2009 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe & Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux Horizontal

“A wine with intense spice and berry character, with hints of sweet tobacco. It changes all the time from flowers to fruit and wet earth. Full-bodied, with super fine tannins and ripe fruit. It's long and juicy with lovely fruit. Super long and beautiful, with fine tannins that last for minutes. Tight now, but juicy and gorgeous. Best ever from here.” (02/2012)

“An inky/purple color is followed by notes of Asian plum sauce, forest floor, creme de cassis, black raspberries and a floral component that is unusual for a Margaux. A wine of exceptional intensity and purity with a full-bodied, sumptuous texture, lots of fresh vibrancy and excellent definition, this beautiful 2009 exhibits high but sweet tannin.This is another fabulous effort from an estate that has been doing extraordinary work over the last 10-15 years. I enjoyed the 2009 as much as the 2005, perhaps even slightly more because while it has structure, the tannins are less aggressive and there is more succulence, flesh and texture in the 2009. (RP)” (12/2011)

“Enticing dark plum colour, this is carefully extracted, emphasising the fully ripe fruits that head towards fig and blackberry, along with creme de cassis, incense and cinnamon, carefully balanced by fresher touches of sage and fennel herbs. Thoroughly enjoyable. 80% new oak for ageing.” (09/2024)

“Finely concentrated red and black fruits on the nose. Plump, suave and opulent palate with lots of vibrancy, vigour, density, length and purity. Vigorous and long, a very fine wine now and will be for a long time. (Panel tasting: SB, AG, SS)” (06/2015)

“This is beautiful, with smoldering tar, espresso and tobacco leaf notes fully melded together, while the core of crushed plum, steeped black currant and blackberry fruit sits in reserve. A twinge of iron adds extra length and definition on the finish. Very suave. Approachable now, but with plenty of stuffing and balance for the cellar as well. (JM)” (06/2012)

“This year this is Cabernet Sauvignon 51%, Merlot 37%, Cabernet Franc 8% and not forgetting the Malbec which weighs in at 4%. A nice nose here, sweet and slightly smoky fruit, very open and attractive aromatics. Sweet and creamy fruit on the palate too, broad, with a forest fruit style together with notes of plum. A good grip here, rather tight but velvety tannins and balanced acidity bringing some life to the blend. Everything here seems very harmonious. Overall a wine with excellent potential. 17.5-18.5+/20 points” (03/2010)

“Mid crimson. Just the right side of volatile but very winning and opulent. More 2009 than Margaux. A little dry and chewy for the moment. Massive volume and finish. 17/20 points (JR)” (03/2019)

“Another magical wine from this property, the 2009 Château Cos D'Estournel reminds me slightly of the 2005 with its incredibly rich, powerful, opulent style married to stunning finesse and elegance. Still youthful yet with a touch of maturity, its deep ruby/plum color is followed by classic Saint-Estèphe notes of blackcurrants, dried tobacco, loamy earth, Asian spices, and licorice. Deep, full-bodied, and massive on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced and has building tannins hiding under its wealth of fruit, with no hard edges and a great, great finish. This tour de force is still 5-7 years away from maturity and is a legendary wine to follow over the coming 40-50 years.” (11/2020)

“Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Cos d'Estournel features a myriad of wonderfully intense notes, including blackcurrant pastilles, redcurrant jelly, kirsch and blueberry compote with hints of rose hip tea, sautéed herbs, underbrush, pencil shavings and Indian spices. Full-bodied, rich and opulently fruited in the mouth, it has beautifully plush tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and very spicy. (LPB)” (03/2019)

“A very bold, ripe and complex wine with excellent concentration and a warm, engaging personality (cinnamon and allspice) that's hard to resist. With aeration a hint of dried fruit character emerges. Massive, yet polished finish.” (03/2019)

“This shows why everyone loves the vintage. Features a gorgeous display of perfectly melded plum, red currant and blackberry fruit that flows beautifully over very creamy tannins. Still nearly all fruit, with flecks of warm stone and iron on the finish. This could easily sit in this phase for some time, but will be hard to resist. Totally modern and beautifully done. *Collectible* (JM)” (03/2016)

“Massive density of colour. Blackish ruby. Dense and ripe on the nose. Luscious but fresh. Great concentration. Great rich inky potential but needs keeping. Lots of ripe tannin. 18/20 points (JR)” (02/2019)