John Hagood

9.1

From Domestique 4/13/19 for tagine, but only opened 2013 in garden on 4/27/19. Chlorine smell for J; lemon, thyme, chives, cloves, vanilla. Mouthfeel and long finish of pine. Pretty rich for Muscsdet. Expected salinity. Malted Easter egg shells. — 6 years ago

Samuel Albert Camacho

9.5

2006 vintage on Dec 30, 2017 from Bob’s cellar. Lovely expression of Sangiovese. — 7 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

Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen KC

9.7

Youngest Raffault I've ever tasted. Classic expression with a very slight Brett note but wound up very tight. Decant, decant, decant or wait. — 10 years ago

Pascaline Lepeltier, MS

Master Sommelier, Wine Director Rouge Tomate New York

9.1

After 2011, a slightly more powerful and tannic expression. A little reduced today, yet you feel the potential. This wine deserve age for sure. It is can be considered a benchmark for Chenin in the warmer Californian climate — 10 years ago

Rohit Gupta

9.2

Pinot-like freshness. Incredible drinkability. — 10 years ago

with Lyle

Thomas Pastuszak

Sommelier/Wine Director The NoMad

8.9

First time trying these wines; great introduction and a solid expression of Jura in Cali — 11 years ago

Jeremiah Allen

9.1

Whole cluster love 🍇 💗Volcanic charm 🌋 Cristom is overdelivering for the category. Nearly all estate vines, very much an expression of Eola Hills. The aromatics are spicy and the palate is pure silk. — 6 years ago

Mackenzie

9.3

2nd gls of ‘18 — 7 years ago

David Dorn

9.3

Wonderful expression of Oakville. Dark fruit and smooth tannins. Absolutely wonderful wine. — 7 years ago

Matt

9.2

A great expression of Merlot. Classic in every sense. Aromatically lifted, red plum, cigar, rustic herbaceous notes, a soft attack followed by grip and crushed rocks. I bet this ages beautifully — 8 years ago

Jordan Ogron

9.8

Celebrating Jaziel's Birthday with a Birth Year wine! Happy Birthday Love! 😘❤ This wine is INCREDIBLE! — 8 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

Fascinating entry to Italian expression of cab franc on its own. Sleek but a philly, real powerful & expressive, bell peppers on steroids. A hit w crowd — 8 years ago

with Paul and Owen

Chris MacLean

9.2

Always a treat! — 9 years ago

Alex Krause

8.9

Expansive aromatic complex and promising nose, yet I was a little deçu on the palate with pleasant broad riper expression but without the complexity promised by the nose. Perhaps didn't wait long enough for it to open up.. — 9 years ago

Nikita Malhotra

10

Ripe cherries and an array of spices like a middle eastern market hit you at once. The best expression of chateauneuf du pape I've had. — 10 years ago

Daragh Hoey

9.5

From magnum. Utterly delicious. A phenomenal expression of rufina. — 10 years ago

Bob Trimble

9.2

A little tight when first opened but singing 8 hours later, pretty wine! — 11 years ago

Liz Krugman

9.3

Gift from Daniel. — 12 years ago

Patti Gamboni

9.1

Awesome acidity, no sulfur used, beautiful. Pure expression. — 7 years ago

Ross Goldberg

9.3

Excellent young expression of Syrah. Excellent fruit and body! — 7 years ago

Patrick Arres

9.0

Excellent Picpoul de pinet ! Apero a Valloire — 7 years ago

Michael Schamis

8.9

A crisp, bright and rich white with possibly a touch of old oak. Citrus and stone fruits with a nice bit of stone minerality. Nice was to start the evening. — 8 years ago

with Kati

Mark Howard

9.7

Dinner contribution by a friend. Why? Because we need to drink it! A bold dusty expression of terroir. Bold dark fruit aromatics. Soft tannins. Dustiness speaks of terroir not flaws. Elegant and evolves after time in the decanter. Continues to open after 1.5 hours in the decanter. Good thing he has more... I want more... I need more!!!! What a true pleasure in a glass Thank you!!! — 8 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.8

If there were ever an archetypical Syrah, Jamet's Cote-Rotie would be a strong candidate. To me this is a pure expression of a classic Northern Rhone Syrah. It is not a single site, but a blend of terroirs, encompassing over 20 sites mostly from hard rock schist bedrock with little to no topsoil. There is NO Viognier in this wine like one might expect from most Cote-Rotie that might have 1-5% co-fermented.

Importantly, there is also a lot less of the oak character that can dominate and overwhelm many Northern Rhone wines. The oak maturation, while not short at 22 months, only uses 15% new oak with no trace of it on the palate as it is perfectly integrated. Grape bunches are whole cluster fermented and macerated for up to 3 weeks.

The 2007 we have here was drinking superbly for a young wine, showing lively and racy layers of peppercorn spice, roast beef, and warm blackberry and currant fruit from the hot 2007 vintage. While from a warm vintage, not a hair is out of place. Density and purity exude from the nose and hint at what a brilliant future this wine has. Perfect acidity and fleshy ripe tannin provide the backbone structure for father time to peel back the layers of this beauty. I will be chceking back in 5 years at the earliest. — 8 years ago

Daron Watson

9.1

btld '12 disgrd 1/15 base 2011

funky town! — 9 years ago

Robert Quick

9.2

Tons of great citrus, lactic texture and mouthwatering acidity. Awesome expression of SC — 10 years ago

with Mary

Fabian Wickman

8.9

Hazelnut-curry-orangepeel. Spicy, fresh and nice acid. Pleasant body and medium lenghth. — 10 years ago

Paul Mason

9.1

April 2012 disgorgement — 10 years ago

Joshua Thomas

Wine Director/Sommelier Prospect Restaurant SF

9.7

Current, leather bound antique book, dust, still lively but I would drink in the next 5 years. A beautiful expression from Pauillac — 11 years ago