Cos D'Estournel Collectors Tasting with Etienne de Nantes at WWWB

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 07:30 PM

This Event has been read: 1621 times.

http://cdn.ientry.com/sites/famousdead/pictures/burgess-meredith-medium.jpg

"Wine, it's in my veins and I can't get it out."
 - Burgess Meredith

 

Wine is always in my veins as there is not a day that goes by that I don’t get my two bottles in but its been hard the last week with all the mess here after the big move from Progresso Plaza.  We missed our target date of May 1st by a week or so and now we have a thousand boxes of wine on the floor at the wine bar leaving us unable to open here till we get our CO for the new Wine Watch wine store which is right next to the Wine Bar at 837 NE 3rd Avenue just across the street from our old location.

Wine Bar full of boxes.jpg

Things are almost finished and we will be back up and running at the Wine Bar by Friday night for our Cos D’Estournel collectors tasting on Friday May 18th.

We are big fans of Chateau Cos D’Estournel so when I heard that Etienne de Nantes was coming into town I knew that we had a lot of Chateau Cos D’Estournel collectors out there that would love to bring a bottle out of their cellar to share with our group tonight.

 

Our collector series tasting event is where we ask you, our wine drinking people, to come up with some wine from your wine collection to add to the party in exchange for your ticket to the event.  That’s correct the collector series tasting portion of the event is FREE, all it will cost you is one bottle of Chateau Cos D’Estournel from your cellar!!

 

Image result for Chateau Cos D’Estournel

Chateau Cos D’Estournel Collectors Cellar Tasting
with Special Guest Etienne de Nantes at WWWB
Friday May 18th
7:30pm

 

Let me explain further- this is a two part event:

 

Cos D’Estournel Collectors Tasting Part 1

The first part of the evening begins at 7:30pm, this is where we will be tasting through a vertical selection of 10 vintages of Chateau Cos D’Estournel. The price of admission is one bottle of Chateau Cos D’Estournel from your cellar, but here is the catch- we only need 2 bottles of each wine, so the longer you wait to respond the harder it will be to get a seat as you will have to go further back in time because the youngest vintages will be filled up by the first collectors who respond.

If you would like to attend the vertical tasting just respond to andy@winewatch.com with the vintage of Chateau Cos D’Estournel you would like to trade for your seat. 

 

**There are only 20 spaces available for this event.

 

Here are the vintages that we have already:

 

1988 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(92 points) Beautiful aromas of fresh herbs, such as tarragon and mint, with berry and cherry undertones. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins that are polished and very pretty. Caressing finish. (JS, Web Only-2009)  Wine Spectator

1990 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(94 points) Not as concentrated as the 1982, or as most of the vintages made since 2001, the 1990 Cos has reached full maturity. It exhibits sweet berry fruit intermixed with spice box, herbs, and spring flowers. Expansive, round, and sensual, with wonderful purity as well as lushness, this irresistible wine can be enjoyed over the next 6-10 years. (RP) (6/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1996 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe


2000 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(96 points) Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. This is a fantastic Cos d’Estournel that I was unsure about out of barrel, but is now blossoming with age. It is adorned with a lovely nose: blackberry, wild hedgerow, espresso, a touch of chocolate and sandalwood. Very fine definition and vigour. The palate is full-bodied with ripe tannins, superb symmetrical structure, dense, obdurate black fruits, a saline note, very well balanced, very focused, broadening out nicely towards the ravishing, supple finish. (NM) (9/2010) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2001 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(93 points) A beautiful effort, the 2001 Cos d'Estournel (65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot) exhibits a poised, noble bouquet of black currants, cedar, spice box, and licorice. A hint of truffles emerges as it sits in the glass. Medium-bodied with sweet fruit (mostly black) and nicely integrated wood, it builds incrementally in the mouth, ending with a 50-second finish. Drink this stylish, restrained yet substantial claret over the next 15+ years. (RP) (6/2004)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate


2002 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe


2003 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe


2004 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(92 points) A beautiful example of the vintage, proprietor Michel Reybier and his top-notch winemaker, Jean-Guillaume Prats, have fashioned an exceptional wine displaying a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of boysenberries, black currants, cherries, pain grille, roasted herbs, and licorice. Medium-bodied with impressive density for the vintage, sweet tannin, and outstanding richness and length, it should be at its finest between 2009 and 2020+. (RP) (6/2007)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2005 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe


2006 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe


2010 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
(97 Points) The 2010 is a more structured, restrained, less flamboyant version of the 2009. A final blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 14.5% natural alcohol, this wine (which represents only 55% of the estate's production) is full-bodied, classic and built along the lines of the 2000 (although that wine was made before Reybier acquired the estate and upgraded quality significantly). This wine exhibits beautifully pure notes of creme de cassis, blueberry liqueur, pen ink, graphite and hints of toast and vanillin. The wine is full and rich, and although aged in 80% new oak, the wood is a subtle background component. This beauty will take longer to round into shape than the dramatic and compelling 2009. Forget it for 5-8 years, and drink it over the following three-plus decades. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

(I will add the vintages as people respond with the vintage they are bringing. 

 

 

 

Part Two: Dinner with Etienne de Nantes

 

The dinner starts at 8:30pm (this part is optional but we will have extra wine left over from the tasting and we are already seated at a restaurant...) Toni Lampasone will be making a special menu for those that would like to stay for dinner and finish the tasting wines.  The fee for the dinner is $75 + tax.

 

Menu

 

Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Crispy Julienne Carrot sticks

Beef Shortrib with Bordeaux Natural Sauce Pomme Frites

Canele Cakes with Rum Pineapple Sauce

 

Additional Wines for dinner:

Goulee Blanc 2015

Goulee Rouge 2015

Pagodes de Cos 2012

 

Chateau Cos D’Estournel available direct from Bordeaux

These wines have just arrived from Bordeaux and so they will be available to use for the tasting if you don’t have any Cos in your cellar and you would like to attend the event.

 

A bit about Cos D’Estournel:
Cos D'Estournel lies across a marshy meadow and up a slope from what may be the world's most famous wine estate, Château Lafite Rothschild.  Cos has always been an odd curiosity among the stately châteaux of the Médoc, for the property is unlike anything else in all of France.  At the top of the hill with vineyards gently fanning down and out over the surrounding slopes sits the great chai - a fantastic architectural amalgam of Chinese gothic and French country château.  D'Estournel is the legacy of its first proprietor, Monsieur Louis Gaspard D'Estournel, who used to breed horses and ship them to the Orient.  Monsieur D'Estournel was inspired by what he saw on his many trips; the entrance to Cos D'Estournel probably best embodies the former owner's taste for the exotic and the unusual of the East.  The main door to the chai once formed the entrance to the harem of the Sultan of Zanzibar and is carved with vine leaves, bunches of grapes, flowers, and wondrous animals.  Three Chinese style pagoda turrets grace the structure, and a triumphal arch leads to the main road.  The visual impact is almost shocking in the context of its surroundings; one can just imagine the controversy it must have aroused in the staid and somber Médoc of the early 1800's.

Unlike its immediate neighbors to the South in Pauillac - who were producing wines of world fame by 1800 - Cos was a late bloomer.  Although wine may have been made on the property in the late 1700's, it wasn't until the early 1800's when, according to legend, Louis decided to sell some of his home-grown stuff on one of his trips to the Orient.  However, the folks back East didn't buy a drop, and he had to cart it all the way back to France.  At the conclusion of the lengthy round trip, he found that not only did his wine travel well but that time had softened it up marvelously.  It fetched a very high price on the Bordeaux market; and from that point forward, Cos D'Estournel was in the wine business.   Louis D'Estournel continued to improve Cos all the way into the 1850's and sold it just before his death in 1853 at a price equivalent to that paid a year earlier for the great Château Mouton Rothschild.  That Cos D'Estournel had risen to a position of prominence in that era was confirmed by the 1855 Grand Cru Classification of Bordeaux.  It was ranked a second cru as well as being rated the highest rated wine of the commune of St. Estèphe.

After Mon. D'Estournel's death, the estate changed ownership several times and was bought in 1919 by the Ginestets, one of Bordeaux's leading wine families.  The proprietor at that time, Bruno Prats, was a son of one of the Ginestets (his mother was the sister of Pierre Ginestet, the former owner of Château Margaux).  Prats spent his summers at Château Marbuzet, for there has never been a real château at Cos D'Estournel - only the great chai (the winery and barrel aging facilities).  In fact, it was not until the mid seventies that the word Château was affixed to the name; before that time the label said only Cos D'Estournel. Although Cos D'Estournel has always been considered the best wine of St. Estèphe, it was never considered in the same league as some of the great châteaux of Pauillac, St. Julien, and Margaux.  All that changed under the stewardship of Prats, and Cos has gone from strength to strength.  Excellent wines were produced there in 1978 and 1979, and the Château probably produced the greatest wine in its history in 1982 - it rivaled the wines produced by the first growths.  The 1985 was every bit as good as the 1982, this elevated the prestige of Cos D'Estournel to even higher levels. 

In 1998, the PRATS brothers sold Cos d'Estournel to the Merlaut family, the owners of the Taillan group, and to Argentinian investors represented by Mr Mayano.  Cos was sold again in 2000 and currently belongs to the Société des Domaines Reybier.  With this most recent change in ownership came Jean-Guillaume Prats, great-grandson of Fernand Ginestet and son of Bruno Prats who was also the manager of Cos from 1970 to 1998.  Since Jean-Guillaume as taken the helm many critics felt that Cos D'Estournel is producing a wine that is on par with the first growths of the Médoc! 

The production of Cos D'Estournel is approximately 20,000 cases a year of a wine that is built for aging, fairly austere when young Cos needs 10-15 years of age in a great vintage like 2001 and can last for upwards of 30 years if cellared properly.  The 2001 is a typically large-scaled Cos D'Estournel, but the wine still has remarkable elegance and approachability for a wine from Saint-Estèphe.  This may be attributable partially to winemaking practices, partly to the grapes in the final blend (the vineyard is planted to 60% Cabernet and 40% Merlot), and partly to the soil.  The estate's attributes are best described by the noted English authority, Clive Coates, who says:  "Cos is really a different wine from any other St. Estèphe...a wine which is somewhat softer and more elegant, less aggressively powerful...Cos, however, has both the power and finesse, both the body and the delicacy, both the backbone and the fruit”.  In the words of Clive Coates, "Grand Vin, indeed!"

 

Cos D’Estournel Available:

 

 

1988 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe (only 1 btl avail)           
Price: $272.50    Sale $239.80

(92 Points) Closed but promising, this is a classic Cos revealing lots of tannin along with damp earth, black currant, sweet black cherry, graphite, licorice and truffle characteristics. This medium to full-bodied, structured, firm, broodingly backward, impenetrable effort demands 5-6 years of bottle age; it should drink well for 20-25 years. 92+  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

2004 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe (only 12 btl avail)        
Price: $215.00    Sale $189.20

 

2005 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe
Price: $397.25    Sale $349.58

97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Cos d’Estournel is another great success from this property, which is owned by Michel Reybier. A superstar of St.-Estèphe in this vintage, this wine has a dense ruby/purple color, beautiful, sweet cassis and blackcurrant fruit, some floral notes, spice and a touch of oak in a full-bodied, layered, impressive multi-dimensional style. The tannins are surprisingly sweet and well-integrated, as is the acidity, alcohol and wood. This is a beauty and certainly the top wine of St.-Estèphe. Drink it over the next 25+ years. (RP) (6/2015)

 

2006 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe (only 12 btl avail)        
Price: $195.75    Sale $172.26

(91 points) Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Cos d'Estournel has a far superior bouquet to the Montrose, much more fruit intensity with ferrous red berry fruit, hints of undergrowth and Indian spice (most appropriate!). The palate is medium-bodied with supple Merlot-driven savory red fruit, a little grainy in texture with moderate depth, leading to a spicy finish that seems quite forward for a Cos d'Estournel at this juncture. There is no harm in drinking this now, though I wager that it will offer another ten years of pleasure. (NM) (5/2016) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

2007 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe (only 12 btl avail)
Price: $186.25    Sale $162.90

(90 points) A beautiful wine with 13.4% natural alcohol, this blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of cassis, incense, charcoal, and subtle oak, round, generously endowed flavors, medium to full body, silky tannin, and surprising depth and length. It can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years. (RP) (4/2010) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

2013 Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe (only 6  btl avail)
Price: $182.25    Sale $160.38

(91 points) This offers up some lovely fruit, with lilting aromas and flavors of plum, cassis and red currant, while black tea and lilac notes form an alluring backdrop. Very polished, with admirable length for the vintage, this only lacks a touch of stuffing in the end—but that's 2013 for you. (JM) (3/2016) Wine Spectator

 

2003 Pagodes de Cos     
Price: $74.75       Sale $65.78

 

2004 Pagodes de Cos     
Price: $74.75       Sale $65.78

 

2009 Pagodes de Cos     
Price: $111.25    Sale $97.90