Château Cos d'Estournel Red 2021

Dense and seriously structured, this wine with its polished leather and cedar aromas is concentrated in tannins. The wine's structure dominates, partnering acidity and ripe texture. Drink from 2028. 

Floral aromas with violets, lavender and currants. Lead pencil, too. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins that caress and please. Elegant and sophisticated. Linear line of tannins running through this. Needs two or three years to soften. Hold for now.

Vivid ruby red, opaque core, purple on the narrow rim. Elegant dark forest berries, ripe cherries, a touch of noble wood, hints of chocolate and candied orange zest. Complex, juicy, nuances of blackberries, vivid, taut tannins, salty-mineral finish, a touch of dark nougat on the aftertaste; already approachable, certain ageing potential.

Lovely stuff, elegant and sculpted, great quality, showcasing the successful side of a cool vintage. There is some austerity, as you would expect, with chewy tannins holding blueberry and black cherry fruits, well balanced with grilled cinnamon and sandalwood smoke. 55% new oak. Among the wines of the vintage.

The 2021 Cos d'Estournel is one of the denser, more muscular wines of the vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, charcoal, sweet cigar wrapper and subtle hints of smoked meats, framed by a touch of toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's rich and quite concentrated for the vintage, with a chassis of sweet, generously extracted tannin and a long, lusty finish.

Alluring from the get-go, with boysenberry and creamed plum flavors that offer an almost exotic edge, backed by liberal accents of rooibos tea, mulling spices and sweet tobacco. Caressing in the end, this also shows a chalky spine that's better integrated than most in this vintage, plus a pretty, lingering curl of alder. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2037. 14,500 cases made.

Tasted blind. Especially deep crimson. One of the headiest, ripest noses so far. Velvety texture and, strangely for a 2021, it seems to lack acidity! Fashioned to grab attention, but I prefer some of the more classical St-Estèphes. Clumsy finish. Almost Napa-esque. But it will please some.