Cos d’Estournel mini-vertical: 1960, 2000, and 2016

Cos d’Estournel is, simply put, one of the truly great Bordeaux estates. It was rated as a 2nd Growth in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, but is widely considered a “Super Second.”

Cos is unique among the great Left Bank producers in that it uses a relatively high proportion of Merlot (typically 33-40%) in its Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blends. While older vintages of the grand vin used upwards of 80% new oak, recent vintages (2015 and later) only use 50-60% new oak over its 18-month barrel aging, making the wines fruitier and slightly less tannic, especially in their youth.

I recently got to indulge in this mini-vertical. Tasting Notes:

• 1960: unfortunately, way over the hill despite a nice fill level. Nose of pencil shavings and mostly caramel/oxidation. Should’ve been drunk 20 years ago.
• 2000: Tons of black and blue fruit still hanging around, plus tobacco, cedar, and spice. Medium+ body with tannins fully integrated. Beautiful wine and IMHO at its peak (though I can see it staying in this spot for a while).

– 2016: by acclamation, one of the greatest Cos vintages ever (several 100-point scores, if that matters to you). Lots of vibrant red and blue berry fruit, black plum, earth, black pepper, and cedar. Full bodied, with grainy tannins, but it still drinks fresh thanks to some nice acidity. Lovely now but could use some time for tannins to fully resolve and tertiary notes to develop.

Overall, I preferred the 2000 at this point but can easily picture the 2016 being even better in 10+ years.