Chateau Cos d´Estournel 2022

JEB DUNNUCK: "One of the finest wines to ever pass my lips, the 2022 Château Cos D'Estournel is a monument in the making. Based on 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this saturated ruby/purple-hued Saint-Estèphe offers a full-bodied, massive, opulent style as well as perfumed red, blue, and black fruits, ample spice, chocolate, graphite, and lead pencil-like aromatics, a stacked mid-palate, flawless balance, and a monster of a finish. An improved version of the 2009 (if that's possible), this is a legendary wine in the making. Hats off to Michel Reybier and technical director Dominique Arangoïts."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Opaque in color, the wine pops from the glass with black fruits, cloves, cinnamon, blackberries, blueberries, purple flowers, almonds, and smoke. The wine coats, bathes, and covers your palate with seemingly endless layers of opulent, black fruits. The cashmere tannins create the impression of velvet as the wine lingers for 60 seconds or more with its waves of black, blue. and red fruits, dark cocoa, licorice, and Asian spice. There is a seamlessness to the finish, as well as lift, and purity. This is a very hedonistic, yet elegant wine. 2022 clearly competes with the best of vintages of Cos ever produced. The wine was made from blending 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. 14.04% ABV, 3.79 pH. The yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place September 7 to September 23. The Grand Vin was produced from 66% of the harvest. The wine is going to approachable early in its life, yet it has the ability to age for decades. Drink from 2028-2060."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Unique structure to this wine and very Cos with all the spices and dark fruits. Tobacco and cedar. It's starts off full-bodied and flavorful, but continues to unfold in an energetic and weightless way. Savory and primary. Al dente grapes here. Exciting and thought-provoking."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „The 2022 Cos d'Estournel, composed of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs quite a lot of shaking and swirling to unlock fragrant notes of warm cassis, redcurrant jelly, and black raspberries, leading to hints of rose oil, Indian spices, cedar chest, and sandalwood, plus a touch of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is very classic, with a solid backbone of firm, ripe tannins and impressive tension to support the taut, muscular black and red fruit layers, finishing very long and with remarkable purity. pH 3.79, TPI 90."

WEINWISSER: "61 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 % Merlot, 1 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot, 33 hl/ha. Sehr komplexes und tiefgründiges Bouquet, Wildkirsche, Lakritze und parfümierter Pfeifentabak, dahinter tiefschürfende Terroirwürze, schwarzer Johannisbeernektar und dunkles Edelholz. Am geradlinigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, körnigem Extrakt, zupackenden St. Estèphe-Krallen und muskulösem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale verschlankt sich der Gigant und endet mit kleinen schwarzen Beeren, Wacholder und feinmehliger Adstringenz. 2030 – 2060."

VINUM: "Grossartiger, mit Meisterhand gekelterter Cos, beispielhaft ausgewogen, dank exzellentem Tannin von edlem Schliff, grosser Mineralität, enorme Spannkraft, Eleganz trotz der Stoffigkeit und Fülle; auch 20 Punkte wert."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, tintig, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Intensive schwarze Beerenfrucht, Brombeeren, Lakritze, dunkle Herzkirschen, kandierte Orangenzesten etwas Gewürznelken, einladendes Bukett. Kraftvoll, engmaschig und mineralisch, feines Nugat unterlegt, stramme, reife Tannine im Hintergrund, kandierte Veilchen, große Länge, sicheres Potenzial, hat Jahrzehnte vor sich."

DECANTER: "Fresh and vibrant blackcurrant aromas with milk chocolate, vanilla and floral scents - so aromatic and expressive. Juicy and alive, bright and vibrant on the palate with soft herbal scents surrounding the fruit. The flavours - blackcurrant, black cherry, damson and orange rind - settle vertically but the firm and textured tannins give the focus, structure and tension. It has liquorice and flint edges all the way giving a savoury touch and clear minerality as well as dark chocolate and clove spice. Refined and serious but also there’s such a delicious juicy undercurrent giving life and energy. Confident winemaking on show, this is a real success in delivering a complete and powerful wine with depth but no heaviness. Totally delicious and moreish. A wine you're going to finish! Potential upscore in bottle. Two-third grand vin production. 2.94 total acidity. 3.79pH. 90 IPT. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2022 Cos d'Estournel unwinds in the glass with aromas of sweet berries, plum liqueur and rich spices, followed by a full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular palate that's rich and structured, with a ripe core of fruit and chewy tannins. Harvest dates were relatively early this year, and maturation is occurring in only 50% new oak; yet the 2022's chunky, glass-staining style makes it Ducru Beaucaillou's only rival for the title of most extracted second growth of the Médoc."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deep purple-black hue. Firm, structured with huge reserve. Layers of dark fruit and a massive tannic frame. Almost like it’s been hewn from stone. Tannins polished, though, providing enormous length. Not for the faint-hearted. Will need patience. "