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It is with great delight that I offer you the legendary wines of Chateau Cos d’Estournel;
six vintages back to 1986.

Hi From Matt

When I passed the Master of Wine tasting exam in 1998, the red wine paper featured five vintages of Cos d’Estornel from 1989 to 1993 and I correctly identified the wines as coming from a ‘second growth Medoc estate’. After tasting several recent vintages last week at dinner with Jean Guillaume Prats, President and Director General for Cos d’Estournel, I am in now in no doubt that Cos is without doubt the leading estate in St-Estéphe, clearly making First Growth-quality wines, some of the greatest wines of Bordeaux today.

While it was an incredible experience for me tasting first-hand how great Cos is today, it’s not exactly new news. Last month, Robert Parker named Cos d’Estournel as one of Bordeaux’s “estates that produce wines of first growth quality”. James Suckling just rated 2009 Cos as his “Wine of The Year” describing it as “simply my favourite top scoring wine I tasted in bottle in 2011.”

Cos d’Estournel’s success is unsurprising, the northern neighbour of Lafite, they are situated on one of the greatest terroirs of the Medoc. Jean Guillaume Prats has been given carte blanche by owner Michel Reybier to invest considerable sums in the vineyard, and particularly the winery, which is now arguably the finest in Bordeaux. Most impressive are the two gigantic elevators that allow wine transfer by gravity rather than pump, incredibly expensive but contributing to Cos having the most luxurious tannic profile and texture of any wine of the Medoc.

Following this remarkable dinner I have secured limited quantities from Australia of six vintages between 2006 and 1986 as well as the incredibly rare 2006 Blanc. I’m offering them now on an indent basis, order now for delivery in January. Unfortunately they are only available in small quantities, on a first reply basis. This is a wonderful opportunity to secure modern and classic, aged vintages of one of Bordeaux’s greatest wines.

To secure your share, please complete the order form below and reply to wine@finewinedelivery.co.nz

Best Regards
Matt Deller

Cos d’Estournel 2006
Indent Price: $649 per 1500 ml magnum
3 magnums available

94/100 Robert Parker, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The exceptional 2006 Cos d’Estournel is composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, 55% of the production was utilized. Revealing superb intensity for a 2006 as well as an inky/blue/purple colour, and a sweet bouquet of blue and black fruits, liquorice, graphite, and charcoal, this full-bodied 2006 possesses high levels of sweet tannin. This wine is characterized by a freshness and precision that give it a 1996-like affinity. Enjoy this beautifully concentrated, exceptionally pure, statuesque Cos d’Estournel over the next 20-25 years. By the way, it was bottled without any fining or filtration.
Cos d’Estournel 2004
Indent Price: $329 per bottle

92/100 Robert Parker, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“A beautiful example of the vintage, proprietor Michel Reybier and his top-notch winemaker, Jean-Guillaume Prats, have fashioned an exceptional wine displaying a dense ruby/purple colour as well as a sweet perfume of boysenberries, black currants, cherries, pain grille, roasted herbs, and liquorice. Medium-bodied with impressive density for the vintage, sweet tannin, and outstanding richness and length, it should be at its finest between 2009 and 2020+. The Wine Advocate

Cos d’Estournel 2000
Indent Price: $629 per bottle

92/100 James Suckling, Wine Spectator
“Absolutely gorgeous on the nose, with currants, blackberries and freshly cut flowers. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a solid core of fruit. This goes on and on on the palate. The essence of class and refinement. Relatively good value, considering the superb quality. No better Cos since 1989. Best after 2010.”

Cos d’Estournel 1995
Indent Price: $669 per bottle

95/100 Robert Parker, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A wine of extraordinary intensity and accessibility, the 1995 Cos d’Estournel is a sexier, more hedonistic offering than the muscular, backward 1996. Opulent, with forward aromatics (gobs of black fruits intermixed with toasty pain grillé scents and a boatload of spice), this terrific Cos possesses remarkable intensity, full-body, and layers of jammy fruit nicely framed by the wine’s new oak. Because of low acidity and sweet tannins, the 1995 will be difficult to resist young, although it will age for 2-3 decades.

Cos d’Estournel 1988
Indent Price: $499 per bottle

95/100 James Suckling, Wine Spectator
“This powerhouse is rather traditional and decadent compared to the modern-day wines from Cos. Ink-colored and full-bodied, with ripe fruit aromas, velvety tannins and intense berry and spice flavours.”

Cos d’Estournel 1986
Indent Price: $499 per bottle

95/100 Robert Parker, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 1986 is a highly extracted wine, with a black/ruby colour and plenty of toasty, smoky notes in its bouquet that suggest ripe plums and liquorice. Evolving at a glacial pace, it exhibits massive, huge, ripe, extremely concentrated flavours with impressive depth and richness. It possesses more power, weight, and tannin than the more opulent and currently more charming 1985. Anticipated maturity: 1996-2010. Tasted 7 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes”
Plus, for lovers of rare and exceptional white wine…

Cos d’Estournel BLANC 2006
Indent Price: $399 per bottle
18 bottles available (3x750ml cases)

The vines that produce Cos d’Estournel Blanc are located in the north of the Médoc, in Jau-Dignac and Loirac. The vineyard’s soil is made up mainly of sand and very clayey gravel with pebbles, consisting of a clay-limestone base and a deep gravelly-clay topsoil. The geographical location of Cos d’Estournel Blanc, close to the Atlantic ocean, combined with the incredible width of the estuary, provides the vines with exceptional coolness in the summer and a welcome mildness in the spring and winter. All of these factors create an ideal terroir for our two grape varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and give the wine freshness and a slightly exotic feel. The grapes are harvested by hand in several batches to ensure that they only picked when they are completely ripe. After meticulous sorting, the work is completed with a strictly controlled vinification process. The lees are stirred regularly in order to enrich the wine’s fruit content. Fermentation is carried out in one-year-old barrels. “Only 250 cases are made of this very Loire Valley-styled dry white produced from 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. More Sancerre-like than Bordeaux-like, the wine displays fresh, crisp Thai lemon grass notes intermixed with white citrus and a distinct minerality. Drink it over the next 3-5 years, although I suspect this could last even longer.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate