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. — 7 years ago

Stephen Langer

9.4

Truant on a cold Friday evening — 9 years ago

Lenn Thompson

Publisher NewYorkCorkReport

9.2

Stone cold stunner. — 9 years ago

Jonathan Gray

9.0

Smells like agave as in mild Mezcal or good tequila, has structure, dark red crunchy fruit, and fresh and zippy. This wine is delicious. 150 year old vines of Hondarribi Beltza. Considering Cabernet Franc's French Basque Country origins, I don't think it's a stretch that Hondarribi Beltza is from similar genetic origin at all. Awesome value. — 10 years ago

Julia katherine

9.7

Warming wine on a cold Friday night. — 10 years ago

Mark Hoffman

9.0

Great wine for $10 at Country Fresh and Kroger. 100% Garnacha from Spain using 100 year old vines in the village of Atea up in the mountains (2400-3000 ft). — 10 years ago

Dimitri Fedotov, C.S.

Sommelier Osteria 177

9.1

Please, don't do it too cold -- you will miss a bit of sour apricots and chalk at the end. Great stuff!! — 11 years ago

jarred gild

Head Wine Buyer Western Market

9.4

so f'n good. bottle-fermented pignoletto. read about alberto tedeschi on the louis/dressner website: "I'm just getting started: my parents have other jobs, so I'm starting from scratch! We work organically in the vineyard, and it's very important for me to work traditionally in the cellar. And even though I'm renting my vines, I'm ok with that because they produce quality grapes and I can make the wines I want to make. These are fresh wines with great acidity, that can be drank young, but can also age in bottle for quite some time. I am also proud to make GOOD territorial wine; most consider Bologna wine to be an industrial product, and most of the time they are right! I only work with Pignoletto. I drive the grapes (which are in boxes) to the cellar in my van. I then do a direct press; Pignoletto is thick skinned and very tannic, so it's important to be gentle. After that I leave the juice outside overnight, then I rack it to stainless steel. The natural fermentation begins, then nothing! After three of four days, I re-rack the wine back to old oak barrels, where they stay on the lees for 12 months. That's for the Bellaria. For the frizzante, the fermentation and aging is in stainless steel (almost a year). I take a bit of must (which hasn't fermented) I've kept in the fridge, and add it to the still wine, then I bottle. The sugar of the must then begins the refermentation in bottle. It's a really typical way of making wine in our region. In Emilia, we are not famous for rich, big wine. We are country folk! We make easy, drinkable wine made to enjoy in the moment." — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I bought my first vintage from this producer & terroir beginning with the 2010 vintage and what a vintage to start. I bought four bottles for right around $50 or a little less. They were so amazing, I drank through them in no time at all. For those of you that read my posts, that’s not normally what I do. I like to drink one & age the rest. Since then, I have looked & looked for more. I’d finally given up hopes of finding more until recently I struck gold. I should have bought all nine bottles but a calmer head prevailed. It’s definitely changed since having it fresh. On the nose, the fruits are slightly macerated. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, glazed nuts, soft, delicate, chalky minerals, a touch of jasmine & yellow lilies. The body is much rounder & thicker than when it was young. Waxy. So, beautifully layered across the palate. Much of the palate matches the nose. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, apricots, peach, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, slight molasses character & glazed nuts with citrus blossoms, yellow lilies & jasmine. The minerals are much more grippy & bold as they cut across and set on the palate. The acidity round & phat. The texture is amazing as is the length, balance & beautiful, rich, long finish that lasts two-minutes plus. So glad I found more of this wine! Hubert Lamy seriously over deliver the terroir & the price point by a country mile. If you are not buying this wine on pre-arrival, you are missing great wine and excellent value. Can’t say enough good things about it. Especially, the 2010. I expect the 15 to hold similar quality. Photos of; Olivier Lamy, Olivier working in this vineyard, barrel room and their Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Vineyard. Producer notes and history...There have been Lamy’ s growing vines in St-Aubin since 1640, today it is run by Olivier Lamy. Olivier is a new breed of Burgundian grower keen to progress. He trained Méo-Camuzet & made a number of vintages before taking over in 1996 from his father Hubert. Hubert Lamy used to sell fruit to négociants, but that stopped in 1997. He grubbed up and sold off peripheral vines, keeping only the best and oldest sites. Currently he is experimenting with different planting densities in a quest to capture even greater expression of terroir. The Domaine produces both reds and whites and now has 16.5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in St-Aubin but also own a few parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet and a tiny plot in the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Yields are kept low and recent innovations have been introduced with selection tables in the cuverie to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes are used. His more recent move to reduce the amount of new oak with the introduction of demi-muids 300-600 liter barrels have also helped to improve the wines. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured with only 20-30% new oak for 12 months before minimal filtration and then bottling. The quality is very high and is often superior to many wines from much more prominent villages that sell at twice the price or more. — 7 years ago

Victor Hwang

9.4

With a special caviar dish. Excellent pairing. So beautiful, clean and floral and polished - particularly love this ice cold as it's so crisp. — 8 years ago

Ken Griffith

9.5

Very nice red. Wifey consumed & approved! An unexpected, but highly appreciated Xmas gift from my good friend. — 8 years ago

Mike Steffel

9.0

Started off too cold, but once it came up to room temp is was beautiful. — 9 years ago

yami

9.1

Full body and so amazing! Simply one of the best from this country! — 9 years ago

David Buckley

9.1

Defintely taste the cherry. Very drinkable on cold night. Great wine. — 9 years ago

Ateka Powell Loomis

9.7

Can be purchased at woodmans grocery stores. — 10 years ago

Joyce Klassen

9.2

Fun to be drinking this with a winemaker that had a hand in it's making! Apparently the season was cold cold cold and then extremely hot. Sorting the grapes took 18 hr days ! — 10 years ago

Raymond Tosti

10

Bastardo, which is this varietal's name in Portugal, is known by 27 different names (the approved name in the USA is Trousseau). This varietal is perhaps one of the rarest red grapes in the country, with only a handful of winemakers producing this wine alone or in a blend. The budwood for these vines came from the El Gavilan Vineyard, planted in the 1890s, and obtained by grower Ron Siletto before the original vineyard was removed and replaced by new root stock and different grapes.

The 2009 Pimenteiro -- which means "pepper pot" in Portuguese -- has a bouquet of white and black pepper with a hint of blueberry. The long finish, full of plum and cherry, also has the distinct flavor of white and black pepper. This unusual wine is perfect for blue cheeses -- perhaps the most difficult food to pair with wine! Serve with any food that likes pepper: rib-eye steak, mushroom soup, butternut squash soup, grilled salmon, lamb, steak, cured paella, stews, and chocolate. — 10 years ago

David Rosen

9.3

Cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and milk chocolate on the nose. The mouth us much the same with a chocolatey finish and and an aftertaste of powdered cocoa. The perfect wine to warm you up on a cold winter night. — 10 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.4

Family not in the business of winemaking Francois was in cooking school but liked the idea of becoming winemaker and planted his first vines in 1988 then made his first wines in 1991 he makes almost all of the wines available from the north 8 appellations cote rotie condrieu them grilled which is the smallest appellation in France st Joseph coronas st perret they make sparkling therein left are crazes hermitage a hermitage lots of granite except cote rotie schist. Hermitage the soils very complex crazes very similar but not as complex too cold for Grenache in the north. Very pretty bouquet with juicy peach and apricot fruit 100% marsanne varietal this name used to be used for the varietal 20% new burgund barrels more floral and mineral this varietal very pretty white with a smooth creamy textures lovely freshness and balance with pretty floral notes through the finish excellent clementine orange zest — 11 years ago

Beau Baker

9.6

Pulled this beaut out to have with some chili on a cold night. Perfect pairing, still my favorite bottle of Texas Tempranillo. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 14 Almaviva Cabernet is 68% Cabernet, 22% Carménère and 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The vines are 38 years of age. The wine spent 18 months in 75% new oak. The nose shows some slight funk at first. Blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black cherry cola/licorice and dark florals. The M+ tannins are soft and a little sticky. The fruits are slightly candied in style. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark chocolate, soft leather, crushed rocks, dark moist turned earth and dark fresh florals. The structure, length, tension, balance and finish are quiet beautiful. Producer history and notes...Almaviva began in 1997, as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. With the strengths of both families pedigree, they achieved international recognition with the the launch of their very first vintage. Their goal was to create the equivalent of Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé in Chile. Patrick Leon is their Winemaker and also makes Opus One & Mouton Rothschild. Almaviva is located in the Maipo Valley in Chile's central zone. Puente Alto has ideal conditions for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Almaviva has 85 hectares. The climatic features of Puente Alto include its; stony soil, cold, rainy winters, and the hot days and cool nights of its summers. Maipo is considered Chile’s Napa Valley.
— 8 years ago

Katherine Bordelon

Court of Master Sommelier Guild member

9.1

The canopy system used in the Rias Baxias region of northwest Spain provides for ample aeration and keeps the vines protected from the moist ground which breeds an environment not conducive to support healthy clusters. The Galician climate receives moisture from the Atlantic and is mostly sticky, warm and rainy with rain ☔️ most days during the year. Winters are a bit harsh and cold. The humid, salt air is what this viticultural environment is all about. The mostly white wines made here are highly acidic, with notes of tart, green apple 🍏 and white flowers. Most wines are aged in stainless steel and some see new, French oak for a few months. Then they are aged in the bottle. You can cellar them for up to 5-6 years. The Albariño grape is the most expensive and most difficult to produce in all of Spain. — 8 years ago

with Edmond

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

On the nose, sour fruits of; dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, green bell peppers, tree bark with sap and fresh very dark florals. The palate is medium bodied & the tannins are medium soft and round. The fruits are; blackberries, dark cherries, an array of blue fruits, poached strawberries, green bell pepper with additional vegetal notes, dusty, dry, loamy dry top soil, crushed dry rocks, olive pit with flesh, herbaceous notes, nail rust, light funky gym locker notes and a round, soft acidity and a finish that a 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3...fruit, vegetal and earth. 9.0 with the potential for a bit more with cellaring. Photos of; Irouléguy, Jean-Claude Berrouet and a classic Basque dish. Producer history & notes...Irouléguy is located in Basque Country...the southwestern most part of France wine regions and is only a half an hour from Spain. Irouléguy received its appellation contrôlée in 1970, with about 250 acres of vineyards cultivated by 60 growers. Jean-Claude Berrouet is an Irouléguy native who left the area for more than three decades to be the winemaker at Château Pétrus. Jean-Claude eventually returned home. He named his estate “Herri Mina.” In Basque, herri means “country,” and mina means “homesick.” I guess you could say he missed the area he grew up. Jean-Claude also makes a white blend of Gros Manseng, Petit Corbu and Petit Manseng. His vines are planted on the steep south facing slopes of the Pyrénées at around 400 feet above sea level. His vineyard has a climatic influence from the Atlantic. They are protected from cold north wind and receive more sunshine than most other French vineyard regions. Jean-Claude also produces a small amount of this Irouléguy Cabernet Franc; which is 100% Cabernet Franc-Tannat. A classic Basque pairing (shown) for this wine is a flour dredged fried chicken with stewed red and green peppers, tomatoes, onions & garlic.
— 8 years ago

Brian McMahon

Sales Polaner Selections

9.6

Wow. Vineyard: Nearly 50 year old vines in Les Chatelots, this 2.96 hectares 1er Cru vineyard sits close to the village of Chambolle and part of the vineyard adjoins Charmes.
Orientation: South/Southeast
Soil: Clay-limestone with a fair amount of stones
Viticulture: Lutte raisonée, organic after the flowering
Vinification: Traditional vinification; 7 day cold maceration, 3 week alcoholic fermentation.
Aging: Aged in French barrels, 30% of which are new
Production: 250 cases
Notes: Vibrant, polished and structured, yet delicate.
RATINGS
Publication: Burghound
Rating: 90-92
A discreet application of wood allows the airy, pure and elegant aromas of violet, plum and exotic tea to shine. There is a cool and restrained mouth feel to the punchy medium weight flavors that offer good richness yet also pretty good delineation on the soil and mineral-inflected finish that is dusty, balanced and solidly persistent. It's rare that even a very good Chatelots can match an average Fuées but that is the case here. — 9 years ago

sarah ward

9.0

Rich, jammy, not too sweet or fruity, fairly dry. Extremely drinkable. Had it with Chicken Country Captain. — 9 years ago

Diedra West

9.4

Diedra had this 10 years ago

Julien Schmid

8.9

Buttery, and yet still fresh if served cold — 10 years ago

Marc McSorley

8.9

Medium color with a very nice nose. Tastes very nice, but not blown away like previous summa's, could be the long week with a head cold. This 2008 has a longer life ahead, on the light side. — 10 years ago

Enrique Rodriguez

9.5

I love this wine, drinking cold, not sweet not dry just perfect — 11 years ago

Mark Lindzy

9.8

Oh hells yeah. 90yr old Godello vines make me so happy on a cold Chicago night. — 11 years ago