CHÂTEAU COS D'ESTOURNEL

The 2014 Cos d’Estournel has another intense bouquet with blackberry, graphite, tobacco and mint aromas, almost Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin that exert plenty of grip. This is surfeit with sappy black fruit, graceful and tensile with a beautiful, svelte finish that fans out gloriously. There is real panache to this wine, persistent and satisfying, the aftertaste of graphite and tobacco extraordinarily long. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2055 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)

Very deep crimson. Clean, fresh attack. Very rich and smooth and worked. Intense and attention-grabbing. Sweeter and plummier than some – which is arguably not an attribute in a St-Estèphe. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)

The 2014 Cos d'Estournel is rich, powerful and seductive, with notable unctuousness but a medium-bodied frame. Plum, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate and lavender notes flesh out in an effortless, sumptuous wine that will provide superb drinking for the next few decades. The 2014 needs time to shed some baby fat, but it is quite impressive, even in the early going. The blend is 65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 % Merlot and 2 % Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2022 - 2044 Rating: 95+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)

Intense, with a roiling core of luscious loganberry, blackberry and black currant fruit. Singed spice, apple wood and black tea accents emerge steadily on the finish. Has a rare combination of density and precision. Will cruise in the cellar. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2017)

The Château Cos d'Estournel 2014 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 25 September and 10 October at 33.7 hectoliters per hectare. The pH came in at 3.77 and an IPT of 87, quite high compared to some other properties in the northern Médoc. It has "cool" nose, by that I mean it is not a flamboyant set of aromatics like the 2009 or 2010, but rather "streamlined" and focused, very delineated with black fruit intermingling with incense and iris. It is very controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, but "full" tannins in the mouth that lend this Cos d'Estournel impressive volume. There is an unerring purity here, a gradual crescendo of intensity towards a peppery finish that lingers long. This is an impressive Grand Vin - classic Cos d'Estournel. Tasted three times with consistent notes. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

Dense black fruits nose - exotic; described as 'bewitching'. Wonderful texture and depth, great richness with fine firmness to back it up. The best 'modern' Cos for years. (Outstanding St-Estèphe, Decanter.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2040 Rating: 95 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)

The 2014 Cos d'Estournel brings together gorgeous textural richness and ripeness, yet retains considerable aromatic freshness. Mocha, red plum, raspberry jam and rose petals are all beautifully nuanced. I very much like the sense of translucent energy here. Sweet floral and spice notes add to the wine's racy, voluptuous personality. Today, my impression is that the 2014 Cos will reward consumers with a long window of pure drinking pleasure. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 92-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)

Dense colour. Really very luscious indeed. A streak of St-Estèphe iron filings but surrounded by the more opulent fruit. Fine and refined. More fun than Lafite! Masses of tannins and density. Shorter than some vintages, such as 2005! Drinking range: 2024 - 2045 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)

Bilberry fresh the nose has fragrance the start of the palate fresh. Richness in the middle fruit power hints of liquorice the tannins are supple the back palate fleshy and rich. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 90-95 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)

After a stylistic wobble in 2009, Cos has made a run of impressive wines in recent years. The 2014 is right up there with the very best of them: deftly oaked, spicy and green pepper scented with a core of sweetness framed by fine-grained tannins and underpinned by tangy acidity. (One of Tim's Top 10 Left Bank Reds.) Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 97 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)

I love the style of this Cos with so much Indian spices constituting the aromas and flavors here. Full body, fine tannins and an ultra-long finish. Excellent structure and length yet this maintains finesse. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)