Château Cos d'Estournel, 2024

"The 2024 Cos d'Estournel could very well be one of the wines of the vintage. Bright and vibrant in the glass, with tons of energy, the 2024 impresses with its vertical structure, depth and overall balance. Blue/purplish fruit, spice, new leather, lavender and mocha are beautifully delineated throughout. The 2024 is super-classic. The modest 12.8% alcohol is notable, especially because that also means there is less extraction of wood. Cos is one of my early favorites in 2024."

"(St-Estèphe; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 38% Merlot; 0.5% Petit Verdot; 1.5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of around 30 hl/ha; pH 3.57; IPT 71; aging in oak, 50% of it new; 12.8% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at the property with Dominique Arangoits and members of the Reybier family). Profound. Cool and inviting. That sensation of descending the stone steps down into the crypt, with a hint of candle smoke and incense alongside the dark berry and stone fruits – cassis, damson, a little very dark chocolate, bramble, mulberry, graphite. This is cool and svelte on the entry. Impressively broad-framed and impressively layered – the gravitas from the layering here producing a greater vertical range because of the thicker layers (not silk, nor even cashmere but velvet). But what I like most is that this remains pure and clear and limpid and crystalline – like the surface of a wide lake at night. The cassis builds with aeration rendering this very classical. Gorgeous texturally."

"Highly textural, with layers and depth, this shows savoury and slim black fruits, real finesse, beautifully precise and grippy texture, cocoa bean, espresso, lovely quality. This feels genuinely old school in the best sense of the word. Harvest 23 September to 7 October. 3.52 pH. 20% new oak, 46% 1st wine."