Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Last Wednesday I participated in a vertical of 9 Cos d'Estournels - 2009-2007-2006-2005-2004-2003-2002-1986-1955

Excellent tasting in the old wine merchant house in Copenhagen, Kjær & Sommerfeldt. It was perfectly conducted by a young wine-consultant from that merchant.
In the recent vintages, my cherry pick was 2005 (98+p). Imho it was better than 2009 (98p). Both modern style. 2006 and 2004 were splendid, 2007 light but round and well-balanced. 2003 didn't comfirmed the hype, 2002 was corked. 1986 (95p) impressed a great deal, while 1955 (99p) was for me the wine of the day.

Afterwards we tasted three blind wines provided by the wine merchant to round up the tasting. - Montrose 1955 Danish bottling, Cos d'Estournel 1952 Danish bottling and Montrose 1952. Cos 1952 (97p) was magnificent with Montrose 1952 (95p) a little step behind. Montrose 1955 (92p) was fine old wine, truffy, elegant and well-balanced. Danish bottling here.

The thing which was very special for me to notice - milky flavour like yougurt/yougurt with chocolate coming up in recent and old vintages. It must come from the soil.

Profile and ratings of Cos d'Estournel wines - http://greatbordeauxwines.com/chateau-p ... -estournel

What is the back story with these Danish bottlings you mention?

AKR,

I don't quite understand your question.

I repeat:

1952 Cos is a Danish bottling by Kjær and Sommerfeldt

1955 Montrose is a Danish bottling too, but not by Kjær and Sommerfeldt.

Btw, I'm greatly surprised by total lack of comments and sharing TNs from my fellow posters here on this forum. Isn't there a one, who has tasted some vintages of Cos recently??

I actually opened an 86 a few weekends ago that I thought was lovely....my notes were as follows:

Perfect cork and high neck fill, on PnP a bit thin, green, and acidic with some barnyard funk, but letting sit for 90 min worked the magic. This wine put on some massive weight and by 2-3 hours was at its peak and then gradually began to fade. This was excellent, nose of black currants, lead pencil shavings, cedar, barnyard, and licorice. Medium bodied palate with fruit still plenty hanging on...sour cherries, cassis, cedar, graphite, and burnt soil. The tannins are fairly resolved but still allow for a nice layered finish. I really enjoyed this wine, masculine and flirting with rusticity, but yet still fairly polished. I'd put this squarely in the middle of its drinking window and think it's mostly a matter of preference at this point....objectively, I can't see it improving too terribly much from here (unlike others from this vintage such as Mouton), but I could be wrong..... 95-96

Sounds like we had a similar take on this. I don't drink Cos very often (no particular reason) but maybe I should change that....

Tell me more about the 2003. You mention hype. I recall there being major disagreements over this wine back when it was first bottled and released. From great to over-ripe and roasted and lacking any typicity. So of course I bought 2 bottles to find out for myself. Both are still resting in the cellar. Time to try one or continue letting them rest?

Within the last month we drank 2006 and 1988 Cos. The '06 was fresh and fine while the '88 was very good but tasing old. Neither is top notch by Cos standards, of course.

Thanks for the really interesting notes!!!
I am not as big a fan of the 2009 as you, but I think the 2010 is one of the very best left bank wines from that fabulous vintage.
I have a double magnum of the 2005 hiding somewhere in my cellar, do you have a suggested time to open??

2050?

felixp21 wrote: I have a double magnum of the 2005 hiding somewhere in my cellar, do you have a suggested time to open??

At the next BWE festivus!

DavidG,

Must be bottle variation concerning 2003. I've tasted this wine 4-5 years ago and it was much better than the one we tasted in the end of November this year.

FelixP,

Double magnum 2005? Half a century as Comte Flaneur says!

Stefan,

1988 vintage was much better on Right Bank than Left. 2006 didn't disappoint imho.

Izak, I have drunk many wonderful 1988 left bankers. The right bank, especially Pomerol, was more consistent, though.

I posted on a vertical of Cos 1953-1989 on the old site. The 59 was tops as I recall. The 55 was tired and tea like and acidic. Cos is a favorite of mine although only 2 bottles of 95 remain cellared.

I used to say that the most perfect spot in the solar system for wine grapes was the border at LLC and Latour, but I think it may be a little further up north at Lafite/Cos.