Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color. This wine displays intense aromas of mocha and licorice. Great density and length. Great classic Cos d'Estournel. Ageing potential: 20120-2035.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Cos d'Estournel is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet in color with a touch of brick, the nose is still very youthful, sporting notions of plum preserves, blackcurrant cordial and Black Forest cake with hints of garrigue, wild sage, charcuterie, black olives and unsmoked cigars. The medium to full-bodied palate is generously fruited with bags of earthy and black fruit preserves layers, framed by chewy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long.
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Wine Spectator
Loads of currant and blackberry, with hints of Indian spices. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Round and generous for the vintage.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.