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Wine Advocate Scores Cos d'Estournel 2016 98-100 - "Boom—and Cos drops the mic." Buy @$149.99/bottle

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2016 Bordeaux
En Primeur
Has Arrived
“It is such a special vintage. We have ripe fruit, we have exceptional tannins and then we have so much freshness,” gushes Olivier Berrouet of Château Pétrus
As the current harvest comes to market, it is important to remember what made 2016 a uniquely extraordinary vintage.
The winter and spring saw heavy rains and cool temperatures that eventually gave way to a long, dry summer. From mid-June until mid-September, Bordeaux experienced drought-like conditions with several heat waves and virtually no precipitation. The intense heat coupled with the dry weather strained the vines, particularly allowing older vines with deeper roots to fully express themselves. Substantial diurnal temperature variation helped to retain acidity, and, finally, a brief shower fell in mid-September, refreshing the vineyards just in time.
The warm and dry summer allowed for long, even ripening, particularly for the Cabernet Sauvignon that is the Médoc’s specialty. Wines in 2016 contain lower alcohols and showcase more acidity than in recent vintages, complementing their vibrancy, fruit, and structure. The 2016 vintage appears to challenge the historic 2005 and 2000 vintages for sheer complexity, concentration, balance, and ultimate ageability. As Mathieu Chardonnier of CVBG puts it, 

“This is as good as Bordeaux gets.”
What are the advantages to buying Bordeaux En Primeur?
 
Bordeaux's history of selling futures dates to at least the 17th century.  Buying the new Bordeaux vintage as a future allows you to lock in the lowest available pricing for highly-allocated wines before they reach the rest of the market.  Acquiring wines via this method also allows you to secure wine with the best possible provenance: once bottled, these pristine, just-released wines are shipped directly from Bordeaux to our warehouse.
We are pleased to offer 2016 futures from the legendary 2ème Cru Classé Château Cos d’Estournel:
One of the first major châteaux to eschew the négociant system, Château Cos d'Estournel has always been willing to challenge conventions in the quest for the perfect wine. Blessed with a superb vineyard site just across the D2 road from Château Lafite Rothschild and showcasing among the highest percentages (and oldest vines) of Merlot in the Médoc, Château Cos d'Estournel’s wines are powerfully built and destined to evolve beautifully for decades.
 
". . . it was the northern Médoc, Saint-Estèphe in particular, that benefitted most from the Indian summer." - Antonio Galloni
Château Cos d’Estournel : 12 Bottles, 0.75L
Score : JS 97-98 / WE 96-98 / AG 92-95
Price : $1799.88 per case
Château Cos d’Estournel : 6 Bottles, 0.75L
Score : JS 97-98 / WE 96-98 / AG 92-95
Price : $899.94 per case
Marking another excellent vintage, the 2016 Cos d’Estournel showcases the balance and elegance for which the Château is justly renowned. Per the Château: “(The) 2016 is undeniably, immediately seductive. At once elegant and alluring, energetic and pure, it is an incredible, wonderfully harmonious vintage.”
 
"This perfumed wine is stylish and elegant. It is all about the magnificent and sophisticated fruit. At the same time, don't be fooled by the richness: the tannins are all there, a dense and concentrated core at the heart of this seriously ageworthy wine. It demands many years." - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

"The finish is something else here. This is a wine that’s so powerful and tannic yet at the same time so polished and superb on the finish. Full-bodied, beautifully crafted and precise. This is a wine that really grabs your attention. The agility and power are more than impressive. Wow is the word." - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

"The beautiful 2016 Cos d'Estournel is one of the most polished, gracious young Cos d'Estournels I can remember tasting. Aromatic freshness and lift, along with a distinctly red fruit profile, are among the signatures." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Les Pagodes de Cos : 12 Bottles, 0.75L
Score : JS 93-94 JS / WE 93-95
Price : $539.88 per case
Les Pagodes de Cos : 6 Bottles, 0.75L
Score : JS 93-94 JS / WE 93-95
Price : $269.94 per case
Unlike many second labels in Bordeaux, Les Pagodes de Cos is crafted to express its own unique terroir and style, rather than being merely a more accessible version of the Château’s main label. “Silky and voluptuous, it is a wine of endless charm and precision, offering a long finish with refined, complex tannins that bring a certain structure to a highly promising vintage.”

"The brightness and focus to this second wine of Cos are certainly impressive. You can see the quality. Full body, a tight and focused palate and beautiful fruit and density. Ultra-fine tannins. Gorgeous. Sophisticated." - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

"The tannins are really deceptive in this wine. It is sumptuous and elegant at the same time. The black currant fruit and acidity are a foil for the powerful tannic structure. Balanced and rich in fruit, it is ready for some serious . . . aging." - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast