Château Cos d'Estournel 2009

One of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted, the monumental 2009 Cos d’Estournel has lived up to its pre-bottling potential. A remarkable effort from winemaking guru Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot (33%) and a touch of Cabernet Franc (2%) was cropped at 33 hectoliters per hectare. It boasts an inky/black/purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of white flowers interwoven with blackberry and blueberry liqueur, incense, charcoal and graphite. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, balance and intensity as well as perfect equilibrium, and a seamless integration of tannin, acidity, wood and alcohol. An iconic wine as well as a remarkable achievement, it is the greatest Cos d’Estournel ever produced. It is approachable enough at present that one could appreciate it with several hours of decanting, but it will not hit its prime for a decade, and should age effortlessly for a half century.

This shows why everyone loves the vintage. Features a gorgeous display of perfectly melded plum, red currant and blackberry fruit that flows beautifully over very creamy tannins. Still nearly all fruit, with flecks of warm stone and iron on the finish. This could easily sit in this phase for some time, but will be hard to resist. Totally modern and beautifully done. -- Non-blind Cos-d'Estournel vertical (December 2015). Best from 2020 through 2040. 20,830 cases made.

Intense, pureed damson fruit aromas remind me of its impact at En primeur, although back then it was a little overblown. The terroir is starting to come through now, but the fruit still feels a touch overripe and overly concentrated, not allowing the juiciness that the clay soils of St-Estèphe should highlight. It’s still extremely young with a great life ahead of it, so this is one to put away for a while longer and give that terroir more of a chance to assert itself over the vintage character.

A very bold, ripe and complex wine with excellent concentration and a warm, engaging personality (cinnamon and allspice) that's hard to resist. With aeration a hint of dried fruit character emerges. Massive, yet polished finish. It’s been rated 100 in the past. We will see. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

Mid ruby. Dry and restrained on the palate. Pretty firm tannins and dark, inexpressive fruit. Powerful and brooding. Not austere though – it has a softness and approachability. (RH)

Still deeply colored, the nose exudes black fruits, spice, licorice, smoke, Asian spice and black cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich, deep, long, voluptuous and showy. It’s also perfectly poised between its power and elegant nature. Youthful, but continuing to drop its baby fat, while morphing into a stellar tasting experience. Drink from 2023-2045.

Deep dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Ripe dark berry confit, a hint of sweet plums, fresh orange zest, fine nougat touch, some caramel, multi-faceted bouquet. Powerful, pronounced in fruit, ripe cherries, vivid tannins, chocolate touch also on the finish, somewhat flinty aftertaste, already accessible, mineral on the finish, will benefit from further bottle ageing, great ageing potential. Already accessible, but better to wait.

Another magical wine from this property, the 2009 Château Cos D'Estournel reminds me slightly of the 2005 with its incredibly rich, powerful, opulent style married to stunning finesse and elegance. Still youthful yet with a touch of maturity, its deep ruby/plum color is followed by classic Saint-Estèphe notes of blackcurrants, dried tobacco, loamy earth, Asian spices, and licorice. Deep, full-bodied, and massive on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced and has building tannins hiding under its wealth of fruit, with no hard edges and a great, great finish. This tour de force is still 5-7 years away from maturity and is a legendary wine to follow over the coming 40-50 years.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 65% of the harvest was selected as the Grand Vin, with a yield of only 33 hl/ha. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet-black highlights. Compact bouquet, black fruit notes, black cherries, blackberries, dark fine woods, black olive paste, Guinness malt tones, reduced pear juice, pumpernickel bread, licorice, vanilla bean, dried Malaga raisins… Somehow, the warm to hot bouquet reminds us of an Amarone. However, if you infer from the richness and weight of the nose that the palate will be overloaded, you’re likely mistaken. The immense concentration is handled regally by the majestic 2009 Cos, which showcases royal finesse all the way to the complex finish, unveiling black cherry compote, Arabian mocha, and a noble, dark-chocolate-bitter malt note. This Cos is a kind of super-charged 1982! Or like a blend of one quarter Cos, one quarter Quintarelli Amarone, one quarter Ridge Monte Bello 2003, and one quarter of a young great Vintage Port. A very controversial, yet undoubtedly brilliant wine!

A wine that caused plenty of arguments among critics and wine lovers at the time, and 15 years on it remains full-on and pumped up. Silky texture, smoked caramel, intense cracked pepper, cloves, incense, olive peel, blackberry and damson fruits, impactful but a little too much even now. The terroir character is just starting to assert itself, and this is a one-point upscore since I tasted it at the ten-years-on point. 100% new oak.

A very vintage-typical blueberry nose, high alcohol level, a very “roasted” flavor but more balanced than that of the grand vin, with better-integrated tannins. A great, distinctive product whose evolution we will follow with great curiosity.

Cos 2009, tasted at the time of bottling, is still as spectacular and atypical as ever. The nose suggests very ripe black fruits; the palate offers exceptional volume and density, with an immense tannic mass. Most surprising is the balance, as the wine remains easy to drink.

Dense attack, good substance, slight wavering, lovely spices, a slightly chewy licorice finish. Charming.

Cos 2009 stands out for its subtlety and its ability to champion a warm vintage. So many details, finesse, and diversity with myriad nuances. It reveals iodized notes, cedar, graphite, and black berries. It is on the palate that the wine truly sets itself apart. The present density, the silky tannins with very fine grain, and the serenely imposing, elegant power make it one of the greatest successes of the vintage. It shows disconcerting freshness, dazzling grandeur, and infinite length.

Logo on the cork: AL Dark, intense colour with slight evolution. Intense nose with slightly overripe fruit, reminiscent of Merlot on gravel soils. Soft on the attack, smooth as it develops, fragrant and pleasant; even though the finish is a touch firm, the wine lingers on notes of ink and liquorice. Good length.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 65% of the harvest selected as Grand Vin. Only 33 hl/ha. Extremely dark purple with violet and violet-black highlights. Compact bouquet, black fruit notes, black cherries, blackberries, dark noble woods, black olive paste, Guinness malt tones, reduced pear juice, pumpernickel bread, licorice, vanilla bean; in some way the warm to hot bouquet recalls an Amarone, further underlined by dried Malaga grapes. If, given the fullness and weight on the nose, you brace for an overloaded palate, you’re largely mistaken. This colossal concentration is mastered regally by this Cos, retaining royal finesse amid expansive grandeur; it finishes with black cherry compote, Arabian mocha and a noble dark-chocolate-bitter malt note. The most concentrated nectar ever in the Saint-Estèphe area. Overall, more Cos than Saint-Estèphe, and even more Cos than Bordeaux. Thus, a candidate to win in a blind tasting where the world’s best red wines are poured. In a blind tasting among the best Bordeaux, it will have a tougher time. Here it depends on the journalists. At 14.5% alcohol, a power bomb that still somehow flaunts finesse. A kind of overfed 1982! Or a kind of blend between a quarter Cos, a quarter Quintarelli Amarone, a quarter Ridge Monte Bello 2003 and a quarter of a young great Vintage Port. A very controversial wine! (20/20). 13: Saturated, dense violet-black, intense to the rim. Compact nose, prunes, cassis berries, Brazil tobacco, lots of freshly roasted Arabica coffee and traces of a semi-dry–seeming Vintage Port, walnut shells, indicating great depth. Full, brooding palate, somehow sweet and dry at once, demanding, slightly grainy astringency, a full package of flesh with firm, strict, muscular tannins. The usual early seduction of a Cos is absent here, but the tannins show that only in ten to twenty years will a wine emerge that is one-third world-class wine, one-third classic, ancient Saint-Estèphe, and only from the final third possibly hints aromatically at Cos. Drink it too early and you’ll be disappointed. In any case, it’s controversial. To be continued! (20/20). 19: Black at the core, lightening outward with a violet sheen and minimal brownish highlights. These stem from the burned Merlot skins. Already at the very first glimpse, the partial Amarone note can’t be denied. Cold smoke mingles with currants, Bakelite and cold gravy. Where is the fruit? Primary aromas are absent. But there are many and intense notes of all kinds of dried fruits. At times it even smells like a Sauternes without botrytis, due to the nasal sweetness and raisin tones. On the palate, austere, unfinished with bumpy tannins. Those seeking colossal power are well served by this Cos. Harmony-seekers should keep their hands off. You need to wait 10 years to issue the next prognosis. As already during the en primeur phase, this controversial Cos has enemies as well as friends. And this will likely remain so until a maturity that is still undefined today. Current score: 19/20. 20: Violet-black, impenetrable. The nose begins reductive, shows mercaptan and resists contact with air for a long time. So I let it take a lap first. Only after a quarter of an hour did it get going. The array of aromas was hugely impressive: elderberry, smoke, stewed prunes, currants, black olives, licorice, Tasmanian pepper. Somehow everything can morph into a non-existent category of “double black.” On the palate, it has changed in recent years. Earlier the extract seemed scorched; now—at least for the moment—it comes across pretty cool. Is it heading in a different direction than expected? The concentration is mega and the wine is in such an evolutionary phase that it’s best to leave it alone for about five years. (19/20). 20: Deep purple with black reflections. Otherworldly bouquet—from Amarone to Napa, everything is in there. And Bordeaux? Yes, but the kind of Bordeaux that fits the 2009 vintage more than classicism. Pepper powder, smoke, currants and candied blueberries, black currant and herbs galore. Amid all that compote-like sweetness, there’s also a partial freshness that gives the nose both breed and confidence. Endlessly intoxicating. You almost can’t get enough of smelling it. On the palate, it’s more clearly aligned and shows where the journey is now slowly heading. Massive astringency, but not with killer tannins. Licorice, licorice and licorice again, then cassis, blackberries and dark malt (Guinness). Dramatic finish. When will it be mature? Part of it is visible, but the effective definition seems to be around 2030. Or earlier? Or later? This otherworldly Cos is and remains (still) an Estournel riddle. (20/20)