1996 Cos d'Estournel Saint Estephe

1996 Cos d'Estournel Saint Estephe

I have to use the word exceptional Cos d’Estournel to describe this wine. I must have drank this wine many times in the past, but normally only a glass or two, and never evaluated from a whole bottle perspective. Last night I had the pleasure to properly decant and drink the whole bottle, and thus my faithful evaluation. Started off with some mocha and latte bouquet notes initially, and slowly progressed towards smokiness. Content was stunning, with loads of vanilla, mocha and latte notes. Most importantly, the body was never overpowering (I remembered a couple of years ago it was infused with too much oak, but obviously time has tamed it down), a great balance between fruits and finesse, the silky elegance coupled with superb multi layered taste was simply stunning. One of the best Cos d’Estournel I’ve had in my memory (apart from 61 and 70). Recommended decanting time: 2 hours

7 Jul 2014
One of the best made Cos before the style was influenced by Parker.