The property
Located in the north of the Médoc, on the hill of Saint-Estèphe, Cos d'Estournel appears majestically. Like a real Maharadjah's palace, the château and its pagodas surprise and captivate the eye. In 1791, Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel inherited hectares of vineyards and had the estate built. Adventurer and after having travelled the world, his taste for exoticism and the Orient will give to Château Cos d'Estournel this architecture so singular in the Medoc. Owned by Michel Reybier since 2000, Château Cos d'Estournel continues to shine in the Saint-Estephe appellation and joins the lineage of the greatest wines in the world by distinguishing itself by its unique style where taste for beauty and excellence are a permanent quest.
The wine
This 2020 vintage marks the twenty years of Michel Reybier at the head of Château Cos d'Estournel. Produced since 1994, Pagodes de Cos Rouge, the second wine of Château Cos d'Estournel, is made from vines that are on average 40 years old.
The vineyard
Enjoying an exceptional geographical location, the vineyard of Cos d'Estournel is located on the edge of the plateau, in the immediate vicinity of the Gironde estuary. The vineyard thus benefits from a maritime climate while being protected from bad weather. The vines are planted on two slopes and a central plateau, benefiting from an ideal exposure and good ventilation.
The vintage
2020 is a year marked by the precocity of the vine. From October 2019 to February 2020, heavy rainfall guarantees sufficient water reserves. The mild spring weather favors an early but heterogeneous budburst due to the high rainfall. This heterogeneity is limited by an upstream work of the soils in order to allow them to warm up more quickly. If the mildness of April, combined with important rainfall, made us fear a deterioration of the sanitary state of the vines, the good conditions of mid-May allowed a fast and homogeneous flowering. The months of June and July were extremely dry (5mm of precipitation in 55 days), causing significant water stress. Because of this dry weather accompanied by cool temperatures, a meticulous leaf removal was carried out on the side of the rising sun in order to favor the phenolic synthesis of the grapes. Rainy episodes at the beginning of August boosted the maturity of the grapes. The privileged position of the vineyard and the work of the teams minimized the sanitary risks linked to high humidity and heat. The Indian summer from the end of August until the harvest favors an optimal maturity of the grapes. Considering the precocity of the vintage and the high temperatures of September, the harvest starts early in order to preserve the tension and the density of the grapes.