Crafted from the venerable vines of one of Saint-Estèphe’s greatest estates, Les Pagodes de Cos 2020 delivers the polished dark fruit, refined spice, and supple structure of a top-tier Médoc claret without demanding decades in the cellar.

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

In the Glass:

Pours a deep, youthful garnet with purple glints at the rim. On the nose, it gets straight to the point with generous aromas of crème de cassis, wild blackberry, and ripe damson plum, underpinned by hints of dried herbs, sweet spice, and a touch of black tea leaf.

On the Palate:

Medium to full-bodied, it carries a velvety, effortless texture. The generous core of dark berry fruit is balanced by Saint-Estèphe’s hallmark mineral edge and fine, powdery tannins that give shape without being abrasive. There is plenty of freshness here, carrying notes of cocoa nib, subtle cedar, and graphite right through a long, clean, and satisfying finish. It is approachable now with a brief decant, yet built to evolve gracefully over the next 10 to 15 years.

Food Pairings:

This is classic claret that deserves good, hearty cooking. Pair it alongside:

• Roast rib of beef served with proper dripping roast potatoes.

• Pan-seared venison loin with a blackberry and juniper reduction.

• Slow-braised lamb shanks with rosemary.

• Mature hard cheeses like an aged farmhouse Cheddar.

About the Producer

Perched high on the hill of Saint-Estèphe, overlooking the neighbouring vineyards of Château Lafite Rothschild in Pauillac, Château Cos d'Estournel is one of Bordeaux's most distinctive properties. Founded in 1791 by Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel—affectionately known as the "Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe"—the estate was famously built with exotic, pagoda-topped architecture inspired by his travels and trade in the Far East.

While the estate’s grand vin earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification, it has long performed at the level of a First Growth ("Super Second"). Under the stewardship of Michel Reybier since 2000, the estate has stayed true to its adventurous roots while relentlessly refining quality through state-of-the-art gravity winemaking and meticulous parcel management. First introduced with the 1994 vintage, 'Les Pagodes de Cos' is the estate's second wine, benefiting from the exact same care and facilities as the Grand Vin.

Vineyard & Winery

Viticulture & Terroir:

The vineyards of Cos d'Estournel lie on a patchwork of deep quaternary gravel hills with clay-limestone subsoils, situated close to the Gironde estuary. This position provides exceptional natural drainage and a maritime microclimate that buffers against late frost and excessive summer heat. The fruit for Les Pagodes de Cos is sourced primarily from mature vines averaging 40 years of age, alongside select fruit from parcels across the historic estate. The 2020 vintage saw an early, warm growing season followed by a dry, sunny late summer, yielding small, concentrated berries with superb aromatic intensity and fresh natural acidity.

Winemaking & Maturation:

Harvesting is carried out entirely by hand, with rigorous berry-by-berry sorting. In the cellar—Bordeaux’s first 100% gravity-fed facility—the fruit is handled gently without mechanical pumping, preserving purity of fruit and avoiding bitter tannin extraction. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled, conical stainless steel vats parcel by parcel. Following blending, the wine was matured for approximately 12 to 14 months in fine-grained French oak barriques (roughly 30% new oak), integrating subtle oak spice while allowing the natural fruit and Saint-Estèphe terroir to take centre stage.