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.

Drinking at point today, the 2000 Château Cos D'Estournel offers a beautifully complex, mature profile of darker fruits, leafy tobacco, cedarwood, and plenty of earthy, spicy nuances. It’s medium-bodied, elegant, and layered on the palate, with fine, integrated tannins. I love it today, but it will no doubt evolve gracefully over the coming 15-20 years. The blend of the 2000 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.

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

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.

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

Saturated medium ruby. Smoky aromas of black fruits, licorice, minerals, lead pencil, pepper and menthol. Voluminous and silky, with considerable flesh over a firm backbone. This has terrific sweetness and lift. Finishes very long, with aristocratic tannins that spread out to coat the entire palate. The index of polyphenols was the highest since 1989, said Prats, adding that although the merlot was plenty ripe, cabernet at equal ripeness is more elegant and classy.

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

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.

Very, very deep crimson. Dramatically smooth, intense, manipulated fruit. Full of alcohol, acidity, and tension. It will probably come right, but it’s far from the most natural wine of the vintage. Not especially long either. (JR)