Saint-Estèphe · second growth (2e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Cos d’Estournel: vintages available, prices and pairings
The grand vin of Cos d’Estournel and its second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos, vintage by vintage, with the format, the guide price and what to expect of it today: to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
Vintages on the price list
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Two wines, one estate
Same estate, same team, two uses.
Château Cos d’Estournel
The grand vin. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, a little Cabernet Franc. Dense and rich, it needs twelve years and lasts forty.
Les Pagodes de Cos
The second wine, ready at around five years, at a fraction of the price.
At the entrance to Saint-Estèphe, facing Lafite Rothschild across the stream that separates the appellation from Pauillac. Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel, who sold his wine as far as India, built the pagoda-topped cellars in the 19th century that give the second wine its name. Michel Reybier has owned it since 2000. The appellation's other châteaux are on the Saint-Estèphe wines page.
Cos means “hill of pebbles” in old Gascon. The heart of the vineyard is a plateau of deep gravel, from which two slopes of gravel and clay descend, one to the east, the other to the south, crossed diagonally by a vein of clay. A 2001 study found nearly 20 soil types across the 100 hectares. The grand vin comes from vines averaging 55 years old. For 2002, the château notes very low yields and a fine balance between Merlot and Cabernet, with notes of tobacco and incense. 2012, at 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, finishes mineral and taut.
What to serve it with
- Château Cos d’Estournel, fifteen years and more: game (what wine with game), rib of beef (what wine with beef).
- Les Pagodes de Cos: lamb (what wine with lamb), duck breast (what wine with duck).
- With cheese: aged firm pressed cheeses (what wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
As a gift, the grand vin in a wooden case (what wine to give); for a big table, Les Pagodes. For a birthday, the birth year, if the table has it (birth-year vintage).
Is Cos d'Estournel a grand cru classé?
Yes. It is a second growth in the 1855 classification, in the Saint-Estèphe appellation. Les Pagodes de Cos, its second wine, is not classified.
Cos d'Estournel or Cos Labory?
Two neighbouring classified growths, with no ownership link. Cos Labory, a fifth growth, costs much less and is drunk sooner.
When should you drink a Cos d’Estournel?
Allow twelve years before opening it and forty years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half-bottles; for Les Pagodes, five to fifteen years. The table applies this rule to each line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the ones in the quote?
They are the guide prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, delivery excluded. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery rates give the lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.