Saint-Estèphe

2017

56% Cabernet Sauvignon 
42% Merlot 
1% Cabernet Franc 
1% Petit Verdot 

Region: Bordeaux 

ESTATE HISTORY 

The history of Cos d’Estournel began in 1811 when its owner Louis Gaspard Lacoste of Maniban Marquis d’Estournel, after inheriting some vineyards near the village of Cos, decided to vinify them separately. The wine of Cos d’Estournel was born. Very quickly, the wine surpasses the most prestigious wines and is exported to India. In 1855 Cos d’Estournel reached the classification of 1855 as a second classified growth. All in all, five owners were at the head of Cos d’Estournel, the last of which is Michel REYBIER, who bought the château in 2000 and undertook many changes including a brand new barrel cellar, but above all, a 100% gravity winemaking cellar: a novelty in the region.

Pagodes de Cos is the second wine of the Castle. It was named in reference to the two Pagodas of the Castle.

TERROIR

The vineyard of Cos now covers 91 hectares. On this terroir with meager gravels on its peaks and on the southern slopes, Cabernet Sauvignon (60% of the vineyard) find their soils of choice. While the Merlots (40% of the vineyard) are found on the eastern slopes and on the coasts where the limestone basement of Saint-Estèphe is coming up.

VINIFICATION

Only wines from vineyards over twenty years old will bear the name of Château Cos d’Estournel. Density from 8 to 10,000 feet per hectare. Each winemaker has the personal responsibility of 45,000 vines, which he takes care of every year. These farming methods are essentially manual.

WINEMAKING

Manual harvest. Precise grape sorting and pure gravity pumping using 4 lift vats as well as precise control of fermentation temperatures favor the selection of the softest tannins and the preservation of the fruit.

TASTING & FOOD PAIRINGS 

Vibrant, silky, seductive 

Since its creation in 1994, Pagodes de Cos is made from grapes grown on dedicated plots whose vines are 35 years old on average.
The 2017 vintage is characteristically round on the palate but also offers its own unique charm.
Silky and immensely fresh, it is a lively, energetic wine with intense fruit. Velvety with a dense mid-palate, it is particularly flavorsome and enticing.

94/100 points James Suckling
92/100 points Robert Parker 

Serving temperature: between 12°C and 15°C.