2019 Cos d`Estournel (St-Estephe)

The 2019 Cos d`Estournel was picked from September 23 to October 7 at 43hL/ha, matured in a judicious 55% new oak, and bottled in July 2021 by gravity. It is more backward on the nose, and there’s nothing wrong with that for a Grand Vin. Biding its time, it opens to deliver lovely, very pure scents of blackberry, raspberry coulis and touches of graphite and violet, the latter having developed during barrel maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, and the texture is a little more crunchy than when tasted from barrel sample. Gone is the silkiness; in its place there is backbone and grip, features that will stand this Cos d’Estournel in good stead for considerable cellar aging. It displays more classicism in bottle compared to barrel, and exhibits more Saint-Estephe DNA. 97 points