Bob McDonald

9.4

An extensive history with this Pessac-Leognan estate. In 1305 Bertrand de Goth, a major landowner in Bordeaux as well as its Archbishop, became Pope Clement V and the city named this estate in his honour. From 1939 it was owned by the Montagne family, and passed by marriage into the ownership of Bernard Magrez. After a 20 minute decant, aromas of vanilla, raspberry, pepper, menthol - minty, dusty and aristocratic. “Damn good claret” as the old boys in Pall Mall would say! JH said more like the Medoc than Pessac-Leognan on the nose. The medium bodied palate has become more savoury and less fruit driven at 17 years but still works extremely well - seamless. 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the 1001 wines. — 4 years ago

Mike Searby

9.1

Rich smooth with oak. Very quaffable. Wine soc. About £17 — 5 years ago

Ry

Winemaker Chateau Ghetto, Cellar Stag's Leap Wine Cellars,

10

Really really yummy PS!
— 6 years ago

Angelo Casagrande

8.9

Slight corkage on the nose, but very slight. Earthy. Still tasted fine. Earthy, some puckering tannins, deep and dark. Blackberry. But as it sits the corkage is effecting the wine. So we better drink it fast. A mission I can complete. I’ll get another because I think this wine.is better than this bottle. And 13.99 makes it a great value. — 7 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.0

Lemon, pear, intensely aromatic, acidic, vanilla and caramel. Lighter body. — 8 years ago

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

Real Staten

9.5

Probably the best I ever had and certainly best in the Lig. — 5 years ago

Anjali Prasertong

9.0

So funky and good. — 5 years ago

Miles Perry

9.3

A deep, rich, fruity Cabernet. Love it. — 5 years ago

Anthony Auger

9.0

Huge cherry notes on the nose. Lots of heat upfront and on the tail. Syrupy body with vanilla on the mid palate. — 6 years ago

Randy Fillingim

9.4

Wow. 15 yr old Cab from Napa. Tannins and fruits still doing their job. Complimented the BBQ Spencer’s just right. — 6 years ago

Adrian Fischer

9.2

Good body, nice nose, not too dry, mellow oak background. Great little local dry farmed wine. — 7 years ago

Aaron Means

9.0

Great value Bordeaux made by the Pichon Comtesse team! — 8 years ago

David Walser

9.4

Bought this at the Treasury store in Napa. Not remembering what I paid but it was nicely discounted as Treasury sold off the property and was closing out the brand. Holding up well. — 5 years ago

Ned Clark

9.5

Holding on with lots of complex flavors and fruit. Brilliantly made wine. — 5 years ago

Arden Barnett

9.3

Commanderie de Bordeaux. Theme was BBQ and 2010 vintage. Fantastic event. Insane nose — 6 years ago

Neal Krishna Devaraj

9.0

Great. Raspberry. Plums — 6 years ago

Peter James

9.0

Excellent pour. Thanks Conor! DBX rosè tasting! — 6 years ago

Lyn Farmer

9.1

Pale lemon with a hint of green. Aromas of peach, apple, pear and Christmas spice. Nectarine, Lennon and orange emerge with Lovely minerality on a Long finish — 7 years ago

Mark Mannebach

8.9

Bold up front taste leather pencil — 8 years ago