2023 Château Cos d'Estournel

Crème de cassis, spicy oak, graphite, and lead pencil shavings, with that classic Saint-Estèphe damp earth character, all emerge from the 2023 Château Cos D'Estournel, a deep purple-hued effort based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that was aged in 50% new French oak. It's a rich, concentrated, powerful Cos offering plenty of tannins, ample mid-palate depth, beautiful sweetness of fruit, and a great finish. This serious, brilliant 2023 deserves 5-7 years of bottle age (you'll be excused for drinking bottles today) and will keep for 40-50 years. Drink 2030-2075.

The 2023 Cos d'Estournel is just as compelling as it was en primeur . I especially admire how it balances textural richness and vibrancy. Crushed flowers, mint, spice, rose petal, mocha, lavender and new leather caress the palate. The balance here is just mind-blowing. Technical Director Dominique Arangoïts made all the right calls, that much is obvious. There is a tendency to describe this 2023 as "classic," admittedly a word that can mean so many things. The 2023 Cos d'Estournel certainly fits the bill in my book.

The 2023 Cos d'Estournel, which was bottled in July 2025, was tasted on two visits, showing much better the second in December. It has an intense nose with predominantly black fruit, violet and fresh mint emerging with time that gives it a Pauillac-like character. Very well defined as usual, quite sophisticated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, very well balanced with gentle but insistent grip. What I like here is the underlying sapidity that comes through toward the finish, while the sample tasted at the château demonstrated a little more creaminess to the texture. Great length, very composed, delicious and classy Cos d'Estournel.