2018 Chateau Cos D'Estournel

100 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. An immensely multifaceted and seductive bouquet with notes of cassis and fresh fig, but also red berries, exotic spices and noble wood. Full-bodied, complex, pronounced fruit, dark cherry, perfect tannins, round and ripe, dark berries and fine nougat and mineral, red cherry on the finish. Great ageing potential and will keep for decades. (2020-2060).

98 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate bright rim. Fresh black cherries, fine noble wood savouriness, a breath of nougat, layered with black forest berries. Juicy, elegant, ripe cherries, finesse-rich, vivid, fine savoury tannins, delicate nougat, a very impressive fresh style, delicate aftertaste of figs.

98 POINTS

James Suckling

The richness and beauty of this wine is impressive with blackcurrant, cherry, berry and fresh cloves. The fruit is so pure here. Full-bodied with tannins that are so integrated and refined that you don’t feel them, yet they are there! Very creamy and layered with great length and beauty. It turns to tar and licorice at the finish. Tight now, but the texture is special. Try after 2027.

98 POINTS

James Suckling

The beautiful integration of ripe fruit and ripe tannins gives the wine a layered and agile mouthfeel. Soft and gorgeous with silky tannins that really kick in at the finish and carry the wine for a long time. Points: 98-99

97 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter

This has some austerity on the attack, then announces its arrival in the inimitable way that Cos is able to do: with a slow build up of exotic spices, liquorice root, cedar and cassis. It stretches out through the palate and you keep waiting for the tannins to punch through like they did in 2010, but it doesn't happen, even though this is a big wine with high alcohol and an IPT of 80. There's a great menthol freshness on the finish, helped no doubt by a fresh 3.65pH. It has the luxurious signature of Cos, the glamorous touch that you look for in this wine - like at Mouton and at Angelus - that is part of their DNA, but it's also married to elegance and a touch of slate minerality. This is a wine that you would be thrilled to own. 12mm of rain on 12 September and 20mm in mid-August were just enough to stop any blockages in ripening, although the 30hl/ha yield is low due to a touch of mildew and some concentration in September. This compares to a more generous 45hl/ha in 2016. 65% of production went into the grand vin. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend, and the wine is aged in 50% new oak (a little lower than the usual 60%). A candidate to upscore when in bottle.

96 POINTS

Wine Spectator

This is a bird of a different feather, with a ripe, sleek, and very polished feel as creamed loganberry, plum and boysenberry flavors spill forth, flanked for support by singed alder and incense notes, while black tea and savory threads curl around the finish. Long, showy and lovely. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

96 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

Rich and dense, this wine is happily poised between ripe fruits and a deceptively powerful structure. Smoky flavors from wood aging combine with solid black fruits that strain but never overstep an impressive balance. This wine will age, promising much for the future. Drink from 2026.

96 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

95–97. Barrel Sample. Big, rich and smoky in nature, with powerful fruits and dense tannins, this is a wine that is straining at the limits but still within balance. Rich, smoky flavors shine along with the black plum fruit and bright acidity. It will age for many years.