The 2019 Cos d'Estournel is a deep, powerful wine. That has been true on both times I have tasted it recently. Readers will have to be patient. Those who can afford it will be rewarded with a towering, statuesque Saint-Estèphe. With a bit of air the fruit starts to emerge, but this is a very reticent Cos that does not show the opulence that it often does in its youth. Gravel, smoke, incense, tobacco and dried flowers gradually unfurl over time, hinting at a very bright future. The 2019 is impressive. That's all there is to it. Tasted two times.

The 2019 Cos d'Estournel was picked from September 23 to October 7 at 43hL/ha, matured in a judicious 55% new oak, and bottled in July 2021 by gravity. It is more backward on the nose, and there’s nothing wrong with that for a Grand Vin. Biding its time, it opens to deliver lovely, very pure scents of blackberry, raspberry coulis and touches of graphite and violet, the latter having developed during barrel maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, and the texture is a little more crunchy than when tasted from barrel sample. Gone is the silkiness; in its place there is backbone and grip, features that will stand this Cos d’Estournel in good stead for considerable cellar aging. It displays more classicism in bottle compared to barrel, and exhibits more Saint-Estèphe DNA.

The 2019 Cos d'Estournel was picked from 23 September to 7 October at 43hl/ha and matured in a judicious 55% new oak. It marks a serious and tangible upgrade over the Les Pagodes as you would expect: far more intensity, more fruit and complexity. It delivers gorgeous, very pure scents of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone and just a hint of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, pitch perfect acidity and a satin-like texture. One of the most harmonious Cos d'Estournel that I have encountered in barrel and, though it is not quite touching the same ethereal level, it reminds me of the 2016 towards the finish. Utterly divine.

Powerful, concentrated and textured black cherry, cassis and blueberry fruits, laden with black truffle, cocoa bean and liquorice root. Reduction on the first nose gives a gunsmoke edge, this is full of personality and opens to show fresh acidities and finessed tannins. Such a good vintage at this estate, one to cellar for a good few years and then luxuriate in when it's ready. 40hl/h.

The 2019 Cos d'Estournel is exquisitely beautiful. Dark, pliant and wonderfully inviting, the 2019 has so much to offer. Readers will find a wine of notable restraint and dramatic beauty. The purity of the fruit is just striking. Time in the glass brings out the wine's textural depth and rich, driving resonance. The combination of ripeness and energy is compelling.