Château Cos d'Estournel 2022

Much as it was en primeur, the 2022 Cos d'Estournel is an inky, brooding wine. Offering up aromas of ripe berries, licorice, pencil shavings, iris and creamy new oak, it's full-bodied, dense and heavily extracted, with a chunky, tannic profile that privileges raw power over sensuality.

This is deep, dark and a bit brooding in feel, with layers of warm and well-steeped dark currant, blackberry and fig fruit. Married to a structure that's plush and nicely inlaid, while sweet tobacco, bay leaf, tar and chestnut notes add impressive range. The long finish pulls in a warm paving stone detail to seal the deal. Impressive indeed. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2045. 12,000 cases made, 3,500 cases imported.

Vivid and vibrant blackberry fruit on the nose. Supple and lively, this has brilliant texture and weight in the mouth, slightly grippy but with an iron tang giving a mineral edge to the fruit with hints of liquorice spice. Still a little compact in terms of flavor expressiveness, but there’s no faulting the tannic finesse on offer. Acidity is perfect, really lifting the expression with blueberries, pencil lead and clove. This carries the strength of the vintage—the sunny fruit and headiness of the aromas are pure 2022—but it’s also incredibly refined with such class on display. I love it.

Wow. So intense and spicy with nutmeg, cloves, ink and blackberries. Also asphalt, lead pencil and tobacco. Full-bodied, but at the same time, there’s a real balance giving incredible depth and length. The tannins are all there but are polished as well as firm. Superb structure. A neoclassical Cos, one for long-term aging. Perhaps the best ever. A blend of 61% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Drink after 2030.

61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 66% of the production. Cask sample. Deep purple-black hue. Firm, structured with huge reserve. Layers of dark fruit and a massive tannic frame. Almost like it’s been hewn from stone. Tannins polished, though, providing enormous length. Not for the faint-hearted. Will need patience. (JL)

The 2022 Cos d'Estournel has a more savoury, tertiary bouquet than its peers, with touches of ash and dark chocolate permeating the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip. Quite a solid Saint-Estèphe, grippy, certainly this does not short-change in terms of persistence, but it has yet to develop a personality to engage with. That will surely come. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Powerful, dense, rich, opulent, and harmonious, this opaque-colored wine is a gem! The wine coats and covers your palate with endless layers of flawlessly ripe dark red, black, and blue fruits, further enhanced by its cashmere and velvet textures. The finish lingers and expands for over 60 seconds, delivering waves of fruits, dark cocoa, licorice, and Asian spices. There is a seamlessness to the endnotes, with lift and purity, making you want to take sip after sip of this hedonistic, elegant wine. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2020–2060.

Dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the ochre rim. On the nose, delicate notes of cassis and fine oak, dark fruits of the forest and candied orange zest. The palate is juicy and powerful, yet very elegant, with pronounced, integrated tannins, good freshness, ripe plum and cherry fruit, and a mineral finish, already easy to drink, good ageing potential, with huge future potential. (25/1, +30, PM).

Looking at the 2022 Château Cos D'Estournel, this awesome Saint-Estèphe checks in as a classic blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in 50% new oak. Remarkably concentrated yet with a graceful elegance, it has sensational cassis, graphite, spring flowers, and subtle tobacco-driven aromatics, full-bodied richness, a deeply layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and a monumental finish. Hitting 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.79, it's as good a Cos d'Estournel as has ever been made. It actually has ample upfront appeal yet won't hit the early stages of its prime drinking window for another decade, and it will have 50-75 years of overall longevity.

Intense, concentrated, spicy, cured leather, ink, saddle, creamy cassis and black cherry fruits, laced with bitter chocolate, concentrated incense and velvety tannins. Exceptional quality. Tasted twice, second time at the estate, 50% new oak, Dominique Arangoïts technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant.

Such depth, grandeur, breadth, and complexity in the bouquet of Cos d’Estournel, with spicy, floral, chocolate, and fruity notes. On the palate, the wine does not seek extravagance or exuberance; it focuses on precision, relevance, depth, and a formidable ability to reconcile power and freshness. The fine-grained tannins deliver impressive power, while the acidity underscores the wine’s character and the persistence of the finish. A muscular, expressive, high-performing wine!

The nose is very indulgent, with lovely concentration, depth, and an airy quality at the same time. The initial nose is rich in spices, paired with a gourmet chocolatey side (licorice, fresh vanilla, cardamom, ground nutmeg, a hint of clove). The fruit is ripe and fresh, with a refined tangy edge (blackcurrant, morello cherry, juicy bigarreau cherry, redcurrant, crushed raspberry, tart strawberry), flowers (violet, peony, wild rose) and fresh and roasted herbs (fresh rosemary, roasted thyme, plus an airy note of thyme blossom), and a very elegant toasted touch – hazelnut, wood, and coffee. The palate is tight and solid, with fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness. It delivers flavors of blackcurrant, morello cherry, juicy bigarreau cherry, crushed raspberry, tart strawberry, completed by the bitterness of bird cherry and cocoa, an elegant herbal hint of stem, dried blackcurrant leaf, fresh vanilla, cardamom, clove, with licorice prevailing, as well as a perfumed floral bouquet of violet, peony, and wild rose, especially on the finish. A wine of accuracy and precision, currently restrained and closed, but with great potential. It needs time to open up.

Never has this cru received such acclaim until now. Black color. An intense, refined nose—fruity, pure, spicy, and complex. Bewitching on entry, bewitching mid-palate, accompanied by a thousand sophisticated, complex, and vibrant flavors; despite its great breadth, this wine anchors firmly on the palate. Then come fresh fruits, dark fruits, flowers, power, tremendous length, and an irresistibly savory creaminess. Ah, merlot at Cos—that’s something! Blend: 61% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot. Alcohol: 14°04 - pH: 3.79. Yield: 33 hl/ha.

Quiet and restrained at this stage, but still waters run deep: pure cassis aroma, peppery spice, violets; a tense palate, exceptionally precise, firm-grained tannins, plenty of power, great finesse, perfectly balanced, and with impressive length. A Cos monument, built for a small eternity.

Delicate bouquet of ripe blueberry, with sweet, refined accents, shimmering with freshness. On the palate, the tannins, powerful yet perfectly controlled, chart a structured and captivating journey. A wine built for long aging, to let evolve patiently so it can fully blossom and reveal all its depth over time.

97-99 Barrel sample. The qualities of the 2022 vintage have been good to Cos d'Estournel. Freshness and black fruits have lightened the tannins into a fine and juicy wine. The result is impressive—a superb, generous and structured wine that is one of the best from the estate for many years.