97

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel is a wine of extreme elegance. Silky and light on its feet, the 2020 is incredibly nuanced. In fact it is without question the most finessed of all the top wines in Saint-Estèphe, showing more in common with some of its neighbors in the north of Pauillac than the more potent wines of Saint-Estèphe. Impossibly soft, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red fruit, spice and orange zest. The 2020 is not a huge Cos, but rather a wine for readers who appreciate elegance over power. I can't wait to see how it ages. Magnificent. 12/2022

97

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel, which was bottled in July, has lost some of the exoticism that it showed out of barrel. Within five minutes of aeration it develops a complex bouquet: black fruit laced with graphite and subtle cedar aromas, a charcoal back-note and later pressed iris flowers. I foresee this gaining more nuance with bottle age. The palate is taut, lean and precise. Lightly spiced on the entry, with finely-chiseled tannins, again, not quite as precocious as it showed in barrel, allowing the terroir to come through more. There is something almost understated about this vintage vis-à-vis others, razor-sharp precision with just the right amount of salinity on the finish. This is a classy offering that will mature beautifully in bottle. A keeper. 12/2022

94

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel is a bold, demonstrative wine, bursting with aromas of cassis, dark berries and plum liqueur mingled with exotic spices, burning embers and petals, framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and low acid/high pH in style, it's rich and extracted, with a layered, mid-palate and a long, clove-inflected finish. While it isn't anywhere near as extreme as the 2009, the 2020 does appear to mark a move back toward a more turbo-charged style after Cos d'Estournel's shift toward elegance, exemplified by the brilliant 2016—but perhaps that's merely an illusion created by the vintage? 04/2023

95

Jean-Marc Quarin

Jean-Marc Quarin

Couleur noire. Nez intense, au fruité mûr, avec un aspect compact que l’agitation ne délie pas. Reste très fruité. Moelleux à l’attaque, juteux en milieu de bouche, ample et savoureux, avec un toucher gras, le vin caresse le palais et s’achève puissant, long et pas du tout délié dans ses saveurs. Un atout que l’élevage pourrait lui apporter. Assemblage : 62 % cabernet sauvignon, 38 % merlot. Degré d’alcool : 13°4 - pH : 3,9 – IPT : 80 (moyenne +). Rendement : 39 hl/ha. Production : 50 % de la récolte.

98

James Suckling

James Suckling

A brooding and deep wine just on the nose, with blackcurrants, redcurrants, spices such as cardamom and nutmeg, as well as black truffles with earth. Complex. Full-bodied with fine yet chewy tannins, that are wonderfully interwoven. Very structured and long. Needs five to six years to come around. 62% cabernet and 38% merlot. Try after 2028. 11/2023