The May 2026 Auction: Part 1
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1 / 2Lot 1614
Estimate: $230
Lightly marked, nicked label.
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Collection name
Reviews
100WA
"The 2016 Cos d'Estournel is blended of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc aged in 65% new and 35% two-year-old French oak for 15 months. Bottled in July 2018, it is deep garnet-purple colored and starts off a little closed and reticent, opening out slowly and seductively to reveal beautiful lilacs, rose hip tea, crushed stones and camphor nuances over a core of crĂšme de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and mocha plus wafts of incense and wood smoke. The palate is simply electric, charged with an energy and depth of flavors that seem to defy the elegance and ethereal nature of its medium-bodied weight, featuring super ripe, densely pixelated tannins that firmly frame the myriad of fruit and floral sparks, finishing with epic length. Just. Magic. âRains on 13th September helped finish the ripening in 2016,â winemaker Dominique Arangoits informed me. âThere was a little water stress here on the young vines,â he confessed. âIt was very important not to overreact to the wet conditions in June, not to de-leaf too much. We have to be more careful than in the past. It was not a very early vintage, but we had to be careful with the Merlot and not to harvest too late. It was very important to keep the fruit and the energy in the wines. In the end, we didnât even need to fine the winesâthis was only the second vintage for this. We started in 2015. In 2017 we will probably not need to fine either. We have our own bottling line, so we have control.â Arangoits and his team nailed it in 2016. It is also important to highlight that the transformation at Cos dâEstournel since Michel Reybier purchased the chĂąteau in 2000 is simply incredible. Reybierâs considerable efforts since then in the vineyards and the winery are remarkable. What he has achieved has not only helped to bring the estate up to its true potential but also instilled a pretty impressive batting record when it comes to consistency of quality. Readers may want to check out my dedicated article on this estate, also published this issue, with a look at vintages 2000-2015."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The 2016 Cos d'Estournel is blended of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc aged in 65% new and 35% two-year-old French oak for 15 months. Bottled in July 2018, it is deep garnet-purple colored and starts off a little closed and reticent, opening out slowly and seductively to reveal beautiful lilacs, rose hip tea, crushed stones and camphor nuances over a core of crĂšme de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and mocha plus wafts of incense and wood smoke. The palate is simply electric, charged with an energy and depth of flavors that seem to defy the elegance and ethereal nature of its medium-bodied weight, featuring super ripe, densely pixelated tannins that firmly frame the myriad of fruit and floral sparks, finishing with epic length. Just. Magic. âRains on 13th September helped finish the ripening in 2016,â winemaker Dominique Arangoits informed me. âThere was a little water stress here on the young vines,â he confessed. âIt was very important not to overreact to the wet conditions in June, not to de-leaf too much. We have to be more careful than in the past. It was not a very early vintage, but we had to be careful with the Merlot and not to harvest too late. It was very important to keep the fruit and the energy in the wines. In the end, we didnât even need to fine the winesâthis was only the second vintage for this. We started in 2015. In 2017 we will probably not need to fine either. We have our own bottling line, so we have control.â Arangoits and his team nailed it in 2016. It is also important to highlight that the transformation at Cos dâEstournel since Michel Reybier purchased the chĂąteau in 2000 is simply incredible. Reybierâs considerable efforts since then in the vineyards and the winery are remarkable. What he has achieved has not only helped to bring the estate up to its true potential but also instilled a pretty impressive batting record when it comes to consistency of quality. Readers may want to check out my dedicated article on this estate, also published this issue, with a look at vintages 2000-2015."
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The world's most influential fine-wine producer and the benchmark for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone. Its appellation (AOC) system codifies geography, grape and method, and its wines set the global standard for age-worthiness and terroir expression.
The world's largest fine-wine region, built around blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Divided by the Gironde estuary into the structured Left Bank and the plush, Merlot-led Right Bank, it is the historic benchmark for age-worthy claret and sweet Sauternes.
Chateau Cos d'Estournel is a Second Growth estate in Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux, recognizable for its pagoda-topped chai and celebrated for exotic, opulent yet powerfully structured Cabernet-based wines.
2016 in Bordeaux is a benchmark vintage: a wet spring gave way to a dry, sunny summer, producing fresh, deeply aromatic wines with ripe tannins, remarkable balance and excellent long-term aging potential.
The world's most planted premium red grape, yielding deeply colored, tannic and structured wines with cassis, cedar and graphite notes. Firm tannins and acidity make it exceptionally age-worthy, whether as a varietal or the backbone of a Bordeaux blend.
Produces plush, supple, fruit-forward reds with plum and chocolate notes. Softer and earlier-maturing than Cabernet, it adds flesh and roundness to blends and stars in Right Bank Bordeaux.