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Les Pagodes de Cos 2009

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Cos d'Estournel

Label

Tasting Notes

The brilliant 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos actually has more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than the grand vin (69% versus 65%) in addition to mostly Merlot and a small quantity of Petit Verdot. As powerful as the Cos in terms of alcoholic clout (14.5%), the full-bodied, round, generous Les Pagodes de Cos exhibits lots of creme de cassis and floral notes intermixed with hints of wood/barrique and spice. Juicy, succulent and remarkably fresh and well-delineated, it merits considerable attention from consumers. It should drink well for 15-20 years. Oddly enough, the second wine is superior to many vintages of Cos in the 1960s 1970s and 1980s!

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (199), March 2012

The 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos takes a few swirls of the glass to unfurl, perhaps never quite clicking into fifth gear. Tobacco-stained black fruit, briary and woodland scents eventually emerge; with decanting I suspect this would transmute into an attractive bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, quite symmetrical and extremely well balanced. It is not the most powerful or complex northern Médoc and yet there is surfeit elegant and poise. Enjoy this now and over the next decade. Perversely, I prefer this to the Grand Vin! Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. 2022 - 2035

91
Neal Martin, vinous.com, March 2019

Wow. Intense aromas of blackberry, toasted nuts and spices follow through to full body, with layers of fruit and wonderful length. Very, very impressive. For a second wine, this is quite the glassful

90/93
James Suckling, Wine Spectator, March 2010

Very deep crimson - a real glow. Floral nose - rather exotic but with a few notes of greenness. Thick and sweet on the front end, almost tarry - very drying tannins on the finsh after massive sweet hit. A bit overripe. Just too much. Drying tannins on the finish. Apparently the old Marbuzet fruit goes into Pagodes. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2015-2020.

15.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2010

Jean-Guillaume Prats believes that his 2009 second wine is better than any vintage of the "grand vin" of Cos d'Estournel of the 1990's. Made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This does not taste anything like a second wine! A very sexy nose of Asian spices from the 50% new oak, classic Cos! An inky black colour and huge density of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Plump and rich, held together by some significant tannins. This is more like a good classed growth than an attempt to make something simple and early-drinking.

92
Farr Vintners, April 2010

Crunchy red and black fruits are in evidence on the nose all quite concentrated. There is high acidity on the palate but enough sweetness towards the back to cope. Cassis is to the fore with a hint of sloe in the background. Drink 2020-2045.

91/94
Derek Smedley MW, April 2010

Like the grand vin at Cos, this is a HUGE wine. Some may feel that it would be more at home in the Napa Valley than the Médoc, but there's no denying its power, concentration and depth. Big, ripe, butch and super-charged it may be, but the fruit is of high quality and the tannins are polished and very fine. Lots of oak, lots of flavour, but a controversial style. 15+ years.

93
Tim Atkin MW, April 2010

Black red that sticks to the glass, cassis nose, succulent, spicy, lifted fruit, fleshy and rich, velvety texture and tannins to back it up. Drink 2014-20.

17
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2010
Read more tasting notes...

The 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos is also a remarkable offering. Composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol, and is better than most Cos d'Estournel vintages produced in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. It is a full-bodied, opulently concentrated wine of amazing richness, density, and intensity. As with the grand vin, the harvest began on September 26 and finished on October 10. This wine possesses this vintage's classic characteristics of enormous power, massive fruit, and extraordinary freshness and precision - largely unprecedented, particularly for Cabernet-based wines in the Medoc. (Tasted once.)

Robert Parker added an asterisk to this wine score to signify that it is a wine he considers has the finest potential of all the offerings he has ever tasted from this estate in nearly 32 years of barrel tasting samples in Bordeaux.

91/94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010

This is very deep and limpid in colour. The second wine of Cos d'Estournel has an intense nose of blackberry, smoke and tobacco, with a touch of Saint Estephe tertiary aromatics. A second sample is more lifted and glossier. The palate is full-bodied, a lot of extraction, pure blackberry, bilberry, spice and a touch of liquorices. Huge grip on the finish with just a hint of sweet dates. Tasted March 2010.

87/89
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2010
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.