Winemaker Notes
Unique in character, Cos d’Estournel Blanc evokes the coolness of sea spray and salty sea winds whipping one’s face while also conjuring the warmth and richness of the land. A generous, lively wine, it brings to mind a slice of bread spread thickly with quince jam, a sun-drenched stall of autumn fruit or sudden recollections of the sweetest summer moments.
Blend: 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a very rich white with sliced, dried mango and apple, as well as cooked apples, candle wax and light vanilla. Full-bodied, layered and intense. Big, rich wine, yet remaining fresh and vivid. Needs time to come together. A blend of 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon. but the semillon really marks the wine. Searing acidity, too.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, the 2017 Blanc comes sailing out of the glass with bold notes of white peaches, fresh pineapple, lemon tart and lime cordial plus suggestions of honeysuckle, beeswax and musk perfume with a touch of wild sage. Medium-bodied and with a beautiful silky texture, the palate is packed with vibrant stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors, sporting a racy line of freshness, and it finishes long with an invigorating lift.
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Wine Spectator
Very alluring, with peach melba, apricot, nectarine and bitter almond notes layered seamlessly on a creamy-textured palate that runs through a long, orange blossom– and white ginger–accented finish. Distinctive and suave in feel. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chateau Cos D'Estournel Blanc is a great white based on a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon aged ten months in mostly used barrels. This medium gold-hued effort offers bright lemon and white grapefruit notes as well as a kiss of minerality and honeysuckle. It's vibrant and racy, yet beautifully textured, balanced, and unquestionably high quality.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
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.