The silky texture and understated elegance of the 2006 Cos d'Estournel appealed to me - I had this first in its flight, (ahead of my fellow tasters). It is a wine that continues to improve with time, boasting abundant blackcurrant fruit and subtle hints of pepper, cedar, and smoke give complexity. The texture is youthful and firm, with plenty of tannic grip and enough freshness to lead this to a lingering finish. The blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, completed with a splash of Cabernet Franc. (Drink between 2025-2055)

Firm, crisp, classic-styled vintage of COS. There is a wealth of concentrated, deep, dark, red, and black fruits, spice, smoke, espresso, and thyme All of that is backed up by an equal wall of tannin and freshness. This is going to age for decades. Drink from 2023-2050.

0 Cos d'Estournel has softened those austere Saint-Estèphe tannins and produced a wine that is all opulence and roundness. The tannins are certainly there, but they come through as big, bold richness. The power suggests it will age well, but for drinking earlier, the freshness of the sweet homemade plum jam promises well.

Blended of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2006 Cos d'Estournel is deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, opening with enticing scents of rosemary-crusted roast lamb, dried cherries, baked blackcurrants and mincemeat pie with touches of fallen leaves, cigar box and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, lively and elegantly played in the mouth, it has a firm backbone of chewy tannins and plenty of mineral accents on the long finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. The Cos d’Estournel ’06 has a very opulent, gregarious nose: high-toned, slightly volatile black fruit with a hint of eau-de-vie. The palate is full-bodied with firm, bold tannins, rich and decadent but certainly disjointed at the moment. There is something Tuscan/Napa Valley reminiscent in this Saint Estephe that is so daringly spicy and exotic towards the glossy finish. Like your best friend that cannot help but show off.

A racy, fresh style, with the lighter profile of the vintage pulling in red currant and bitter cherry flavors, while the telltale thread of charcoal and bay lingers as well. The tannins are ever so slightly grainy, but the fruit has subtle persistence in the end.—Non-blind Cos-d'Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2026. 15,833 cases made. –JM