Château Cos Labory 2020

Dark, brooding nose, tobacco and dark chocolate with black bramble fruits, dried herbs and soft floral scents. Clean and clear, this has such an inviting texture, smooth but round and driven, really persistent - a true force but with the most gorgeous sweetness. Bright and vivid, countering the clear concentration underneath. Bold but confident, it’s fairly unfussy with gorgeous fruit purity, crystalline minerality and integrated oak. Friendly, approachable. One to drink sooner. Good winemaking on show.

This has aromas of pencil lead, black fruit, espresso and ink. Firm and focused, with a medium body and tight, chewy tannins. Pleasantly austere. Let it soften. Second wine of Cos Labory. Try after 2025.

The 2020 Cos Labory turned out beautifully. Dark, rich and quintessentially Saint-Estèphe, Cos Labory offers up an exciting mélange of black fruit, gravel, incense, dried herbs, spice, licorice, mocha and espresso. Cos Labory can at times be a bit diffuse, the 2020 has a great core of fruit and tons of inner strength. Give the tannins a few years to soften.

Flowers, black raspberries, red and black currants, licorice, oak and spearmint create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is ripe, round and loaded with sweet, vibrant, clean, red berries that taste and feel just great! As I wrote earlier, Cos Labory has really upped their game lately. This makes three solid vintages in a row! Give it just a year or two in the cellar and it promises to be even better. Drink from 2025-2040.

Deep dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, delicate rim brightening. Delicate vanilla and caramel, nougat and ripe plums, inviting bouquet. Fresh on the palate, fruity-sweet texture, ripe, supporting tannins, cherries and chocolate on the finish, shows good length, certain ageing potential, has substance, mineral-salty finish.

Classic structure, high acidity, grippy tannins and discreet red-fruit notes with a hint of oak; rather full with good length but fairly closed, needing long ageing to soften.

Darker cherries, fresh plums, damp earth, and leafy tobacco notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Cos Labory, a quintessential Saint-Estèphe that's medium-bodied and has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. Another brilliant Northern Médoc with so much to love, it will keep for 15-20 years.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: spicy, dark bouquet, cassis, blackberries, tobacco. Muscular, firm palate with good tannin, dark fruit, robust structure, spicy, dark aromatics, long, firm finish. Has room to improve.

Spicy, dark bouquet with cassis, blackberries, tobacco. Muscular, firm palate with good tannins, dark fruit, robust structure, spicy, dark aromatics, long, firm finish. Can still improve. 17/20 2026 - 2042

Pencil lead, blackcurrant, black cherry, this is successful, old school, unfussy but with confident tannins, easy to approach – an 1855 classified estate that doesn’t need the full 10 years before drinking. It is never as complex as its other classified St Estèphe siblings but this is enjoyable and well made.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cos Labory opens with fabulously fragrant scents of red rose and lavender, giving way to a core of kirsch, raspberry preserves, and underbrush with wafts of bay leaves and pencil shavings. The light to medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and energetic, delivering lively red berry and floral notes, paved by soft tannins and finishing with a real skip in its step.

93-94

True to itself, Cos Labory delivers a well-crafted wine with generous fruit and a very pleasant, easy-drinking character. The palate is open, flavorful and suitably juicy, with integrated tannins. A fine ensemble to enjoy at around 10 years of age.

A playful nose of stewed fruits and flowers, then powerful, structured aromas of undergrowth, spices and tobacco; on the palate, a purity sliding over red-fruit notes, with grainy tannins that would benefit from softening with age.

It stands out for having maintained a well-judged, well-balanced acidity that promises good ageing potential. This know-how is a bonus in 2020. Morello cherry, fine leather, firmly structured tannins, and a mineral finish confirm the success and classic signature. Fans of Cos Labory will be well served.

92–94. Barrel Sample. Neighbor of Cos d'Estournel, this estate has produced a densely textured, firm wine. Its big tannins and tight structure promise considerable ageing and a wine of great richness.