2017 Cos d'Estournel
By Chateau Cos d'Estournel
2017 Cos d'Estournel from Chateau Cos d'Estournel, St-Estephe, Bordeaux
The 2017 vintage in Bordeaux saw a year characterised by frost, which culled some of the potential volume but simultaneously concentrated the efforts and results of diligent vintners. The 2017 Cos d'Estournel from Chateau Cos d'Estournel stands as a testament to the robustness and charm of St-Estephe in a challenging vintage that demanded winemaking acumen and a profound understanding of the terroir.
The Resilience of St-Estephe
In this year of climatic fickleness, St-Estephe's emboldened terroir revealed its resilience. The 2017 Cos d'Estournel emanates from the storied gravel beds that deftly navigated the frost, producing grapes that flourished into a wine brimming with complex aromatics and balance. A close perusal reveals a fusion of dark berries, tinged with spices and a subtle undercurrent of oak—a bright suggestion of the judicious élevage for which Chateau Cos d'Estournel is held in high regard.
Covetable Investment Notes
Within an investment context, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is one for collectors seeking a blend of finesse and structure that can triumph over oddities of climate. The poised angularity of tannins that envelops a core of vibrant fruit intensity signals both readiness and potential for maturation. An ample yet refined profile suggests that this iteration will continue to evolve gracefully within cellars, endearing itself to those intrigued by an intellectual repartee with their wines.
The craft exhibited in the 2017 vintage is indicative of Chateau Cos d'Estournel's prowess at coaxing eloquence from adversity; it harbours an allure for investors anticipating appreciation not only in value but in complexity and grandeur. Herein lies a savvy addition to any portfolio seeking to encapsulate the spirit and depth of Bordeaux's more trying but rewarding vintages.
In summation, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is an embodiment of St-Estephe's gritty elegance amidst formidable elements. It offers investors not just a bottle but a narrative—an ode to the artistry contingent upon nature’s capricious whim. A vintage where patience beckons the astute pallate — this wine is set to be one remembered for turning challenges into triumphs.
Market price (HKD)
HK$8,430.00
12x75cl
Highest score
99
POP score
46.32
Scores and tasting notes
The final blend of the 2017 Cos d'Estournel is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers up intense scents of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and black cherries with touches of incense, spice cake, star anise and plum preserves plus a perfumed hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with very firm yet wonderfully ripe, "sweet", fine-grained tannins at just 13% alcohol—something of a miracle in our modern times. The palate sports fantastic freshness and tons of energy emitted from the intensely perfumed black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lingering mineral note. Truly profound.
Wine Advocate - Lisa Perrotti-Brown - robertparker.com
Love tasting this wine. You almost want to drink it for its harmony and balance. Full-bodied and so complete with cloves, spices, dark berries and hints of chocolate. Wonderful integration on the finish.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com
Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age!
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 16 March 2020
The 2017 Cos d’Estournel is matured in 60% new oak and comprises 13% alcohol, approximately the same as the 2016. It has a more expressive and welcoming bouquet than usual, maybe more indicative of how this wine will mature in bottle, less opaque than the 2016. A common theme throughout the range from Cos d’Estournel is a Pauillac-inspired backbone/tannic structure coupled with an attractive scent wafting over from the estuary...think mudflats, oyster shells and the tang of sea spray. It gains a little intensity with aeration but never fully lets go. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannin, rendering this one of the most approachable barrel samples from the estate in recent years. The coolness of the latter part of the season defines this Saint-Estèphe more than the precocity of June: streamlined, cool and linear with a velvety finish that feels sleek, to the point of being understated, though that belies its length and focus. This is simply a very classy wine in the making and typical of the more recent sophisticated style pursued by the property in recent years.
Neal Martin - Neal Martin - vinous.com - May '18
The 2017 Cos d'Estournel is a sleek, polished wine built on finesse more than power. Sweet, perfumed aromatics and silky tannins add to that impression. In 2017 the Grand Vin shows a distinctly red-fruit and floral character that matches its mid-weight personality nicely. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. New oak is around 60%.
Antonio Galloni - Antonio Galloni - vinous.com - May '18