Château Cos d’Estournel: Tasting & Drinking
In recent years my feelings about Château Cos d’Estournel have evolved. There is no doubt that the château is a striking edifice, and if heading north for the Médoc I rarely miss an opportunity to take the route out of Pauillac so that I can take in views of first of Château Lafite-Rothschild on the left, and then Château Cos d’Estournel on the right as the road makes its turn inland. And the wines have, at times, reflected this favoured position atop this gravel ridge. Looking back to the 1990s I have some fond memories of the wines, and in some vintages the estate really over-performed. A typical example would be the 1994 vintage, not a great year for Bordeaux but one that produced lots of decent drinking. The 1994 Château Cos d’Estournel is perhaps a little more than that though, showing texture, interest and complexity.
But then, under the direction of Jean-Guillaume Prats the wines began to take on ever-greater richness and texture, inky-deep colours and masses of tannin. Château Cos d’Estournel therefore joined the ranks of estates producing wines lauded by critics who prefer massive texture and substance to balance or freshness, a gang of domaines that also included those owned by Gérard Perse such as Château Pavie and Château Monbousquet, and a number of other St Emilion domaines such as Château Troplong-Mondot. I must say, however, that while these comments were true ten or fifteen years ago, the tide has since turned; all three estates are now making wines of greater class, balance and drinkability.
During these dark days the flavour profile at Cos d’Estournel could move towards a dried or cooked fruit character and lacked freshness, the textures were huge, the tannins powerful, the alcohol levels high. Not all drinkers come to Bordeaux for experiences such as these. Nevertheless, the wines made here during the first decade of the 21st century, under the direction of Jean-Guillaume Prats, were praised by the world’s most influential critics, were awarded high scores, and they sold for high prices. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages mark the apogee of the style; dark wines bubbling over with over-ripe fruit and alcohol.
Eventually the tide turned, and with the arrival of Aymeric de Gironde there was an unspoken recognition of the need for greater balance and freshness.
A few cooler vintages such as 2011, 2012 and 2014 (let’s not talk too much about 2013, although it was better here at Cos d’Estournel than it was at many other addresses) assisted in this though, so it was reassuring to see this style carried through to more benevolent years, such as 2015 and 2016. It was clear there had been real change here at Château Cos d’Estournel, a change which may also prove to be financially beneficial for the domaine, as the preference among critics and consumers has swung back towards balance and freshness.
Sadly, after less than five years driving this change, Aymeric de Gironde left for pastures new, otherwise known as the aforementioned Château Troplong-Mondot (an estate where his experience of toning down an extreme style of wine may come in very useful). The work at Cos d’Estournel was continued by Dominique Arangoïts, who has turned out some superb wines. Of more recent vintages, look out for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, above all others. (15/10/08, updated 16/9/09, 28/10/12, 18/5/12, 28/6/15, 10/9/17, 18/3/18, 9/12/25)
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