2018 Chateau Cos d'Estournel

This is very powerful and tangy with driven acidity and freshness. Full-bodied yet layered and bright. Tight center palate. One of my favorite whites of the vintage.

The blanc has higher levels of Sémillon this vintage, which may have helped produce both the texture and the depth that are on display here. It feels like a serious white wine, with a grip and minerality that's in no rush to show itself, but is clearly there by the way that it snugly moves through the palate. It has a pretty strong slate texture on the finish and overall this is a delicious white, equal to the 2016 for sure although not quite up to the 2017 - but very close behind. Delicious, mouthwatering, and grown up. 3.07pH. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032

The 2018 Cos D'Estournel Blanc includes slightly more Sémillon and is 67% Sauvignon and 33% Sémillon brought up all in barrel, with just 7% being new. Richer notes of crushed citrus, tart peach, white flowers, and salty minerality all emerge from this beauty. It's medium to full-bodied, clean, nicely concentrated, and has a great finish. It's one of the richer whites in the vintage, yet it stays vibrant and racy, with beautiful acidity. Bravo.

A blend of 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Sémillon aging in 7% new barriques (13.88% alcohol), the Cos d'Estournel 2018 Blanc is a little closed to begin, opening out to energetic white peach, pink grapefruit and green guava notes plus touches of honeyed toast, orange blossom and coriander seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with exotic fruit and stone fruit layers, marked by a seriously refreshing line and finishes long and honey laced.

67% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Sémillon Jaune aux reflets verts. Bouquet marqué par des notes de noisettes et de chêne. Attaque friande, charmante. Au palais le vin a du gras, de la race et je retrouve la touche boisée constatée au nez. Un vin qui doit gagner en équilibre. Finale expressive. Un vin qui a du potentiel mais à qui il faut encore un peu laisser de temps. Belle fraîcheur en fin de bouche. 2020-2027

The 2018 Cos d'Estournel Blanc reflects a move to give the Blanc more Sémillon than in the past. Creamy and ample in feel, the 2018 offers superb richness and class from start to finish. Sémillon adds mid-palate texture and slightly richer shades to the fruit, but the wine remains Sauvignon Blanc-driven in its energy and brightness. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and crushed rocks lead into the finely sculpted finish. The blend is 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Sémillon.

The 2018 Cos d’Estournel Blanc is a large step up from the Pagodes de Cos Blanc, mainly thanks to the larger contribution of Sémillon at one-third of the blend. It has a fresh bouquet with honeysuckle and yellow flower aromas, though it perhaps does not possess the amplitude of the previous vintage. The palate is rounded and candied on the entry with orange pith and light apricot notes, a pinch of spice on the finish. That said, again, comparing it to the 2017 it does not quite have the same tension and mineralité. Still, it should be an enjoyable white Bordeaux to drink over the next 10-12 years.