Château Cos d'Estournel, 2eme Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2022
This is Aymeric de Gironde's second full vintage at Cos d'Estournel and it was a lot easier than his first. There is a bit more restraint and elegance in the 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc blend than usual, but it is a bit, well, made. Not confected, but it feels like more of a product of winemaking than something that speaks of its terroir. Very glossy, sweet spice, black fruits, prunes, coffee, liqueur fruits - quite confit. It is more restrained than usual, but there is still a hint of overripe Merlot fruit. Quite alluring if not well delineated flavours of tayberry, wild berry fruit and a hint of gravel. The finish is pure, dark and mineral. Not an exceptional Cos, but it may come together nicely with a few years in bottle.
critic reviews
The blend of the grand vin is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 1% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, picked during what was the estate’s earliest harvest since 1989, and this accounts for more than half the production in this vintage, higher than usual, a sign of the quality within 2022. The élevage was in 50% new oak, and it was bottled in July 2024. The aromatics are dark, concentrated and spiced, with dried blackcurrant fruits, black olive, damson and rose, crushed gravel and a touch of fragrant mint. A supple, polished, seductive texture follows on the palate, with a wealth of dark liquorice and dried olive fruits wrapped in a superb frame of tightly knit and confident tannins, which linger with a tight and spicy intent on the finish. A wine which combines the dark and exotic fruit of the vintage with a fresh, powdery, sooty and tannic structure. Hugely impressive, with a great future. One for the cellar, as I can see this benefiting from a couple of decades of gentle slumber. Tasted twice. The alcohol is 14.04%, with 14% on the label.
Intense, concentrated, spicy, cured leather, ink, saddle, creamy cassis and black cherry fruits, laced with bitter chocolate, concentrated incense and velvety tannins. Exceptional quality. Tasted twice, second time at the estate, 50% new oak, Dominique Arangoïts technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant.
The 2022 Cos d'Estournel is one of the most reticent wines on the nose at the moment (bottled in July, it is most likely due to the timing). But the quality is still evident, with a beguiling mixture of red and black fruit, truffle and violet aromas mingling in the glass. There is a sense of finesse here that was forsaken for a period 15 to 25 years ago when this estate coveted power. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins that frame the pretty black fruit, desiccated orange peel and graphite notes. I admire that it could only be a Saint-Estèphe with a relatively austere finish that suggests it will repay considerable cellaring. This is for the most patient amongst you.
The 2022 Cos d'Estournel unwinds in the glass with aromas of sweet berries, plum liqueur and rich spices, followed by a full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular palate that's rich and structured, with a ripe core of fruit and chewy tannins. Harvest dates were relatively early this year, and maturation is occurring in only 50% new oak; yet the 2022's chunky, glass-staining style makes it Ducru Beaucaillou's only rival for the title of most extracted second growth of the Medoc.