Fairest of Them All: Cos d’Estournel 1928 – 2015
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Question dear reader... What are the three best vistas in Bordeaux? Runners-up are surely the Doric pillars at Château Margaux in the morning light and the two Pichons, Baron and Comtesse, wistfully gazing at each other on the horizon as the road sweeps down from Léoville Las-Cases.
The winner is…?
The winner; no filter by the way
Unquestionably the startling sight as Cos d’Estournel blazes into view heading up from Lafite-Rothschild, its incongruous extravagant Oriental facade decorated with towering pagodas, pachyderm-themed statuettes and Raj-influenced flourishes, set aflame in golden sandstone. It stuns any first-time visitor because it is so unexpected. Bordeaux châteaux adhere to a strict dress code – suit and tie. Granted there are one or two attired in fairy-tale garb. I could imagine Rapunzel leaning out the window of say, Palmer or Pichon Baron waiting for her prince to arrive on his steed and making do with Thomas Duroux or Christian Seely instead (no offense guys). But mostly Bordeaux is practicality over pulchritude. You have to journey to the Loire for idyllic châteaux with moats carpeted with water lilies, extravagant witches’ hat spires and perhaps the odd drawbridge/portcullis combo. Cos d’Estournel is Bordeaux’s notable exception, a château that flagrantly ignores that dress code. I recently sat and observed tourists pulling over to take photographs, posing in front of its triumphal arch with its ancient “Zanzibar door” behind. Nobody notices the man sitting stationary under a tree upon a bench and yet without him this château, Cos d’Estournel would not exist.
But he is there.
You just need to look.
If the design of Cos d’Estournel is unorthodox, then the wine itself adheres more to what we expect. It errs towards a comparatively sumptuous and occasionally flamboyant style that stems from its propitious planting’s of old Merlot, yet there is always the countervailing density and earthiness one seeks from classic Saint-Estèphe, not to mention longevity, as we shall see. I have been visiting the property for two decades however, throughout my professional career, older vintages have been few and far between. On the rare occasions they do appear, such as the 1955, 1964 and 1966, I have been deeply impressed, the latter a revelation when I was starting out in my career. After many months discussing a vertical tasting with the team at Cos d’Estournel, I was finally able to spare an afternoon inspecting the vineyard and winery and of course, taste through vintages spanning many decades. Fans of Cos d’Estournel should treasure this piece. There are very few remaining ancient bottles residing at the property and you rarely witness so many ex-château bottles together in one sitting. Some of them had fallen by the wayside. Others were spellbinding.
Firstly, let’s have a look at the history of Cos d’Estournel to find out how it became that most dandiest of the Grand Cru Classés.
History
Cos d’Estournel is without doubt one of the most eye-catching châteaux in Bordeaux. It stops passers-by in their tracks and, likewise, so can its wine. This extraordinary vertical tasting spans ten decades and covers the entire history of the property from its origins to the present day. After reading, you may be compelled to pay a visit to the gentleman seated under the tree.
