Wine Advisor
Cos d'Estournel, Blanc 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
From holdings in the north of the Médoc and incorporating an increasing percentage of Sémillon, the 2019 Cos d'Estournel Blanc offers up aromas of pear, confit citrus, lemon grass and pastry cream, followed by a full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that's rich and enveloping, with lively acids and a long, saline finish. This is a fine effort that could embarrass plenty of Pessac-Léognan whites.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon aging in French oak barriques, 8% new, the 2019 Blanc is all limes and lemons to begin, soon opening out to reveal nuances of peach blossoms, wet pebbles, green apples and struck match with a touch of coriander seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate bursts with citrusy flavors, possessing impressive weight and creamy texture, finishing with loads of mineral layers and bags of freshness.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel Blanc is terrific. Broad and resonant in feel, the Blanc offers a compelling mix of richness and energy. Citrus peel, flowers, mint, sage and white pepper lend aromatic brilliance. The 35% Sémillon in the blend adds weight and an attractive tropical flair that emerges with a bit of aeration.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel Blanc is a wine of real breadth, texture and resonance. Lemon peel white flowers, mint, sage and white pepper give the 2019 striking aromatic top notes and a real feeling of brilliance to complement the natural richness of the 35% Sémillon in this year's blend. Exotic tropical accents add a good bit of vintage 2019 character.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel Blanc saw a light 8% new oak and was bottled in September 2020. There is clearly a step up in complexity vis-à-vis the Pagodes de Cos Blanc, with more delineation and mineralité, and touches of mirabelle and wild peach emerging with time. The well-balanced palate offers melon, Golden Delicious apple and yellow plum notes, fine acidity, and ample weight on a finish that is texturally not dissimilar to a Corton-Charlemagne. Excellent.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Cos d'Estournel Blanc, picked 16-23 September and seeing just 8% new oak, has more vibrancy and tension on the nose compared to the Pagodes de Clos Blanc, scents of orange blossom and yellow plums, the Sémillon very expressive. The palate is sharp and racy on the entry with green apple, melon, passion fruit and a slight tang of pink grapefruit towards the finish. Moderate length. Give it two or three years in bottle.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is incredibly long and refined with a compact structure and beautiful tension. It goes on and on. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and energetic. Lovely bitterness and brightness. Lemons, stones and limes. Flint, too. The grapes were harvested at three different moments. It’s beautifully constructed.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Sliced-apple and lime with some aniseed and licorice. Iodine, too. Full-bodied with linear acidity and a fine tannin structure that goes on for minutes. 65% sauvignon blanc and 35% semillon. This is fantastic and so delicious now, but can age for a very long time. Drink or hold.
About the Producer
Located in the village of Saint-Estephe on the left bank of Bordeaux, France, Chateau Cos d'Estournel (also known as Chateau Estournel) is a second growth in the 1855 classification and is now recognized as one of the "super second growths". The history of Château Estournel is long and special, dating back to the end of the 18th century, when Louis Gaspard d'Estournel inherited a plot of land called "Cos" in the village of Saint-Estephe in 1791. He thus began to develop his winery. The property is located on a gentle rocky slope, "Cos" meaning "little rocky hill" in French, and the founder's surname, "d'Estournel The name of the winery is the result of the founder's surname "d'Estournel". Louis had a passion for wine and devoted himself to improving the quality of the winery, selling it several times due to financial pressures, only to buy it back after paying off his debts. In 2000, Michel Reybier and his family purchased the estate and have continued to write a new chapter for Château d'Estourde with the same passion and innovation. The vineyards of Château d'Estour cover 100 hectares near the mouth of the Gironde River. The mild maritime climate, the uniform sunshine and the smooth air flow contribute to the excellent terroir. The vineyards are covered with deep soils rich in gravel and limestone, with excellent drainage. Currently, two-thirds of the vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder dominated by Merlot and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines used for the production of the main wine is about 55 years, and there are also some valuable old vines left in the vineyard, which can be 80 to 100 years old. In 2008, the new vineyard of Château d'Estour was inaugurated, the first in Bordeaux to be fully equipped with the gravity-flow method of winemaking. This is the first winery in Bordeaux to rely entirely on gravity flow to transport the grapes and the wine. The winery is currently equipped with 84 temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters of different sizes, which allow the vinification of different plots and lots of grapes separately. Château d'Estour produces wines in the typical style of Saint-Estèphe, with concentrated and elegant flavors, rich layers, firm bones and a combination of complexity and finesse. Its main wine, Chateau Cos d'Estournel (Saint-Estephe, France), is a regular high scorer on the lists of major wine critics and wine reviewers. In addition to the main wine, the estate currently produces two red wines, including the secondary wine Pagodes de Cos (Saint-Estephe, France), and one white wine.
