Anthocyanes (Y. Castaing) (2022) 100 / 100

Un peu animal, fruits frais, cerise noire et lilas. Réglisse et fumé à l’aération. Bouche pure, charnue, arrondie avec une belle structure et une densité profonde. Sur l’allonge et la gourmandise. Très soyeux. Un très beau vin qui conforte l’idée que le terroir de Saint-Estèphe est parfaitement adapté au réchauffement climatique dès lors que l’on porte une attention particulière à la viticulture. Très belle bouteille de garde (20 à 40 ans).

Bettane & Desseauve (2017) 98 / 100

Très grand style classique, si différent de certains millésimes récents, sur des notes nobles de cèdre et d’épices, avec un corps et une complexité de premier cru. Construit sur 76 % de cabernet sauvignon, ce qui explique sa tenue, et 23 % de merlot.

Decanter (2018) 97 / 100

Lightly smoky damson scents are joined by coffee and violet edging. There's a touch of modern sweetness that's extremely well done, alongside a shot of freshness and fairly high acidity. They have really worked the tannins in this vintage to ensure they are deep but flexible. Just five minutes in the glass and things deepen, widen and open up; the density and precision clear to see. (2024 - 2040)

JM Quarin (2017) 98 / 100

Le meilleur jamais fait ! Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre et belle. Nez très intense, fin, au fruité pur, complexe. Nuances d’agrumes, de fruits mûrs et de fleurs. Incroyable entrée en bouche ample où le vin se développe très, très fruité, puis complexe au milieu de la bouche. Plein, riche, il évolue puissant, un brin tannique, mais riche et savoureux. Grande finale complexe et noble. Wahou !

James Suckling (2019) 100 / 100

This is muscular yet so well defined and toned. Full-bodied with deep and dense fruit on the palate, yet powerful and rich at the same time. So much sandalwood and blackberry character. Chewy and rich at the finish. This is a warm and generous wine, but the alcohol is just over 13 degrees. Not that high. Love the finish. Extravagant. Magical. Try from 2025.

Jancis Robinson (2017) 18 / 20

Energy and raciness on the nose. Gentle and lifted. And then lots of tannins underneath. Fresh almost sandy tannins. Good energy and tea-leaf sensation. Excellent freshness. Long. Restrained. Elegant.

Le Figaro (2017) 19.5 / 20

Dégustation de la rédaction du Figaro Vin : Nez de fruits rouges, fraises des bois, floral, petites baies noires, boisé très léger. Bouche très fraîche, jus éclatant, tannins très élégant, aristocratiques, belle tonicité, pointe saline, minérale. Très long. Vin superbe.

Le Point 17.5 - 18.0 / 20 Parker (2018) 100 / 100

Bottled in July 2018, it is deep garnet-purple colored and starts off a little closed and reticent, opening out slowly and seductively to reveal beautiful lilacs, rose hip tea, crushed stones and camphor nuances over a core of crème de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and mocha plus wafts of incense and wood smoke. The palate is simply electric, charged with an energy and depth of flavors that seem to defy the elegance and ethereal nature of its medium-bodied weight, featuring super ripe, densely pixelated tannins that firmly frame the myriad of fruit and floral sparks, finishing with epic length. Just. Magic.

RVF 18 - 19.0 / 20 Vinous (N. Martin) (2019) 100 / 100

The 2016 Cos d’Estournel was a bona fide showstopper out of barrel, the best that I had encountered in over 20 years of visiting the estate during en primeur, so my expectations were piled high when I returned to find out how it performs in bottle. Deep, almost opaque in color, it sports a very intense but broody bouquet with fathomless deep black fruit tinged with blueberry and violet. The aromas almost seem to envelop the senses. The palate is medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannin that I have never witnessed in any other vintage of Cos d’Estournel. There is a beguiling symmetry to this Saint-Estèphe, as well as unerring mineralité. The persistent, tobacco-tinged finish can be felt 60 second after the wine has departed. This is a monumental, benchmark Cos d’Estournel that will give not years but decades of pleasure, though I suspect it will close down for a period in its youth, hence my drinking window. 

Wine Enthusiast (2017) 96 - 98 / 100

Barrel Sample. This perfumed wine is stylish and elegant. It is all about the magnificent and sophisticated fruit. At the same time, don't be fooled by the richness: the tannins are all there, a dense and concentrated core at the heart of this seriously ageworthy wine. It demands many years.

Wine Spectator 96 / 100

This has a core of slightly exotic loganberry, plum and boysenberry fruit laced with singed spice, savory, lilac and incense notes, while a buried chalk-edged minerality sits in reserve. Very sleek, with a wonderfully long finish that lets the fruit and other elements shimmer. (2025- 2040)

Appellation	Saint-Estèphe
Classement	2nd Grand Cru Classé en 1855
Superficie	64 ha
Encépagement	Cabernet Sauvignon 58% - Merlot 38% - Petit Verdot 2% - Cabernet Franc 2%
Age moyen des vignes	35 ans
Sols et sous-sol	Graves de gunz sur socle calcaire
Elevage	Barriques neuves à 80% durant 18 mois