2000 Cos d'Estournel 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe

Cos d'Estournel 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe

Colour: Red

Vintage: 2000

Region: Bordeaux, Saint-Estephe

From its peak high up on the St Estephe escarpment, looking down onto Lafite at the north end of Pauillac, Cos d’Estournel’s mystical eastern-inspired Chateau has always produced wines of exotic hedonism. Famed once for its wines of monolithic weight and intensity, since 2011 the estate has seen a real shift in style focusing on creating wines that are beautifully balanced with classical elegance and finesse. The team are clearly increasingly driven to reflect the remarkable mineral terroir of the estate rather than the sheer power of its opulent fruit. Undoubtedly one of the ‘Super Seconds’, in top vintages it can really push the First Growths for quality and panache.

Tasting Notes and Scores

97 RP

Blended of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2000 Cos d'Estournel is deep garnet in color with a touch of brick and sporting a lot of tertiary evolution on the nose. It leaps from the glass with opulent sandalwood, Chinese five spice, cigar box and leather scents over a core of prunes, baked cherries, dried mulberries and eucalyptus plus a touch of potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate is laden with fragrant fruitcake and exotic spice layers, framed by wonderfully plush tannins and a refreshing line, finishing with an exhilarating menthol lift.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Nov 2018

Wine Advocate

93 DR

A big, rich St-Estèphe that’s full of pleasure. It’s perhaps a little bit more evolved than I might have expected, displaying gently burnished notes of autumnal fruits. Open and ready to drink, the tannins are still solid but they are certainly caressing. Overall this is very good quality and well structured, displaying graphite and liquorice against the softness of the fruit. Harvest was 22 September to 9 October and 65% was used for grand vin production. Matured in 80% new oak.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Château Cos d'Estournel. Bordeaux, 02 Jul 2018)
Part of Comparing Cos d'Estournel wines: 2000 to 2016

Decanter

93 JS

Shows age now with aromas of tobacco, plums and smoked meat. Licorice too. Full-bodied, round and soft with plenty of attractive tertiary character. Needs drinking.

James Suckling

92 WS

Mature, with alluring tobacco and menthol notes, backed by a note of smoldering charcoal. The currant and blackberry fruit shows a decidedly mulled edge through the finish.—Non-blind Cos-d'Estournel vertical (December 2015). JM

Wine Spectator

900 WL

Quality 840 | Brand 996 | Economics 868 |
Quality: Predicted life of 15 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, which averages 9 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 48 of the world's top wine lists, including De Librije Economics: More traded at auction than its peers, its top 5 vintages having seen 3,203 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 137,727 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Wine Lister

90 NM

The 2000 Cos d’Estournel, which never quite grabbed me from barrel, is maturing nicely in bottle. As it approaches two decades, it continues to offer an intense, almost ambitious bouquet with blackberry, hints of dark chocolate, tobacco and scorched earth. Both vigor and delineation is present here. The palate is medium-bodied rather than full-bodied these days, very well balanced if not possessing the poise and precision of the 2001. It fans out with confidence towards the finish that is lithe, yet provides sufficient grip and persistence to suggest it will give another two decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical in London.

Neal Martin

Cos d'Estournel 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe