Score: 94-96 RP

Region: Bordeaux

District: Saint Estephe

Type: Still Wine

Color: Red

Varietal: Blends & Meritage

Vintage: 2008

Size: 3L

Available: 3

Brand: See more from Chateau Cos D'Estournel

Sku: 109683

Price: $634.99

Wine Spectator Review:
Sweet tobacco, tar, blueberry and coffee aromas. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fresh finish. Bright and fruity, with a lovely finish. A crisp, precise and focused wine, with a lively finish. 85 percent Cabernet, slightly more than usual. Score range 91-94

Parker Review:
The inky/purple-hued 2008 Cos is still very young, and probably will improve even further as the wine came out of malolactic fermentation very late. It reveals exceptionally precise, fresh aromas of black fruits, crushed rocks, licorice, flowers, and subtle smoke. Dense and high in tannin, the extraordinary richness of polyphenols has given the wine power, substance, and depth, but the sweetness of the tannin and the seemingly low acidity, even though the wine tastes remarkably fresh and the pH is only 3.57 (compared to pHs close to 4 when the fruit is this ripe), has given the wine a precision and elegance that is remarkable. And dont forget, this is probably the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever used in a Cos dEstournel blend. This wine should gain weight, richness, and a few Parker points by the time it is bottled. It is even denser and richer than the 1996, with an index of polyphenols at 80, which is not unusual for many of the top wines of the vintage, but is extremely high, and more along the lines of what one would find in the top wines of 2005. It should evolve for 30-35 years.

Tanzer Review:
Saturated purple-ruby. Complex, sexy aromas of plum, dark chocolate and balsamic vinegar. The silky flavors of blackcurrant, tobacco and sweet oak show extraordinary baby fat and volume. Wonderfully rich and extremely powerful wine with a very long, perfumed back end. One of the best wines from Cos in years and a candidate for one of the ten top wines of the vintage, this will age effortlessly. The quality of this wine may well be partly due to the spectacular new cellar facility at Cos where the use of a liquid carbon dioxide cooling tunnel now limits possible oxidation of grapes. 91 - 93 points.

Other Notes:
En primeur barrel sample. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, cropped at 27hl/ha and representing 78% of total production. It has a deep purple colour. The nose takes some coaxing so left a minute or two before I start taking notes. Good definition, perhaps less intensity than the 2007 but very well poised. Blackberry, freshly tilled soil, wild hedgerow and dewy meadows. The palate is medium-bodied, here you find the power and the intensity, very focused, a greater sense of mineralite than I have noticed in previous years. The finish is quite linear, very correct but it really stays in the mouth long after you have swallowed this nectar. A serious contender for wine of the vintage...its that good. Tasted March 2009. Neal Martin, 94-96 points.