Chateau Cos d´Estournel 2002

WEINWISSER: "Dunkles, funkelndes Granat mit lila Reflexen. Intensives, dichtes Bouquet, reife Pflaumen, Edelhölzer, dunkle Schokolade, vielleicht im Moment etwas zurückhaltend, die wahre Grösse nur im Ansatz zeigend. Reicher Gaumen, fette Tannine, jetzt schon Schmelz zeigend, Cassis im Innern, reife, kleine getrocknete Früchte, Reserven zeigend, wird sicherlich ein grosser Cos."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasted blind at Farr’s 2002 Bordeaux tasting. Just a fantastic wine…clean, fresh, bright and bushy tailed on the nose with blackberry, raspberry, cedar-wood and a real palpable sense of terroir. The palate is full-bodied, ripe and plush on the entry, focused and poised with good backbone, a wine intent on out-living its alumni. Corpulent and weight towards the finish. A wonderful Cos courtesy of Jean-Guillaume. Tasted October 2009."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A refined and pretty wine now with spice, berry and chocolate character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh, fruity finish. Subtle spice aftertaste. Underrated wine. Drink now."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "With an hour of air, cedar wood, cassis, forest aromas, tobacco wrapper and peppery spices unfurl, once the wine hit the glass. On the palate, the wine is close to full bodied, with soft tannins and round textures. The finish shows off a citrus note on top of the slightly, spiced, fresh cassis. With another hour of air, the wine filled out, adding truffle, smoke and licorice. This is starting to drink quite well, however another year or even a few more years will add more nuance and softness. But this is not a wine to make old bones, so I'm planning on drinking my remaining bottles over the next decade, or so."

DECANTER: "This has a truffle edge to the nose and almost a Pomerol character. A number of 2002s are a little awkward, but this is generous and welcoming. Harvesting started on 30 September in this vintage, with an east wind that concentrated or dehydrated the grapes, meaning that the overall yield was 33hl/ha. The fruit quality feels ripe and it's a lovely wine to drink now, but it may not age as well as some of the other vintages. Matured in 60% new oak – the level of new oak was reduced from this year onwards. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Has a plush edge, with plum skin and pulp flavors liberally lined with singed tobacco and alder notes. Shows ample maturity but remains very fine-grained, with a roasted bay accent emerging on the finish.—Non-blind Cos-d´Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 16,417 cases made."