Chateau Cos d'Estournel Blanc 2020
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The power of the elements. Unique in character, Cos d’Estournel Blanc evokes the coolness of sea spray and salty sea winds whipping one’s face while also conjuring the warmth and richness of the land. A generous, lively wine, it brings to mind a slice of bread spread thickly with quince jam, a sun-drenched stall of autumn fruit or sudden recollections of the sweetest summer moments.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Dried tropical fruits like mangoes and green papaya, with lemons and green apples. Limes, too. Full-bodied yet tight and compacted with great length and persistence. Muscular yet fresh. 66% sauvignon blanc and 34% semillon.
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Decanter
Ripe and expressive on the nose, aromatically complex with notes of carmalised lemons, honey, peach and wet stones. Clarity and precision from the start, such a well defined palate with striking high acidity, crisp and sharp citrus fruits and a salty undertone. Soft spicing comes in towards the finish suggesting this needs more time and will have a long life ahead but the nuanced bitterness, freshness and lift are all so appealing. Excellent weight and balance too with a bright and long finished - a gourmet style with plenty to like.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc, a blend of 66% Sauvignon Blanc and 34% Semillon, brings another level of density as well as complexity. Honeyed pineapple, melon, crushed stone, and spicy, savory herbs notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a beautifully layered, elegant mouthfeel and a great finish. It's a gem of a white and ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. It should keep for 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Cos d'Estournel Blanc features a higher proportion of Sémillon (34%) than the Pagodes, and it's richer and more textural, bursting with aromas of lemongrass, nectarine, peach and ginger, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and satiny palate.
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Wine Spectator
Very solid, with a bracing fleur de sel edge around a core of white peach and lemon pith. The long, pure finish has excellent cut. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is poised between the citrus and riper tropical flavors, giving it weight and the promise of richness to come. The wine will be ready from 2025.
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
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Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
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Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
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Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
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Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.