Bev

Julie Habiger

9.0

I have some "go to" Pinots and this is one of them. If you saw the press in WS in July, it appears a lot of Americans agree. I found it interesting that it is referred to as a sweeter red. That's not my impression at all. It's just an all around drinkable and friendly Pinot. The kind you pour sitting out on the back deck with friends on a cool, autumn evening next to a campfire. Don't ask more than that and toast a few marshmallows. Yum. — 10 years ago

Laura Miller

9.1

This is the kind of cab Stephen likes — 10 years ago

Nik Darlington

9.2

The 2013 Field of the Bee white is a gorgeous warming white for winter — 10 years ago

Ben Sacks

8.9

2012 vintage significantly differs from 2011 feels more well rounded. — 11 years ago

S Parker

9.9

Visited w winemaker on napa — 12 years ago

Carter White

9.1

Nice. Funky, meaty, smoky aromas... kind of like a mushroom bacon cheeseburger. It tastes completely differently, red fruits with soft, smooth tannins and a twang of acidity. Good balance; fairly light body. — 6 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.2

Glorious fruit, robust tannins, fresh acidity. Spicy, bright, intense, smoky, mineral. Everything Moulin-à-Vent should be. Youthful exuberance comes off as a bit raw, but give it time and it will be sublime. It’s hard not to get excited about cru Beaujolais at with kind of price-quality factor. — 7 years ago

Rahim Ladak

9.1

Summerlicious sippin’ Rose! Well balanced with slight acidity - notes of citrus and grapefruit. Definitely my kind of rose! — 7 years ago

Rashed Chowdhury

9.1

Never heard of this grape. Very nice heavy body. Apricot? Mandarin? Enjoyed the wine. — 8 years ago

Michael Malecki

9.0

I kind of need a few of these around at most times — 9 years ago

Mark Barber

10

My kind of wine , depth, fruit and quite a finish ... — 9 years ago

Tony Capone

9.3

Great Syrah, Spicy, with smokey notes, great with big flavor foods — 10 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.1

Barnyard worn and matured leather aromas so delicious and intoxicating. Raspberry and soft black berry flavors with an extremely smooth finish, very little acid. So quaffable, but that nose....mmmmmm....not pictured is the 2010 by its side, same kind of thing with a stronger taste to it and just a bit more bright balance. — 10 years ago

Scott Stewart

9.4

In a spectacular place right now (I need to buy six pack kind of place). Toasty, with great definition... — 10 years ago

Sasha Smith

Wine Blogger Spin the Bottle NY

10

#Laterdelect from #ChristiesBYOB earlier this week. Kind of a revelation, can't stop thinking about it. Harmonious. Sui generis. — 10 years ago

with Richard, Per and 1 other

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Bee pollen, white flowers, wet stones, and candied lemon rind. Killer, as always. — 11 years ago

Chris Sussman

9.2

It's that kind of night! — 12 years ago

with Debbie