Château Cos d'Estournel Saint-Estèphe 2018 Saint-Estèphe
Michel Reybier · Château Cos d'Estournel
Cos d'Estournel 2018 is a wine of extraordinary power and precision — and a textbook demonstration of how maritime terroir shapes great Bordeaux. The freshness and salinity that the Gironde estuary delivers to Saint-Estèphe are what distinguish this wine from its warmer, more inland neighbors. Where other 2018 Bordeaux can feel opulent to the point of heaviness, Cos retains a mineral tension and structural elegance that promises decades of evolution. At this price, it's not an everyday wine — but it's a second growth that regularly challenges first-growth quality, and the 2018 may be the finest Cos d'Estournel in a generation. Cocktail — "The Estournel Sangria" (for a special occasion): Combine one bottle of a less expensive Bordeaux with 2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange liqueur, sliced oranges and blackberries, and refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve in wine glasses over ice. Save the Cos d'Estournel itself for sipping — it deserves nothing less.
Kit Aromas
Nose
A cascade of dark fruit — blackcurrant, black cherry, and crushed blackberry — layered with cedar, graphite, and violet. Beneath the fruit, a mineral core of wet gravel and a faint savory quality that signals the maritime terroir.
Palate
Powerful yet remarkably precise. The tannins are ripe and finely grained, carrying waves of cassis, dark plum, and espresso through a long, structured mid-palate. The maritime influence shows as a freshness and salinity that lifts the fruit and prevents heaviness.
Finish
Exceptionally long, with cedar, graphite, and dark fruit persisting for well over a minute. A stony, mineral quality emerges at the very end — the gravel speaking. Wine
- Varietal
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Blend
- 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
- Vineyards
- 91 hectares on deep gravel ridges overlooking the Gironde estuary; clay-limestone subsoil; maritime-influenced microclimate
Cocktail Suggestion
Cocktail — "The Estournel Sangria" (for a special occasion): Combine one bottle of a less expensive Bordeaux with 2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange liqueur, sliced oranges and blackberries, and refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve in wine glasses over ice. Save the Cos d'Estournel itself for sipping — it deserves nothing less.
Food Pairing
Rack of lamb with a rosemary and Dijon crust, served alongside a gratin dauphinois. The wine's cedar and dark fruit complement the herb-crusted lamb, while its maritime freshness cuts through the cream of the gratin.
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