May 15, 2025
One of the boldest wines we tried in 2024: Cos d’Estournel
2024 Cos d’Estournel
95-98 Points - “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.” - Antonio Galloni
Cos d’Estournel is one of the most distinctive chateaux in Bordeaux, instantly recognisable for its exotic architecture and bold, opulent style. Situated on the hill of Saint-Estèphe near the Pauillac border, the estate benefits from exceptional gravel soils and south-facing slopes. Known as the “Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe,” Cos blends power with finesse in both its Grand Vin and Pagodes de Cos. Under Michel Reybier’s ownership, it remains a benchmark for modern precision and age-worthy grandeur.
he 2024 Cos d’Estournel is shaping up to be one of the Left Bank’s standout wines. Intensely coloured and impressively structured, it balances power with precision, showing a Pauillac-like core of dark fruit, graphite, and spice. With 12.8% alcohol and 50% new oak, the wine remains fresh, focused and impeccably balanced. Galloni called it “super-classic,” and Suckling praised its depth and density. A confident, age-worthy Cos with trademark grandeur and finesse, and a must-have in 2024.
Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2024 is one of the most thrilling whites of the vintage—vibrant, textured, and packed with energy. A blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon, it bursts with citrus, guava, white peach and subtle creaminess. With piercing freshness and layered complexity, this is a white Bordeaux with serious ageing potential. James Suckling awarded is 97-98 whilst decanter scored it 97-points, confirming its place among the standout dry whites of 2024.
The 2024 Cos d’Estournel Rouge and Blanc exemplify the château’s distinctive blend of tradition and forward-thinking precision—capturing the essence of Bordeaux while pushing boundaries in both expression and technique.
Cos d’Estournel 2024
€99* In Bond per bottle
95-98 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni
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. Drinking Window: 2034 - 2054
96-97 Points | James Suckling
There is huge depth and lots of intensity from this year's Cos. Quite powerful, deeply colored and dense, but there is freshness. Concentrated and tight-grained, with a full body and a pretty lengthy finish. Quite unique for its broadness and density, with lots of blackberries in the finish.
96 Points | Decanter, Georgina Hindle
Wonderful fragrance coming out of the glass, perfumed notes with cedar, cherry and chocolate. Juicy, sweetly chewy and grippy, this has so much personality straight away with such density in the mouth for the vintage but so well controlled. Great intensity and follow through with a direct line but not too lean at all. Freshness is there but ripeness is too so you have a great combination of structure and focus. Precise and refined but utterly joyful too. It keeps a straight line towards the finish, narrowing with cola, liquorice and slate but this will grow over ageing. Wonderful, a great effort. 13% press. 0.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Ageing 50% new barrels. 3.57pH. A yield of 30hl/ha. Kept organic status.
93-95 Points | Vinous - Neal Martin
The 2024 Cos d'Estournel was picked from September 23 to October 7 and matured in 50% new oak. This has an atypically powerful bouquet, revealing black fruit laced with graphite and gravelly scents. The palate has a Pauillac-like entry that's fresh but certainly intense. There's plenty of grip in this Cos d'Estournel that's a little sweeter and reassuringly persistent on the finish compared to its peers. It does not deliver the mineralité of a top-flight Cos d'Estournel, though there's certainly much more fruit intensity than you would expect given the growing season. I observed more classicism during my second record, which suggests that the depth of fruit may become more prominent during barrel maturation. Readers should note it displayed more depth and precision on my second visit on the final day in Bordeaux.
Fine Wine Library:
Saint-Estephe is known for producing wines with notable power, but there were concerns that this trademark strength might be lacking in the 2024 vintage. At Cos, the power was certainly there. Big rich structure, graphite, tobacco, dark fruit and hint of floral and liquorice notes. Lots of dark fruit like blackberry, black cherries rounded out by a nice minerality. Very persistent with a long length and good aging potential. Impressed.
Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2024
€127* In Bond per bottle
97 Points | Decanter, Georgina Hindle
Lemon balm, creaminess, some waxy fruit, acacia and white peach. Lovely scents and more than just citrus. Round, layered and interesting, this has a tiny touch of pineapple giving sweetness and bitterness with peach and pear and crisp apple too. Lovely weight and focus to this. Layered and determined but with a gentle confidence. Great for the vintage, tangy, clean, pure but so alive! Really just amazing energy here. I love it. Great complexity and nuance. Ageing 8% new barrels. 3.04pH.
97-98 Points | James Suckling
A full-bodied white that’s 60% sauvignon blanc and 40% semillon. Very bright acidity with creamy wood influence. Intense kiwis, green stone fruit and guavas. Long, intense, textured and so vibrant, with a lasting, mouthwatering finish.
93-95 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni
The 2024 Cos d'Estournel Blanc is one of the best editions of this wine I can remember tasting. Rich and ample, the 2024 possesses notable textural richness but also a good bit of moderating vibrancy. The balance here is simply superb. Lemon confit, almond, white flowers and chalk build into the layered, resonant finish.
92-94 Points |Vinous - Neal Martin
The 2024 Cos d'Estournel Blanc has more delineation and tension than the Pagodes on the nose. It's more citrus-driven with touches of yuzu and lime. The palate is fresh and bright on the entry, with a keen line of acidity and an intense lemon peel- and orange zest-tinged finish. This is a very fine Cos d'Estournel Blanc that will be difficult to resist in its youth.
*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.