Winemaker Notes
The joy and spontaneity of moments shared with loved ones. An impromptu lunch with friends is the perfect occasion to open a bottle of Pagodes de Cos. It is reminiscent of the simple pleasures of life, like homemade blackcurrant syrup, a bowl of just-picked red cherries or a freshly opened jar of citrus jam. Pagodes de Cos is at once indulgent, comforting and vivacious, like a carefree conversation with family or friends in a familiar place.
Blend: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Clearly the standout in the lineup, the 2020 Pagodes De Cos is deep ruby-purple in hue and offers a Grand Vin-like perfume of cassis, spicy oak, tobacco, and scorched earth. Medium to full-bodied, it’s pure and elegant on the palate, with ripe tannins, a seamless texture, and beautiful overall balance. The blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot.
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Decanter
RIpe dark fruits on the nose, smells fleshy with liquorice, tobacco, dried herb and dark chocolate flecks. Smooth and sleek on the palate, gorgeous texture and weight in the mouth. Grippy and mouthfilling with powdery tannins that gently support the rich fruit profile. A bold, confident wine with chew and flesh and lots of appeal. One for sooner drinking to enjoy the youthful opulence but will age too.
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James Suckling
Spicy redcurrants with dark chocolate, as well as bark and black tea on the nose. Full-bodied with firm and fine tannins that are nicely velvet in texture. Delicious and savory finish. Needs four or five years to come together. Best after 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
This second wine is complex and structured. At same time, it has the proper openness and precocity of a second wine. Likely to age smoothly, the wine will be ready from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
An enticing style, with sparkles of anise and black tea adding nuance to a core of lushly textured loganberry and mulberry fruit. Reveals a light kiss of incense on the open-knit finish. A crowd-pleaser for mid-term drinking. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Sémillon, the 2020 Pagodes de Cos Blanc exhibits aromas of nectarine, gooseberries, white flowers and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate framed by tangy acids, concluding with a lemongrass-inflected finish. This is a strong effort in the genre.
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.