2020 G d'Estournel, Medoc

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel is a wine of extreme elegance. Silky and light on its feet, the 2020 is incredibly nuanced. In fact it is without question the most finessed of all the top wines in Saint-Estèphe, showing more in common with some of its neighbors in the north of Pauillac than the more potent wines of Saint-Estèphe. Impossibly soft, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red fruit, spice and orange zest. The 2020 is not a huge Cos, but rather a wine for readers who appreciate elegance over power. I can't wait to see how it ages. Magnificent.

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel, which was bottled in July, has lost some of the exoticism that it showed out of barrel. Within five minutes of aeration it develops a complex bouquet: black fruit laced with graphite and subtle cedar aromas, a charcoal back-note and later pressed iris flowers. I foresee this gaining more nuance with bottle age. The palate is taut, lean and precise. Lightly spiced on the entry, with finely-chiseled tannins, again, not quite as precocious as it showed in barrel, allowing the terroir to come through more. There is something almost understated about this vintage vis-à-vis others, razor-sharp precision with just the right amount of salinity on the finish. This is a classy offering that will mature beautifully in bottle. A keeper.

This is very classic with firm, racy tannins and dark, juicy fruit. Lots of chocolate and currants. Very balanced. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet sauvignon.

(90% M, 10% CS; 46hl/ha; 13.17% ABV; 20% new)
Very Merlot-floral and gently plummy to smell; medium-full, nice concentration, fleshy, fresh, delicately tannic, a really lovely balance; long and succulent and Merlot-juicy, with lovely length to follow. Great success, this will make a delicious drink from not long after bottling. Complete, a beauty, a real bon bon, and likely to be very good value, too. 2023–33+.

Medium-bodied, forward and fruity, the wine blends flowers, tobacco leaf and plums on the nose and palate. Soft, juicy and already a pleasure to drink, you can enjoy this on release and in a casual bistro or cafe with ease. 89-91

The 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel offers up aromas of rich berries, petals and toasty oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ripe and fleshy palate with a somewhat baked, low-acid profile.

Drink Date
2023 - 2028

Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel offers a nose of Mediterranean herbs-tinged black plums and blackberry scents, with wafts of damp soil and graphite. The medium-bodied palate is a little green and thin, finishing abruptly.

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cask sample. Round, supple and easy drinking with plummy red fruit to the fore. Light tannic frame. Astonishing balance given the relatively high pH (3.94). (JL)