Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, aged 14 months in 40% new French oak, deep Ruby red color with aromas of red and black fruits with toasty spice. On the palate flavors of black raspberry, currants and black cherry with licorice, toasty oak and tobacco. Fine lush tannins, long finish ending with fruit, oak and earthy tobacco spice. Drinking well now and will continue to develop!
— 7 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim. Doesn't show much age.

Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, chocolates, tobacco leaf, vegetables, forest floor, black tea, earth, coffee, herbs, spices, black pepper and wildflowers.

Full bodied and soft with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, black plums, currants, oak, light chocolates, coffee, mushrooms, licorice, tobacco leaf, earth, herbs and spices.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a gorgeous 24 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Saint Julien. Rich and elegant. Spicy and very complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Drinking at its peak now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.

A great sipping wine that is so much fun to drink by itself.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (33% new) French oak barrels for 18 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$150. — 8 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Red and black fruits - a savoury plum character - also a note of creosote and tar. A lovely medium to full bodied palate - reeks of old vine Barossa Shiraz. Drinks well now but will easily last until 2030. Malcolm Stopp is the Brand Ambassador for Peter Lehmann and his comments are worth repeating, particularly the last sentence, “The bouquet beautifully incorporates dark briary fruits, chocolate and a touch of aniseed, whilst the finish is firm yet finely grained. A wine of great dignity that will continue to improve with still many years of careful cellaring. If you don’t like this wine there’s bugger all we can do……!!! — 9 months ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

A lot of wine for the $$. Black fruits, black pepper. An herbal note. Pretty darn complex. Long finish. — 6 years ago

Joyce Lin

8.9

A beautiful left bank Bordeaux. Quite classic on the palate. Dry with subtle oak note, cinnamon, clove, slightly earthy, mostly with blackberry, black cherry, black currant, pencil shave. Not too many herbal notes on the nose. Med to med plus acidity and med plus tannin. Quite smooth. — 9 years ago

Austen Ito

9.1

Vegetal with black fruits. Blackberry, black currant, vanilla, cedar, chocolate. Med+ body, high tannin, long finish. Drink very well now and will improve. — 10 years ago

Steve Steese

9.5

Just so enjoyable tonight, with an elegant structure, savory aromatics, and a sharp mineral-driven finish. An old world treat to end a day of new world wines. (Post Peter Michael Winery dinner) — 11 years ago

with Jayme

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dense dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, chocolates, spices, dark coffee, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, black plums, tobacco leaf, cedar, light earth, spices, dark coffee, herbs, dark chocolates, peppercorn and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious 15 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from the great 2010 vintage in Bordeaux. Rich and extracted. Complex and engaging. Powerful and spicy.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel. Fruit forward and interesting.

Drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 21 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120. — 7 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Great vintage for Pavie where the 98 right banks are drinking beautifully. This had layers of red & black fruits, spice box, graphite, damp earth, leather & tobacco — 8 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Youthful, full bodied that is drinking well showing red, black fruits, spice box, graphite, leather & tobacco — 9 months ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Big blackberry and plum juice nose, beautiful pastry notes of berry tart, smoke, sweetness and funk. Grape juice and granite. A touch of black pepper spice and amazing mineral density. Burly but clean and satisfying. Some bitterness on the finish that should resolve with time, otherwise drinking really nicely. — 5 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Quite deep ruby , small just pink rim . Quite young looking . Quite a lot of plum , blackberry fruit but with a slightly austere note, coffee also. Black fruits on the palate , coffee , cocoa . Slightly short and perhaps hollow mid palate but reasonable sweetness of fruit if the tannins do leave a slightly bitter note. Acidity in check however. Overall not bad for a second wine from an slightly better than average year, though it probably is not going to get much better. — 8 years ago

Greg Gregory

9.2

A little clunky at first so told them to abuse it in a decanter. What a difference. Lots of crushed red and black raspberries, definitely leaning heavier on the fruit aspect of the wine than any other characteristic. Still needs time but much potential here — 10 years ago

Paul Masson

8.9

Highly concentrated, tannic, and expressive of ripe black fruit and chocolate. — 10 years ago

Conrad Green

9.7

stunning nose. Plush plum and black cherry. Roses and spice. Velvet and silk- a plush long mouthfeel. Haunting and resolved. Still young but great now. — 7 months ago

with Matt

Ken Venezio

9.0

100% Syrah. This is a very inexpensive Cotes but 2019 was a banner year. Velvety and full bodied. Notes of black cherry, graphite and cocoa powder. Medium tannins brings a decent finish. Nicely paired with a spicy grilled chicken. — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, smoke and flinty notes, aged 40% new French oak. On the palate flavors of blackberry and black cherry with cacao, cedar, espresso and spicy notes. Lively acidity, firm dusty tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, tobacco and spicy oak. Needs a little more time in bottle. — 8 months ago

Kyle Belcher

9.4

Enjoyed with BBQ ribs. Black pepper on the palette, hint of green olive and dark fruit on the nose. Delicious. — 9 months ago

Hiroshi Tominaga

9.1

Great, black cherry. Bought at TAC for ¥4,700. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Is there anything better than Ribeye & Claret? From my perspective, no. This is the second wine from one of more prestigious Chateaus in St. Estephe. Bordeaux rule number 2, buy the hell out of good producers second wines in very good vintages, like 2005. You’ll get great wines at more affordable prices. Providing, you exercise patience; which is rule number 1. Decanted for 3 plus hours. On the nose, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. It’s in a great phase with many years ahead. The body is full and round. The texture has you wanting more. It’s velvety and ripe. Tannins soft and powdery, around 65-70 resolved. The fruits are ripe & ruby...showing the excellence of the 05 vintage. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, dry stones, leather, cigar with ash, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. The acidity is dead on. The length, structure, length & balance is harmonizing like America on the album, “ Horse with No Name.” The long finish is; ruby, rich, elegant, round, beautiful and lasts a minute plus. Beautiful wine. 9.4 with the steak. 9.2 on its own. Photos of; Chateau Cos d’ Estournel, hosting/tasting area, private wine stock and barrel cellar. Producer notes and history...Chateau Cos d’Estournel has a long history in the appellation of St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding it in 1811. It only took a few years before Chateau Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In the early days, the wines of Cos d’Estournel were not sold through the Negociant system. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Chateau 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. Chateau Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Chateaus to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. After his death, the estate was purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux, using the negociant system. If the Chateau had not been selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification! Chateau Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family, the owners of the neighboring Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. The purchase was the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. The next era in the development of Chateau Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Chateau Cos d’Estournel was bought by Michel Reybier, who made his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making facilities in the entire Bordeaux wine making appellation at the time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in the winemaking facilities and cellars. The wine making facilities are completely modern, using 100% gravity. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Chateau Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH. 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. In 2018, the estate released COS100, produced from their oldest Merlot vines that were 100 years of age. It was limited in production to a 100 Jeroboams, (3 litres) and 10 Balthazars (12 litres) and a few other sizes were produced from only 2 barrels of wine. The proceeds from COS100 go to the charity, Elephant Family, that is devoted to protecting and nurturing Asian elephants in their own, natural habitat. Cos d’Estournel’s new cellar is a joint reflection by the technical team, the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Guillaume Prats. It’s a marvel blend of simplicity and modern technology. Cos d’Estournel is unique to Bordeaux and the rest of world. What makes this 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 allowing for expression of their special terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. The new cellars at Chateau Cos d’Estournel include 72 isothermal cone shaped stainless steel vats. The vats are specifically designed for thermal inertia. The 72 vats have a wide range of capacities to correspond with the needs of each parcel of vines. The vats range in size from as small as 19 hectoliters all the way up to 115 hectolitres. 12 of the smaller vats that are designed to handle between 19 and 60 hectoliters that have two levels in each vat. In other words, this offers the technical equivalent of 24 separate vats. Each of the vats are double lined, which allows for more exact and temperature control. None of the vats use interior heat coils. 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 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. What takes place is, the wine is released from the main vat where the skins remain. By gravity, the juice is then moved into smaller vats which are on wheels. These small vats are sent to the glass elevators where they are moved up one floor and returned back into the vat by gravity to cover the skins. At this point, the process is still unique to Chateau Cos d’Estournel. The wine production of Cos d’Estournel is labor intensive starting the moment the grapes enter their new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation. Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over extraction or harsh tannins. The 91 hectare vineyard of Chateau Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located close to the border of Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe appellation. The vineyard has cultivated 84 hectares of vines. Even though the vineyard has been expanded over the years, the grape varietals planted here have remained consistent. The vineyard, located on the hill of Cos, has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. However, 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. Cos d’Estournel is translated from old Gascon speech; which means the hill of pebbles. It describes the terroir along with clay, gravel, sand and limestone soil. However, there is a unique aspect to the soil at Cos d’Estournel, as you find more gravel and less clay here than you do at other neighboring vineyards. Because the fruit is grown close to the Atlantic ocean in a cool climate, Cos d’Estournel is often among the last of the properties in the Medoc to harvest. The vineyard is managed by teams and each team member is given 45,000 vines to look after. The vineyard, which is almost one large block, can be further divided into 72 separate parcels. — 8 years ago