Semi blind tasting flight of 6. Blind for the rest of our group. 2014 DuMol Finn, 2009 Jaboulet Chapelle, 1988 Sandrone Cannubi, 1999 Tignanello, 2014 Cos d'Estournel and 2017 Penfold St Henri
This one was decanted 3 hours in advance. Cedar and plum fruit points to left bank. Relatively open. This was the wine that developed most in the glass improving significantly. Fine fruit, fine tannins and good acidity gives a very nice balance. Drinkable for sure and if you prefer younger versions of Bordeaux this vintage seems good for it. I suspect the reason for only 5th place out of thesse six wines were the tannins. My no 3 but lifting maybe to the best of the 6 by the end. This wine was supposed to be tasted side by side with 1990 Cos but that bottle was unfortunately badly corked.
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Outstanding wine with a big caveat. I opened this bottle the night before a dinner to slow ox and it was very tight. Left it open the whole night, corked it up the next morning and decanted when we got to the restaurant. By the time we got to it, it was singing. All that you would want from a big time bordeaux. Beautiful nose, evolving notes from cigar to pencil. Very well enjoyed by the table.
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An easy afternoon with close friends (@ PdV): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, metal, beautiful oak and cedar and some sweet impressions. On the palate juicy dark berries, sweet licorice, dark chocolate , beautiful acidity and round tannin and a great length. High viscosity. Also some autumn forest impressions. Still youthful but the most developed of the wines we had today. 93 - 94
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I really like this but it has a ton of life left and I will try to keep my paws off my remaining bottles. The initial Brett blew off and left the wine with purple flowers, black fruit, and graphite. Nice acidity and fine tannins and mineral finish. Quite lovely alone and with food
Exotische Würze, Leder Cassis und Tee, Mokka, Tomatenmark und Trockenblüten. Dichter Gaumen, gradlinig, gute Struktur, saftige Frucht, noch jugendlich, doch antrinkbar. Sehr gute Länge und viel Würze im Abgang. Ein eleganter Cos. 2023 bis 2040...
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Exquisite wine that still shows its youthful nature. On the robust and mouth filling end of the spectrum. Cedar, dark fruit, graphite. Tannins softened but definitely still apparent. Didn’t waste a drop. This will be exceptional for a number of years if you can keep your corkscrew away from it.🤣 As much as we enjoyed this, can’t justify spending that much when there are other Napa and Bordeaux that approach this for half the price or less.
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**Its the holidays and nothing spells holiday in the mouth more than a younger, rich Cos. After having tried this a few times, this definitely falls in the Saint Estephe's micro appellation success camp for 2014. It seems that though many 2014 wines were tame and beautifully classic, Saint Estephe produced some really big rich wines at a discount. Look to this and the big Meyney for some examples (great QPR there). I have other examples in my head that I cant bring to mouth right now. This is rich, dark berried, spicy, jammy without being heavy, and incredibly delicious and a fine example of the modern direction of Cos. Drink with 90 minute+ decant or Hold
Deep, dark, black, and red fruits come in opulent layers with touches of mint, spice, freshness, and energy, along with a bit of chalk and cocoa on the backend. This is a very strong wine for the vintage. Drink from 2023-2050.
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Really beautiful and deep blue and black fruit, in stride with the Cos rich style. Deep and concentrated, yet never heavy and arguably light on its feet for the weight. Deep blueberry, dark cherry, graphite, and a touch of oak poking out that should transition into coffee notes with time. Really delicious and easy to understand. Drink or Hold
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Opened this last night. Still fairly primary after 24 hours in its open bottle 3/4 full, but certainly attractive and approachable--very nice black and blue fruit and mocha. Even so, I was hoping for more based on recent CT tastings. 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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It opened with a big nose of cedar, and then promptly shut down after 10-20 minutes. But with just 1-2 hours in the decanter it reopened to showcase subtle aromas of blackberry complicated by more prominent notes of licorice, star anise, and cocoa. It gained notable weight and depth at this point as well, featuring a super smooth and lush chassis of the same flavors. It progressively became bigger and richer with more time, adding increasingly more complex and smoky flavors of lavender, chocolate, soy, almond, truffle, and game. It seemed to evolve with each sip, at one point reminding us of a mix of the exotic flowers we had just experienced at a botanical garden. This was opened at a restaurant so we didn't give it as much time as we would've normally (I imagine it opening and building further with 3-4 hours or more). Super refined and polished! Opened for 11th wedding anniversary. 95+ today (though my wife gave it 97 points), with plenty of upside in 5-10 years and beyond.
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Decanted 2 hours and drank over 2 hours, gorgeously perfumed of ripe black & blue fruits, dried raspberry and lavender aromas with a whiff of baking spices too. It's still a bit tight and closed today but already showing beautiful freshness and richness, structure is soft, medium to full-bodied, feminine in style, subtle tannins and finishing long and savory. Its class and regal are difficult to be hidden, just be patient for now and I suspect it will evolve to be ready for business after 2027.
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A blast of sweet red and blue fruit, followed by some fragrant cassis, cardamom, tapenade, fresh tobacco leaf, and floral notes. This was drinking really well with lots of vibrant fruit, youthful energy and some tannins still in play. Medium to full bodied with a medium-length finish. This should continue to improve with medium-term cellaring but is certainly worth enjoying a bottle now if you have a few extra.
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Wow. Just starting to enter its drinking window. This has such class and poise, with loads of cold slate, graphite and gravelly st estephe goodness on the nose.
Palate is really concentrated with lots of blackcurrant and tobacco leaf.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and stands as the best ‘14 I’ve had. Happy to have more in the cellar as this is going to be spectacular in 10-15 years.
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Lovely. Really nice poise, perfumed and delicious. Have not tried a Cos for a while and this reminded me how much I like the producer. Not a big wine at all, quite medium bodied and fine.
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It’s young but the pedigree is there. Dark and powerful, framed by oak that is not over built, this never loses focus or seriousness. It’s intense with sweet dark fruits, spice, leather, earth, and chocolate. It’s all there in a coiled package and by every indication you should store this in a dark cool part of your cellar for the next decade. Even so, right now this is a very classy wine.
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Tight as a drum on the palate but very aromatic on opening. 24 hours of air make it very delicious. Red fruit, loam and tobacco leaf on the nose. Velvety tannins. Extreme length and concentration; not heavy handed. Exquisite “off” year effort. 93 with air now….96+ in a decade or so.
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First time trying this wine. Coravin pour then opened couple days later and allowed to slow ox part and decanted about half. This may be the most interesting left bank 2014 I’ve tried. On a mission to try the 14 vintage now for wines I have a few or lots Of. Deep dark purple core almost to rim. Opens beautifully but with air just keeps getting better. Lots of smoke, dark fruit and some spice. A bit tannic in the finish but very long and the tannin is not overbearing. Certainly this is a wine to hold but it’s going to be a classic st estephe and I don’t regret the decision to try one. 94+ potential 96 or more in 5-20 years. Will save other bottles. I’m just thinking if this is the quality of the 14, the 16 might just be exceptional.
Opened this last night, at which time it was pretty simple and closed. That has changed. Tonight? Wow! Big dark, opaque red color that stains the glass red. Gorgeous strawberry jam nose, plus raspberries. This is a very rich, full wine with tremendous depth. Loads of fruit and creme de cassis buried a bit behind substantial but not harsh tannins. I read some of the other notes on this last night, and I think they offer great insight. This wine, once a bit further along, will be very special. 5-14-16-8: 93/100. Future potential over 95.
Update: Next day, showing more spice on the nose, including cinnamon.
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It was fascinating to sample the 2014 Cos d’ Estournel definitely an excercise worth doing if you happen to have numerous bottles . Like many other reviewers I also think this vintage need a lot more time to evolve. There’s lots of promise to come the structure is there and I can also understand how some tasters assimilate the wine to a New World expression. So if you just have the one bottle you need to hold this it will pay dividends . My score is on current enjoyment and if you do indeed open a bottle yes give it a long decant.
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From a half bottle. Dark colour. Big mulberry nose with plums, graphite and oak on the palate. Sweet fruit. Still plenty of soft tannins and a huge finish. Drinking well now and will continue to improve for 5 years and drink well for 25. It will be a fascinating development.
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I drank cheval 2011 at the same time as cos d'estournel 2014, and when I read the reviews on cellar tracker or at wine advocate they both indicate that cos is bigger than cheval, the question is when? Now cheval is much more accessible and much better balanced , even though both wines have a lot of power , cos is still completely closed , in the long run it will probably be the better of the 2 , but at the moment cheval is very accessible and pleasant to drink , mms still 5 years too early ! For cos I would say 15/20 years! with cheval I had figs and a sweet touch in the nose, even some chalk which is not really possible with the ripe merlot..also blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam. Maybe cheval lacks some complexity! But it was very pleasant to drink ! cos is the bombastic one , I regret to have it drink to fast , If you want to drink now, please decant it at least 4/6 hours before
Very aromatic on the nose with a spice i couldnt quite put my finger on, sweet wood or cream with plum and blackberry. Masculine. Deep and brooding fruit. Plum and dried fig with some menthol. Juicy acidity driving some pop on the back end. Tannins still quite dusty. Similar to some of the other notes it is hard to pin down all of the pieces and parts of this wine. What I know is that it is incredibly enjoyable.
After a two hour decant, we thoroughly enjoyed a bouquet that opened with dark fruits, slate and graphite. Across the palate, the fruit of fig and blueberries was subtle but there across the entire journey and layered with cocoa and thyme, but earthy truffles, too. Wonderfully paired with wild duck breasts and a blueberry compote reduction. It will be hard to wait before opening another!
Haven't had a bottle of Cos in ages, so we cracked the 2014, decanted for a few hours and followed over the course of two days ... Great wines are not just pleasurable, they haunt you, they have mysterious nooks and crannies to explore as the hours (and days) unfold. This wine haunted me (especially on day two) as I tried to put my finger on (and itemize) all the scents I was picking up ... This wine is just about great, and it shows off the vintage beautifully with its classicism and typicite, but also the vintages' lower ripeness level. (A limitation of the vintage: if there was a little more fruit ripeness and a silkier midpalate, I think this wine would rate even higher; it will never be a "100 pt" wine for that reason, but perfection can be the enemy of greatness) While there is fruit lurking in the wine (macerated plums, blueberries, purple mulberries), it is tightly enrobed and concealed by so many other dark and mysterious aromatic qualities/compounds that it becomes an alchemic admixture more than fermented grape juice. What I can pick out and label from the nose and palette are charcoal, incense (nag champa?), marsh grass, lactic tones (sour milk?), herbs (thyme), roasted/candied tomatoes and black truffle. It makes you wonder if the wine was produced from grapes or is instead some kind of herbalist's concoction instead. A lot of the wine's notes are probably oak-based, but I think I could pick this out as St Estephe vs St Julien pretty easily (the former always comes across as earthier and swampier to me, the latter more finely pixelated in their distinct layers of fruitiness). It is not over-oaked at this stage; the oak spice has been almost perfectly absorbed by the fruit. So glad to have a few more of these. While it is surprisingly open for business now, I would wait 5 years before the next bottle and one every 5 years after that to see if the deeply enmeshed scents and flavors can unpack a bit and pixelate further. Tannins are very ripe, not drying at all. If you have a few, try one in the near term.
2014 cos is balance from the very start. nothing is out of place. beautiful dark fruits, nice velvety tannin. It is still bdx, but leans toward napa. 4/4 liked it better than the 2014 montrose and calon segur.
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My second review of this wine. More complexity now, I love the graphite and iron aromas and flavors. The fruit has morphed into the back ground. This is one of a handful of wines I've reviewed that made me ask "is this really wine?" It was more like an elixir or potion. This is Bordeaux at its best.
From half bottle. Not ready at all. Tight with bundled up bitter chocolate and sooty notes. Palate is all primary dark fruit with still jarring tannins. There is quality underneath but years from being ready for the traditional palate. Drinks like a new world cab.
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Subtle and classy. The Merlot dominates: fig, plum, cocoa, and gravel, with a soft velvety feel. Good balance, decent length. Was expecting a bit more all around given the plaudits and pedigree, but I'm several years early to the dance, I think. CT's tasting window seems spot-on yet again.
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Decanted for 4h, enjoyed with fried rice and grilled chicken for dinner with close friends, a great way to experience a beautiful Bdx, which this certainly was. No formal notes, but this wine was enjoyed by all. Powerful, fragrant, complex, fully in its drinking window. 94/95
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(1/30/21) This bottle spent six hours in the decanter. There was a fair amount of smoke-like sediment in the last half centimeter of the wine when poured from the bottle. In the glass, the wine appeared a deep, impenetrable garnet.
A powerful wine clearly packed with fruit, this bottle was just barley approachable through the tannins and was not particularly nuanced. There was a vague richness to the fruit but that’s about all. This bottle was also way out of balance for my palate, with the alcohol distinctly detectable in the mid-palate and the watery finish. The person I shared the bottle with, however, detected nothing amiss in this or any other quarter. She found it concentrated with good fruit and said it had a good finish. She also found no alcohol bitterness. Go figure.
Maybe this would have become a stellar bottle of wine for me down the road, but for me, tonight, this bottle was merely slightly below average/adequate. 14% abv. (**/14/87)
Day 2: After 24 hours under vacuum seal in the fridge, this is a different wine to me tonight. The person I shared it with last night says it’s exactly the same to her, so I think my palate was just off last night. Tonight, my perception is of a wine that is deep, dark, powerful, concentrated, intense, and very well balanced. There is no sign of alcohol bitterness at all. The score has been updated to reflect tonight’s experience. (****/17.5/95)
Tasted over three days, the first and second alongside the 2005 La Tour Carnet and 2006 Cantemerle.
The longer I drink Bordeaux, especially from the Left Bank, the more vintage signatures stand out. In 2014, the signature is defined by uncommon concentration and velour-like tannins. For inexplicable reasons, this vintage has gone unheralded by many pro reviewers and thus offers tremendous value.
Deep purple to crimson in the glass.
The bouquet offers muddled thick flower petals and blue and purple berries, along with 'sweet' oak, in noteworthy harmony the flowers and fruit. All other elements, and there are many, including mint, menthol, cacao, pipe tobacco, deciduous forest sous-bois, black earth, and gravel interplay with the floral, berry, and oak essences. (Those who follow my notes will know that I usually regard oak as a great detractor of quality, particularly where it masks terroir. That I single out the highly judicious and balanced oak treatment here connotes much.)
The concentration of fruit and textural richness tantalize the senses. All that is good about Saint-Julien, in my opinion a meeting point between Paulliac (strapping) and Margaux (seductive), can be had here. (Saint-Estèphe holds sway as the 'other'.) Blue and black berry flavors, accentuated by all other elements conveyed in the bouquet, dance across the palate, carried by luxurious powdery and velour-like tannin. These sensations, combined with the seductively powerful back and protracted finish, mark this as an 'iron fist in a velvet glove' stylistically. Every bit as fresh on the third day as the first, and even more evocative; the mint and cacao elements intertwined with newly revealed blackberry liqueur essences.
A twenty year wine from today, which can be approached now, after a long decant (eight plus hours will do it no harm). Once fully integrated...Wow! 95-97.
The best 2014 Left Bank I have encountered to date, with Pontet-Canet and Léoville Barton holding second and third respectively.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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owc, sealed - RP 94 --A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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Wow, I need more of this. Firmly in my wheelhouse, with tremendous balance, and bright, resonating purity. This continued to improve through the final sip, some three hours after it was opened. Exciting stuff, and should age very well. highly recommended
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Ripe fruit, elegance, slight oak, spectacular. Opened 4 hours before dinner, did not decant. Right up there with the 2005 Mouton Rothschild from last spring. Paired with home-cooked fillet mignon and mushroom risotto (preceded by Bollinger NV rose champagne).
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Dark fruit, pureed plum, wet earth, can almost smell dairy, hint of bramble and spice. Full body, beautiful silky texture with fine tannins arriving later into the med length finish. Round soft dark fruits here in nice balance. Would want a touch more acidity, but it's drinking so well now I can't complain
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2014, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich.Intensive und gleichzeitig sehr tiefe Nase, dunkelfruchtig, mit viel Tabak, Kaffee, Lebkuchengewürzen, Kräutern und getrockneten Blumen. Im Gaumen gradlinig und klar, ungemein dicht, dabei aber nicht plump, der Wein hat Körper, Struktur und eine sehr knackige Frucht, diese wird umgarnt von feinen, reifen Gerbstoffen und belebt von einer top Säure. Im Abgang mit viel Eleganz und beeindruckender Länge. Ein unterschätzter Jahrgang, ein wunderbarer Cos. 2020-2035+, 19 vvPunkte (94/100). vvWine.ch
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From d-mg. Wonderful deep glossy ruby. Touch of coffee infused cherry fruit. Healthy ripeness and glossy fruit. Lovely spicy Cos terroir coming through. Shockingly good to drink already, primary yes but so robust and exciting. Wonderful length, tannins wrapped up in the lush fruit. Still fresh despite the ripeness. Excellent!
Highly aromatic nose with dark blue and back fruit, licorice, wet leather, and a touch of heat and oak. Medium plus bodied palate, high acidity with pent up tannins. Great length but youthful finish that needs serious time to soften and integrate.
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A stonking success, a wine not to be overlooked. Beautiful cherry, geranium, vanilla scents. Cherry and a sort of quatre-epice on the nose. A great and pleasant surprise. Score : 94. Relative to expectations: ++
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Fantastic. From another planet. Long, elegant, concentrated, dense, complex, etc, etc. Of course lots of fruit, wood and tannins. It appears to be shutting down, but very enjoyable. Improved with every sip.
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A wine of huge presence, the 2014 Cos really jumps from the glass. Tremendously ripe cassis, mineral, and lavender accents wrapped up in a lot of oak. 80% new oak was used in the 2014. This is a good wine, and an enjoyable one to drink - but I find this a little too heavy handed with the oak and alcohol, a bit too Napa like. And despite the accolades this wine receives, I suppose I'm not the only one with these concerns because with 2015 and 2016, the new oak has been reduced from 80% to 65% and the alcohol has come down from 14.2% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015 and 13.2% in 2016. It will be fun to compare the 14/15/16 Cos side by side over the next 60 years.
This wine has tremendous potential and in twenty or thirty years time, this will sing like angles from above. HOLY SHIT!
Opened 04.00, consumed at 24.50, so twenty hours after triple decant this monster of a wine did not leave much. A HOLY BLOCK of cassis was it. You could only hint slight notes of blackcurrant, blackberry and some meat. But OH the potential. This a wine with status of "BUY ON SIGHT".
Keep for the next 20-30 years and this baby will reward you ever so kindly.
Opened a 375ml and immediately regretted it. Lots of concentrated, structured potential. Great! But felt it was much too young... will (try) to hold off my other 375ml for 5+ years.
Brief,not in depth, but Wow on the aromatics and the eye. really that oily look with gorgeous colors, the nose is just huge and abundant classic rich notes. Need to spend more time with this baby and get a better note on the palate and finish.cheers!
Following up after finishing the 2nd half of the bottle. Excellent wine with a lot of depth and the very end of the bottle continued to evolve and improve. Just not the best QPR for other 2014-2016 bordeaux that are available.
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Decanted for 3h, sampled this gorgeous, long-legged purpleness throughout. The nose is lush, perfumy, and complex, hints of berries, flowers, cedar, spices, and toast. Lots of evoluton in the first hour. Immediately after opening there was a riot of flavors on the palate, some of them wierd and (to me) unbordeaux, like buttered popcorn and molten black chocolate, but then it settled down and became more high profile, new world, black cherries and black berries, graphite, mineral, eye watering intensity throughout the entire mouth. Full bodied, voluptuous. Even in its hedonistic youth there is room for everything, and everything is in its place. Glad I have more, and can try again in a few years. Agree with previous CT reviews that this is built for the long haul. I don't mark wines higher than 94 that often but this one was worth it! Tonight with grilled burgers and sweet potato fries (Because an outstanding Bdx goes well with just about anything).
Very accessible, does not need a lot of aeration....there I said it, but it will be a long lived wine. Very dark violet, full bodied, long legs, lush and silky, dry ripe black fruit, good grip on the long finish. I'm scoring this the same as the '12 vintage, surprisingly. This is not as structured as the '12, will open another one soon to compare.
I was curious to taste the 2014 Cos d Estournel as some wine critics had suggested trying the wine in its youth to enjoy the fruit in its youth.You certainly feel some excitement upon opening a case with the gorgeous label displayed. If you like me have significant holdings of this wine you would be doing no harm in sampling the contents. So If you do intend doing so may I recommend decanting this wine well ahead of dinner even first thing in the morning because it requires serious aeration for the wine to soften somewhat and for it to be enjoyable. Its superbly structured and built for the long haul, dark crimson purple in color the nose is a little muted initially but opens up to reveal a cornucopia of exotic aromas. In a blind tasting it would be entirely possible that I would not have recognized this as being a Bordeaux from St Estephe. Its just such a baby and needs serious time in the cellar for me, I will wait at least another 5 years before opening another bottle unlike some other 2014's which are much more approachable in their youth. Never the less it was educating and enjoyable exercise. I have no doubt that the wine will merit a higher score with time but for me it did not necessarily give me that instant sense of sensual enjoyment but it was getting better and better the more time it sat in the glass.
Dark black and blue fruits, dark currant, silky smooth with a velvety texture, coffee, sour cherry, backend chewy tannins, this is a pretty big wine at this stage but as most of already written, it's drinking very well young and will only get better with some good age 8-10 years to start. I'd try now if you have many bottles and save the rest.
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Full bodied, concentrated and with a lush character to the tannins, the fruit is ripe, sweet and fresh. There is a sweetness and purity to the dark red berries that tastes and feels great. On the palate, the blackberries, earth, licorice and spice continue the experience. Drink a bottle young for its youthful vibrancy and save the rest for at least a decade, which is when this beauty will just start to shine its lights brightly.
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Delicious! Smooth as silk, grand finish with finesse tart to sweet cherry, vanilla and gripping tannins. Enjoyable now, will develop with age. Reminiscent of the 2009 vintage at a similar stage in its life... all the stuffing is there... Pop or hold... Much better than Pagodas 2014, which is a tad thin at this stage... This COS is the real deal - and a steal at $120 or less a bottle...
Nice dark garnet/black cherry colour with a nearly opaque core. Upon opening, timid aromas of blackberries, black cherries, blond tobacco, liquorice and leather. There is also some smoke. On the palate, the attack is…. Wow! Very frank and almost brutal (in a good way?). A wall of (fine) tannins and bitterness stand before a very tight sphere of concentrated black fruit, smoke, liquorice and tobacco. St-Estèphe! Very good length ending on some oaky notes and toasted notes with espresso, chocolate and cinnamon. The acidity is not as high as some other vintages I have tasted - we’ll see the effect in the long run. For the time being, I can’t find the metallic-dark grape aromas I have always found as typical of Cos in vintages going all the way back to 1988.
My first Cos vintage since Guillaume Prats left and now, I find the style to be less Cos and more St-Estèphe. That being said, it is impeccable. Wonderful material that has been mastered with skill. Bravo! No score at this point but mid-nineties (95?) in the long run. Some Bordeaux I find good to drink in their first year before closing down, but this is not the case for this wine. I’d give it till 2026 before the next bottle - if I manage to resist for that long. I’ll be enjoying Pagodes de Cos in the meantime. Looking forward to tasting my other 2014.
Belle robe grenat-cerise-noir foncé. À prime abord, des arômes timides de mûres, cerises noirs, de tabac blond, de réglisse et de cuir. Il y a aussi de la fumée. En bouche l'attaque est... Wow! Très franche et brusque. Un mur de tannins (fins) et d'amertume se dresse devant un une sphère concentrée de fruité noir, de fumée, de réglisse et de tabac. St-Estèphe! Très bonne longueur se terminant sur des notes de boisé et de grillé et un léger côté espresso, chocolaté et de cannelle. L'acidité n'est pas aussi élevée qu'à d'autres millésimes - reste à voir l'effet sur le long terme. Pour l'instant, je n'y trouve pas le raisin-métal qui est, pour moi, si typique de Cos.
Mon premier Cos d'un millésime depuis le départ de Guillaume Prats et maintenant, le style fait un peu moins Cos et un peu plus St-Estèphe. Cela dit, c'est impeccable. Une belle matière maîtrisée avec brio. Bravo!
Might have been my favorite of the day. Definitely one of the richest. Aromas so primary it smells like a blackberry reduction. Black-fruited on the palate too, but well-defined with some Pauillac-like lead-pencil notes. Intense and saturating, balanced out by seriously grippy tannins.
Rich Crimson rim surrounding a very deep and dark core. Alluring floral and zesty nose, on the entry brilliant red fruit countered with an array of spices, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, along with intriguing mint. This wine is well balanced, great elegance, purity and power. Rich mouth feel, yet showing finesse with silky black cherries, subtle with fine grain tannins, and little toasty notes kick in towards the finish. Seems natural and effortless. Very harmonious, long and classy. This wine is already so appealing, but will cellar well for 30 years or more. A brilliant Cos. 80% new oak. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 2% cabernet franc. This will be a worthy contender along with Montrose for wine of the appellation 2014. In the early running, I give Cos the nod. 96-97
Intense in color with a showy nose and the already present tones of tobacco leaves, anise, earth and vine-ripened berries, this wine is luxurious on the palate, plump and concentrated with roasted espresso bean, cocoa, warm berries, spice and freshness to the ripe fruits in the finish. Produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.77. The wine is aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. After a rocky start with the difficult 2013 vintage, Aymeric de Gironde has clearly stepped up his game! 95-96 Pts
5/9/2024 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Semi blind tasting flight of 6. Blind for the rest of our group.
2014 DuMol Finn, 2009 Jaboulet Chapelle, 1988 Sandrone Cannubi, 1999 Tignanello, 2014 Cos d'Estournel and 2017 Penfold St Henri
This one was decanted 3 hours in advance. Cedar and plum fruit points to left bank. Relatively open. This was the wine that developed most in the glass improving significantly. Fine fruit, fine tannins and good acidity gives a very nice balance. Drinkable for sure and if you prefer younger versions of Bordeaux this vintage seems good for it.
I suspect the reason for only 5th place out of thesse six wines were the tannins. My no 3 but lifting maybe to the best of the 6 by the end.
This wine was supposed to be tasted side by side with 1990 Cos but that bottle was unfortunately badly corked.
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4/21/2024 - Joeyskills wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding wine with a big caveat. I opened this bottle the night before a dinner to slow ox and it was very tight. Left it open the whole night, corked it up the next morning and decanted when we got to the restaurant. By the time we got to it, it was singing. All that you would want from a big time bordeaux. Beautiful nose, evolving notes from cigar to pencil. Very well enjoyed by the table.
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4/13/2024 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends (@ PdV): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, metal, beautiful oak and cedar and some sweet impressions. On the palate juicy dark berries, sweet licorice, dark chocolate , beautiful acidity and round tannin and a great length. High viscosity. Also some autumn forest impressions. Still youthful but the most developed of the wines we had today. 93 - 94
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4/5/2024 - Hiker4life70 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I really like this but it has a ton of life left and I will try to keep my paws off my remaining bottles. The initial Brett blew off and left the wine with purple flowers, black fruit, and graphite. Nice acidity and fine tannins and mineral finish. Quite lovely alone and with food
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3/1/2024 - vvWine.ch wrote: 94 Points
Exotische Würze, Leder Cassis und Tee, Mokka, Tomatenmark und Trockenblüten. Dichter Gaumen, gradlinig, gute Struktur, saftige Frucht, noch jugendlich, doch antrinkbar. Sehr gute Länge und viel Würze im Abgang. Ein eleganter Cos. 2023 bis 2040...
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12/25/2023 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 93 Points
Exquisite wine that still shows its youthful nature. On the robust and mouth filling end of the spectrum. Cedar, dark fruit, graphite. Tannins softened but definitely still apparent. Didn’t waste a drop. This will be exceptional for a number of years if you can keep your corkscrew away from it.🤣 As much as we enjoyed this, can’t justify spending that much when there are other Napa and Bordeaux that approach this for half the price or less.
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12/13/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
**Its the holidays and nothing spells holiday in the mouth more than a younger, rich Cos. After having tried this a few times, this definitely falls in the Saint Estephe's micro appellation success camp for 2014. It seems that though many 2014 wines were tame and beautifully classic, Saint Estephe produced some really big rich wines at a discount. Look to this and the big Meyney for some examples (great QPR there). I have other examples in my head that I cant bring to mouth right now. This is rich, dark berried, spicy, jammy without being heavy, and incredibly delicious and a fine example of the modern direction of Cos. Drink with 90 minute+ decant or Hold
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11/13/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deep, dark, black, and red fruits come in opulent layers with touches of mint, spice, freshness, and energy, along with a bit of chalk and cocoa on the backend. This is a very strong wine for the vintage. Drink from 2023-2050.
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11/9/2023 - pren wrote: 91 Points
尝，气味deep，口中也很有分量，还太早
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11/8/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
Really beautiful and deep blue and black fruit, in stride with the Cos rich style. Deep and concentrated, yet never heavy and arguably light on its feet for the weight. Deep blueberry, dark cherry, graphite, and a touch of oak poking out that should transition into coffee notes with time. Really delicious and easy to understand. Drink or Hold
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11/7/2023 - Bigdong wrote: 94 Points
94-95, earth, acidic, chocolate
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8/19/2023 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened this last night. Still fairly primary after 24 hours in its open bottle 3/4 full, but certainly attractive and approachable--very nice black and blue fruit and mocha. Even so, I was hoping for more based on recent CT tastings. 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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8/7/2023 - Apollo5710 wrote: 95 Points
It opened with a big nose of cedar, and then promptly shut down after 10-20 minutes. But with just 1-2 hours in the decanter it reopened to showcase subtle aromas of blackberry complicated by more prominent notes of licorice, star anise, and cocoa. It gained notable weight and depth at this point as well, featuring a super smooth and lush chassis of the same flavors. It progressively became bigger and richer with more time, adding increasingly more complex and smoky flavors of lavender, chocolate, soy, almond, truffle, and game. It seemed to evolve with each sip, at one point reminding us of a mix of the exotic flowers we had just experienced at a botanical garden. This was opened at a restaurant so we didn't give it as much time as we would've normally (I imagine it opening and building further with 3-4 hours or more). Super refined and polished! Opened for 11th wedding anniversary. 95+ today (though my wife gave it 97 points), with plenty of upside in 5-10 years and beyond.
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6/3/2023 - Winsip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hours and drank over 2 hours, gorgeously perfumed of ripe black & blue fruits, dried raspberry and lavender aromas with a whiff of baking spices too. It's still a bit tight and closed today but already showing beautiful freshness and richness, structure is soft, medium to full-bodied, feminine in style, subtle tannins and finishing long and savory. Its class and regal are difficult to be hidden, just be patient for now and I suspect it will evolve to be ready for business after 2027.
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5/14/2023 - spillwine wrote: 94 Points
5 heures de carafe, jeune, pas pressé
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2/17/2023 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points
A blast of sweet red and blue fruit, followed by some fragrant cassis, cardamom, tapenade, fresh tobacco leaf, and floral notes. This was drinking really well with lots of vibrant fruit, youthful energy and some tannins still in play. Medium to full bodied with a medium-length finish. This should continue to improve with medium-term cellaring but is certainly worth enjoying a bottle now if you have a few extra.
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12/23/2022 - AJBurt Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow. Just starting to enter its drinking window. This has such class and poise, with loads of cold slate, graphite and gravelly st estephe goodness on the nose.
Palate is really concentrated with lots of blackcurrant and tobacco leaf.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and stands as the best ‘14 I’ve had. Happy to have more in the cellar as this is going to be spectacular in 10-15 years.
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11/17/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 94 Points
Aromatic on opening; cassis and blueberry; beginning hints of tobacco leaf.
Palate is generous, persistent and rounded. Tannins are a tad grippy. Early drinking window.
Outstanding.
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11/16/2022 - Luke Wine Likes this wine:
Lovely. Really nice poise, perfumed and delicious. Have not tried a Cos for a while and this reminded me how much I like the producer. Not a big wine at all, quite medium bodied and fine.
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10/30/2022 - 83Vintage wrote: 95 Points
It’s young but the pedigree is there. Dark and powerful, framed by oak that is not over built, this never loses focus or seriousness. It’s intense with sweet dark fruits, spice, leather, earth, and chocolate. It’s all there in a coiled package and by every indication you should store this in a dark cool part of your cellar for the next decade. Even so, right now this is a very classy wine.
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10/28/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 93 Points
Tight as a drum on the palate but very aromatic on opening. 24 hours of air make it very delicious. Red fruit, loam and tobacco leaf on the nose. Velvety tannins. Extreme length and concentration; not heavy handed. Exquisite “off” year effort. 93 with air now….96+ in a decade or so.
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10/20/2022 - Bigdong wrote: 94 Points
nyc
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8/6/2022 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
First time trying this wine. Coravin pour then opened couple days later and allowed to slow ox part and decanted about half. This may be the most interesting left bank 2014 I’ve tried. On a mission to try the 14 vintage now for wines I have a few or lots Of. Deep dark purple core almost to rim. Opens beautifully but with air just keeps getting better. Lots of smoke, dark fruit and some spice. A bit tannic in the finish but very long and the tannin is not overbearing. Certainly this is a wine to hold but it’s going to be a classic st estephe and I don’t regret the decision to try one. 94+ potential 96 or more in 5-20 years. Will save other bottles. I’m just thinking if this is the quality of the 14, the 16 might just be exceptional.
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6/23/2022 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened this last night, at which time it was pretty simple and closed. That has changed. Tonight? Wow! Big dark, opaque red color that stains the glass red. Gorgeous strawberry jam nose, plus raspberries. This is a very rich, full wine with tremendous depth. Loads of fruit and creme de cassis buried a bit behind substantial but not harsh tannins. I read some of the other notes on this last night, and I think they offer great insight. This wine, once a bit further along, will be very special. 5-14-16-8: 93/100. Future potential over 95.
Update: Next day, showing more spice on the nose, including cinnamon.
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6/18/2022 - stkilda Likes this wine: 94 Points
It was fascinating to sample the 2014 Cos d’ Estournel definitely an excercise worth doing if you happen to have numerous bottles . Like many other reviewers I also think this vintage need a lot more time to evolve. There’s lots of promise to come the structure is there and I can also understand how some tasters assimilate the wine to a New World expression. So if you just have the one bottle you need to hold this it will pay dividends . My score is on current enjoyment and if you do indeed open a bottle yes give it a long decant.
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4/23/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 95 Points
From a half bottle. Dark colour. Big mulberry nose with plums, graphite and oak on the palate. Sweet fruit. Still plenty of soft tannins and a huge finish. Drinking well now and will continue to improve for 5 years and drink well for 25. It will be a fascinating development.
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4/17/2022 - Beeck10 wrote: 94 Points
I drank cheval 2011 at the same time as cos d'estournel 2014, and when I read the reviews on cellar tracker or at wine advocate they both indicate that cos is bigger than cheval, the question is when?
Now cheval is much more accessible and much better balanced , even though both wines have a lot of power , cos is still completely closed , in the long run it will probably be the better of the 2 , but at the moment cheval is
very accessible and pleasant to drink , mms still 5 years too early ! For cos I would say 15/20 years! with cheval I had figs and a sweet touch in the nose, even some chalk which is not really possible with the ripe merlot..also blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam.
Maybe cheval lacks some complexity! But it was very pleasant to drink ! cos is the bombastic one , I regret to have it drink to fast , If you want to drink now, please decant it at least 4/6 hours before
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4/1/2022 - PghMike Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very aromatic on the nose with a spice i couldnt quite put my finger on, sweet wood or cream with plum and blackberry. Masculine. Deep and brooding fruit. Plum and dried fig with some menthol. Juicy acidity driving some pop on the back end. Tannins still quite dusty. Similar to some of the other notes it is hard to pin down all of the pieces and parts of this wine. What I know is that it is incredibly enjoyable.
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3/25/2022 - vpwine wrote:
.
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2/19/2022 - Swanywawa Likes this wine: 96 Points
After a two hour decant, we thoroughly enjoyed a bouquet that opened with dark fruits, slate and graphite. Across the palate, the fruit of fig and blueberries was subtle but there across the entire journey and layered with cocoa and thyme, but earthy truffles, too. Wonderfully paired with wild duck breasts and a blueberry compote reduction. It will be hard to wait before opening another!
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2/9/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote: 95 Points
Haven't had a bottle of Cos in ages, so we cracked the 2014, decanted for a few hours and followed over the course of two days ...
Great wines are not just pleasurable, they haunt you, they have mysterious nooks and crannies to explore as the hours (and days) unfold. This wine haunted me (especially on day two) as I tried to put my finger on (and itemize) all the scents I was picking up ...
This wine is just about great, and it shows off the vintage beautifully with its classicism and typicite, but also the vintages' lower ripeness level. (A limitation of the vintage: if there was a little more fruit ripeness and a silkier midpalate, I think this wine would rate even higher; it will never be a "100 pt" wine for that reason, but perfection can be the enemy of greatness)
While there is fruit lurking in the wine (macerated plums, blueberries, purple mulberries), it is tightly enrobed and concealed by so many other dark and mysterious aromatic qualities/compounds that it becomes an alchemic admixture more than fermented grape juice. What I can pick out and label from the nose and palette are charcoal, incense (nag champa?), marsh grass, lactic tones (sour milk?), herbs (thyme), roasted/candied tomatoes and black truffle. It makes you wonder if the wine was produced from grapes or is instead some kind of herbalist's concoction instead. A lot of the wine's notes are probably oak-based, but I think I could pick this out as St Estephe vs St Julien pretty easily (the former always comes across as earthier and swampier to me, the latter more finely pixelated in their distinct layers of fruitiness). It is not over-oaked at this stage; the oak spice has been almost perfectly absorbed by the fruit.
So glad to have a few more of these. While it is surprisingly open for business now, I would wait 5 years before the next bottle and one every 5 years after that to see if the deeply enmeshed scents and flavors can unpack a bit and pixelate further. Tannins are very ripe, not drying at all.
If you have a few, try one in the near term.
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12/4/2021 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 95 Points
2014 cos is balance from the very start. nothing is out of place. beautiful dark fruits, nice velvety tannin. It is still bdx, but leans toward napa. 4/4 liked it better than the 2014 montrose and calon segur.
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11/28/2021 - wineotim Likes this wine: 95 Points
My second review of this wine. More complexity now, I love the graphite and iron aromas and flavors. The fruit has morphed into the back ground. This is one of a handful of wines I've reviewed that made me ask "is this really wine?" It was more like an elixir or potion. This is Bordeaux at its best.
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10/1/2021 - Andice wrote: 89 Points
From half bottle. Not ready at all. Tight with bundled up bitter chocolate and sooty notes. Palate is all primary dark fruit with still jarring tannins. There is quality underneath but years from being ready for the traditional palate. Drinks like a new world cab.
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8/5/2021 - Stephan O Likes this wine: 92 Points
Subtle and classy. The Merlot dominates: fig, plum, cocoa, and gravel, with a soft velvety feel. Good balance, decent length. Was expecting a bit more all around given the plaudits and pedigree, but I'm several years early to the dance, I think. CT's tasting window seems spot-on yet again.
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5/15/2021 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 4h, enjoyed with fried rice and grilled chicken for dinner with close friends, a great way to experience a beautiful Bdx, which this certainly was. No formal notes, but this wine was enjoyed by all. Powerful, fragrant, complex, fully in its drinking window. 94/95
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1/30/2021 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 95 Points
(1/30/21) This bottle spent six hours in the decanter. There was a fair amount of smoke-like sediment in the last half centimeter of the wine when poured from the bottle. In the glass, the wine appeared a deep, impenetrable garnet.
A powerful wine clearly packed with fruit, this bottle was just barley approachable through the tannins and was not particularly nuanced. There was a vague richness to the fruit but that’s about all. This bottle was also way out of balance for my palate, with the alcohol distinctly detectable in the mid-palate and the watery finish. The person I shared the bottle with, however, detected nothing amiss in this or any other quarter. She found it concentrated with good fruit and said it had a good finish. She also found no alcohol bitterness. Go figure.
Maybe this would have become a stellar bottle of wine for me down the road, but for me, tonight, this bottle was merely slightly below average/adequate. 14% abv. (**/14/87)
Day 2: After 24 hours under vacuum seal in the fridge, this is a different wine to me tonight. The person I shared it with last night says it’s exactly the same to her, so I think my palate was just off last night. Tonight, my perception is of a wine that is deep, dark, powerful, concentrated, intense, and very well balanced. There is no sign of alcohol bitterness at all. The score has been updated to reflect tonight’s experience. (****/17.5/95)
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1/11/2021 - Motz wrote: 96 Points
Tasted over three days, the first and second alongside the 2005 La Tour Carnet and 2006 Cantemerle.
The longer I drink Bordeaux, especially from the Left Bank, the more vintage signatures stand out. In 2014, the signature is defined by uncommon concentration and velour-like tannins. For inexplicable reasons, this vintage has gone unheralded by many pro reviewers and thus offers tremendous value.
Deep purple to crimson in the glass.
The bouquet offers muddled thick flower petals and blue and purple berries, along with 'sweet' oak, in noteworthy harmony the flowers and fruit. All other elements, and there are many, including mint, menthol, cacao, pipe tobacco, deciduous forest sous-bois, black earth, and gravel interplay with the floral, berry, and oak essences. (Those who follow my notes will know that I usually regard oak as a great detractor of quality, particularly where it masks terroir. That I single out the highly judicious and balanced oak treatment here connotes much.)
The concentration of fruit and textural richness tantalize the senses. All that is good about Saint-Julien, in my opinion a meeting point between Paulliac (strapping) and Margaux (seductive), can be had here. (Saint-Estèphe holds sway as the 'other'.) Blue and black berry flavors, accentuated by all other elements conveyed in the bouquet, dance across the palate, carried by luxurious powdery and velour-like tannin. These sensations, combined with the seductively powerful back and protracted finish, mark this as an 'iron fist in a velvet glove' stylistically. Every bit as fresh on the third day as the first, and even more evocative; the mint and cacao elements intertwined with newly revealed blackberry liqueur essences.
A twenty year wine from today, which can be approached now, after a long decant (eight plus hours will do it no harm). Once fully integrated...Wow! 95-97.
The best 2014 Left Bank I have encountered to date, with Pontet-Canet and Léoville Barton holding second and third respectively.
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1/10/2021 - brothney@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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1/10/2021 - brothney@gmail.com wrote:
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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1/10/2021 - brothney@gmail.com wrote:
owc, sealed - RP 94 --A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d'Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.
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11/22/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Wow, I need more of this. Firmly in my wheelhouse, with tremendous balance, and bright, resonating purity. This continued to improve through the final sip, some three hours after it was opened. Exciting stuff, and should age very well. highly recommended
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10/3/2020 - R Z Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ripe fruit, elegance, slight oak, spectacular. Opened 4 hours before dinner, did not decant. Right up there with the 2005 Mouton Rothschild from last spring. Paired with home-cooked fillet mignon and mushroom risotto (preceded by Bollinger NV rose champagne).
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5/1/2020 - akim_hobo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark fruit, pureed plum, wet earth, can almost smell dairy, hint of bramble and spice. Full body, beautiful silky texture with fine tannins arriving later into the med length finish. Round soft dark fruits here in nice balance. Would want a touch more acidity, but it's drinking so well now I can't complain
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2/17/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 92 Points
See 2004
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1/20/2020 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Cabernet... some herbaceous notes. Serious decant needed 3-7 hours . Opened up finally glossy and full and delicious
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12/2/2019 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 94 Points
2014, Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, Frankreich.Intensive und gleichzeitig sehr tiefe Nase, dunkelfruchtig, mit viel Tabak, Kaffee, Lebkuchengewürzen, Kräutern und getrockneten Blumen. Im Gaumen gradlinig und klar, ungemein dicht, dabei aber nicht plump, der Wein hat Körper, Struktur und eine sehr knackige Frucht, diese wird umgarnt von feinen, reifen Gerbstoffen und belebt von einer top Säure. Im Abgang mit viel Eleganz und beeindruckender Länge. Ein unterschätzter Jahrgang, ein wunderbarer Cos. 2020-2035+, 19 vvPunkte (94/100). vvWine.ch
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11/8/2019 - dchain Likes this wine: 94 Points
From d-mg. Wonderful deep glossy ruby. Touch of coffee infused cherry fruit. Healthy ripeness and glossy fruit. Lovely spicy Cos terroir coming through. Shockingly good to drink already, primary yes but so robust and exciting. Wonderful length, tannins wrapped up in the lush fruit. Still fresh despite the ripeness. Excellent!
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9/7/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consistent to my previous notes, a great young drinking wine, classic style, beautiful wine.
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6/14/2019 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points
3 hour decant
Highly aromatic nose with dark blue and back fruit, licorice, wet leather, and a touch of heat and oak. Medium plus bodied palate, high acidity with pent up tannins. Great length but youthful finish that needs serious time to soften and integrate.
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5/16/2019 - farinas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark young and reticent with solid potential.
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5/10/2019 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 94 Points
A stonking success, a wine not to be overlooked. Beautiful cherry, geranium, vanilla scents. Cherry and a sort of quatre-epice on the nose. A great and pleasant surprise.
Score : 94. Relative to expectations: ++
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4/27/2019 - Marcosuru wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic. From another planet.
Long, elegant, concentrated, dense, complex, etc, etc.
Of course lots of fruit, wood and tannins. It appears to be shutting down, but very enjoyable. Improved with every sip.
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4/7/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
A wine of huge presence, the 2014 Cos really jumps from the glass. Tremendously ripe cassis, mineral, and lavender accents wrapped up in a lot of oak. 80% new oak was used in the 2014. This is a good wine, and an enjoyable one to drink - but I find this a little too heavy handed with the oak and alcohol, a bit too Napa like. And despite the accolades this wine receives, I suppose I'm not the only one with these concerns because with 2015 and 2016, the new oak has been reduced from 80% to 65% and the alcohol has come down from 14.2% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015 and 13.2% in 2016. It will be fun to compare the 14/15/16 Cos side by side over the next 60 years.
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7/29/2018 - Fred_Bo Likes this wine: 95 Points
WOW. That is almost the only thing I can say.
This wine has tremendous potential and in twenty or thirty years time, this will sing like angles from above. HOLY SHIT!
Opened 04.00, consumed at 24.50, so twenty hours after triple decant this monster of a wine did not leave much. A HOLY BLOCK of cassis was it. You could only hint slight notes of blackcurrant, blackberry and some meat. But OH the potential. This a wine with status of "BUY ON SIGHT".
Keep for the next 20-30 years and this baby will reward you ever so kindly.
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7/8/2018 - SARED Likes this wine:
Opened a 375ml and immediately regretted it. Lots of concentrated, structured potential. Great! But felt it was much too young... will (try) to hold off my other 375ml for 5+ years.
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6/1/2018 - Wine G Likes this wine: 94 Points
Brief,not in depth, but Wow on the aromatics and the eye. really that oily look with gorgeous colors, the nose is just huge and abundant classic rich notes. Need to spend more time with this baby and get a better note on the palate and finish.cheers!
Following up after finishing the 2nd half of the bottle. Excellent wine with a lot of depth and the very end of the bottle continued to evolve and improve. Just not the best QPR for other 2014-2016 bordeaux that are available.
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5/12/2018 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consistent notes
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5/11/2018 - curtr Likes this wine:
Needs 7-10 years of age to develop. Shows very good promise.
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4/28/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 3h, sampled this gorgeous, long-legged purpleness throughout. The nose is lush, perfumy, and complex, hints of berries, flowers, cedar, spices, and toast. Lots of evoluton in the first hour. Immediately after opening there was a riot of flavors on the palate, some of them wierd and (to me) unbordeaux, like buttered popcorn and molten black chocolate, but then it settled down and became more high profile, new world, black cherries and black berries, graphite, mineral, eye watering intensity throughout the entire mouth. Full bodied, voluptuous. Even in its hedonistic youth there is room for everything, and everything is in its place. Glad I have more, and can try again in a few years. Agree with previous CT reviews that this is built for the long haul. I don't mark wines higher than 94 that often but this one was worth it! Tonight with grilled burgers and sweet potato fries (Because an outstanding Bdx goes well with just about anything).
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2/10/2018 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consistent to last time, drinking extremely well right now, great wine!
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1/13/2018 - myofin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rich focused black fruit, many layers, long finish. The texture and extraction stood out in a lineup of other 2014 Bordeaux.
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12/30/2017 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mirrors my last tasting of this wine, amazingly good and with a PnP, refined tannins but age should help if I can keep my hands off them...
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10/30/2017 - wineotim Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very accessible, does not need a lot of aeration....there I said it, but it will be a long lived wine. Very dark violet, full bodied, long legs, lush and silky, dry ripe black fruit, good grip on the long finish. I'm scoring this the same as the '12 vintage, surprisingly. This is not as structured as the '12, will open another one soon to compare.
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9/20/2017 - Cathair Chaladinn Likes this wine: 93 Points
I was curious to taste the 2014 Cos d Estournel as some wine critics had suggested trying the wine in its youth to enjoy the fruit in its youth.You certainly feel some excitement upon opening a case with the gorgeous label displayed. If you like me have significant holdings of this wine you would be doing no harm in sampling the contents. So If you do intend doing so may I recommend decanting this wine well ahead of dinner even first thing in the morning because it requires serious aeration for the wine to soften somewhat and for it to be enjoyable. Its superbly structured and built for the long haul, dark crimson purple in color the nose is a little muted initially but opens up to reveal a cornucopia of exotic aromas. In a blind tasting it would be entirely possible that I would not have recognized this as being a Bordeaux from St Estephe. Its just such a baby and needs serious time in the cellar for me, I will wait at least another 5 years before opening another bottle unlike some other 2014's which are much more approachable in their youth. Never the less it was educating and enjoyable exercise. I have no doubt that the wine will merit a higher score with time but for me it did not necessarily give me that instant sense of sensual enjoyment but it was getting better and better the more time it sat in the glass.
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9/4/2017 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark black and blue fruits, dark currant, silky smooth with a velvety texture, coffee, sour cherry, backend chewy tannins, this is a pretty big wine at this stage but as most of already written, it's drinking very well young and will only get better with some good age 8-10 years to start. I'd try now if you have many bottles and save the rest.
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7/18/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Full bodied, concentrated and with a lush character to the tannins, the fruit is ripe, sweet and fresh. There is a sweetness and purity to the dark red berries that tastes and feels great. On the palate, the blackberries, earth, licorice and spice continue the experience. Drink a bottle young for its youthful vibrancy and save the rest for at least a decade, which is when this beauty will just start to shine its lights brightly.
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7/4/2017 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious! Smooth as silk, grand finish with finesse tart to sweet cherry, vanilla and gripping tannins. Enjoyable now, will develop with age. Reminiscent of the 2009 vintage at a similar stage in its life... all the stuffing is there... Pop or hold... Much better than Pagodas 2014, which is a tad thin at this stage... This COS is the real deal - and a steal at $120 or less a bottle...
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5/20/2017 - wineforth Likes this wine: 96 Points
No 2016 at the en primeur tasting so we had 2014 instead. Fabulous nose, loads of fruit and tons of soft tannins. Extremely long finish. Superb.
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5/14/2017 - ChristopherB Likes this wine:
Nice dark garnet/black cherry colour with a nearly opaque core. Upon opening, timid aromas of blackberries, black cherries, blond tobacco, liquorice and leather. There is also some smoke. On the palate, the attack is…. Wow! Very frank and almost brutal (in a good way?). A wall of (fine) tannins and bitterness stand before a very tight sphere of concentrated black fruit, smoke, liquorice and tobacco. St-Estèphe! Very good length ending on some oaky notes and toasted notes with espresso, chocolate and cinnamon. The acidity is not as high as some other vintages I have tasted - we’ll see the effect in the long run. For the time being, I can’t find the metallic-dark grape aromas I have always found as typical of Cos in vintages going all the way back to 1988.
My first Cos vintage since Guillaume Prats left and now, I find the style to be less Cos and more St-Estèphe. That being said, it is impeccable. Wonderful material that has been mastered with skill. Bravo! No score at this point but mid-nineties (95?) in the long run. Some Bordeaux I find good to drink in their first year before closing down, but this is not the case for this wine. I’d give it till 2026 before the next bottle - if I manage to resist for that long. I’ll be enjoying Pagodes de Cos in the meantime. Looking forward to tasting my other 2014.
Belle robe grenat-cerise-noir foncé. À prime abord, des arômes timides de mûres, cerises noirs, de tabac blond, de réglisse et de cuir. Il y a aussi de la fumée. En bouche l'attaque est... Wow! Très franche et brusque. Un mur de tannins (fins) et d'amertume se dresse devant un une sphère concentrée de fruité noir, de fumée, de réglisse et de tabac. St-Estèphe! Très bonne longueur se terminant sur des notes de boisé et de grillé et un léger côté espresso, chocolaté et de cannelle. L'acidité n'est pas aussi élevée qu'à d'autres millésimes - reste à voir l'effet sur le long terme. Pour l'instant, je n'y trouve pas le raisin-métal qui est, pour moi, si typique de Cos.
Mon premier Cos d'un millésime depuis le départ de Guillaume Prats et maintenant, le style fait un peu moins Cos et un peu plus St-Estèphe. Cela dit, c'est impeccable. Une belle matière maîtrisée avec brio. Bravo!
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5/12/2017 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Might have been my favorite of the day. Definitely one of the richest. Aromas so primary it smells like a blackberry reduction. Black-fruited on the palate too, but well-defined with some Pauillac-like lead-pencil notes. Intense and saturating, balanced out by seriously grippy tannins.
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4/26/2015 - edub7 wrote: 97 Points
Rich Crimson rim surrounding a very deep and dark core. Alluring floral and zesty nose, on the entry brilliant red fruit countered with an array of spices, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, along with intriguing mint. This wine is well balanced, great elegance, purity and power. Rich mouth feel, yet showing finesse with silky black cherries, subtle with fine grain tannins, and little toasty notes kick in towards the finish. Seems natural and effortless. Very harmonious, long and classy. This wine is already so appealing, but will cellar well for 30 years or more. A brilliant Cos. 80% new oak. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 2% cabernet franc. This will be a worthy contender along with Montrose for wine of the appellation 2014. In the early running, I give Cos the nod.
96-97
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4/13/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Intense in color with a showy nose and the already present tones of tobacco leaves, anise, earth and vine-ripened berries, this wine is luxurious on the palate, plump and concentrated with roasted espresso bean, cocoa, warm berries, spice and freshness to the ripe fruits in the finish. Produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.77. The wine is aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. After a rocky start with the difficult 2013 vintage, Aymeric de Gironde has clearly stepped up his game! 95-96 Pts
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