Kristie M. Connor

9.2

Fig, blackberry, mulberry, graphite — 5 years ago

Zoran Korencan

8.9

Vintage 2017, at home, Covid 19 era😀 — 6 years ago

Miss Harvey

8.9

Smokey Pinot - great with fish and stands up well to marinara and rich era food. — 6 years ago

Rob Sternthal

9.4

The end of an era....still enjoying my last allocations from Hartwell. Will enjoy the new adaptation in Realm. Hard not to drink entire bottle. Big and bold and fruity. Great finish. — 8 years ago

Bethany

9.0

Dark fruits, heavy flavour, very unusual — 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. — 9 years ago

Laura Forde

9.5

A toast to a new era. Thank you @Jodi Doherty. xxx — 6 years ago

with Ned and Jens

web bond

9.1

Classic for era/time period. Wines are arguably a step up in more recent vintages with Bio farming and all the additional knowledge and experience time provides. — 6 years ago

Rob Sternthal

9.5

Phenomenal wine. Amazing finish. @Anthony Biagi does it again. A new era for Hourglass. #biased — 7 years ago

Rick K

9.3

Found this in the odd lots bin at Kadota's Liquor near my old high school in Hilo, Hawaii a few days ago. Freaking delicious! Earthy, cherries, but very high toned for a SB Pinot of this era. Wish I still had some of this in my cellar. Justin was killing it from Day 1. — 8 years ago

Nicole Revilo

9.4

I loved this. It was that perfect level of dry but refreshing. I paid $16. — 8 years ago

Reinhard Wall

8.9

Hace poco tomé el 2012, que era monumental. Se nota la diferencia de maduracion en botella, definitivamente este vino necesita más tiempo. Se nota, sin embargo, el futuro que espera esta añada. — 9 years ago

Vijay Vaidy

9.8

Hard to find a better ambassador for 2001 Napa style. I'm not sure these wine makers ever surpassed this era ... Unfortunately a bit premium priced these days, but worth dropping some $$$ for, more than the average peer — 10 years ago

Ben Lamb

10

I bought this years ago and decided our (very small, covid era) wedding reception would be as good a time as any to drink it. And it was wonderful, full bodied, but no off flavors or extra astringency. Wish I could have gotten a whole case back when. — 6 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

8.9

A mimma piace questo Pinot Griggio da Alto Adige. E’ facile per bere. Forse e’ buono mercato anche. Era buono con il hot pot coreano. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.9

I can’t think of a better wine to finish with than the 1980 Cristal. Utterly dazzling from the very first taste, the 1980 is simply breathtaking. Citrus, chamomile, mint, white pepper, crushed rock and expressive floral notes abound, with razor sharp beams of supporting chalkiness that give the wine tension and energy. Tiny yields and strict selection resulted in a very small production that Roederer chose to bottle only in magnum. There is just not much else to say except that the 1980 is a riveting, arrestingly beautiful wine that remains as a vivid testament to a previous era in the history of Champagne. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago

Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

9.6

The best bottle of the 1971 I have ever had. Tremendous fruit intensity, power and depth, with none of the barnyard flavors that afflict many bottles. What fine, aged Barolo from this era is all about. Superb. — 8 years ago

Greg Sorensen

9.3

Texture mineral magic. Just never get tired of Hatzidakis. Sad that this may be the end of an era. — 9 years ago

Ross McGill

9.0

Lovely #Rioja — 9 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

8.9

A very pleasant surprise, drinking at peak, offering ripe black currant, cedar, cigar box and roasted coffee aromas. Sweet and seductive tannins caress the classic finish. Stylish wine from an era almost forgotten. — 10 years ago