Chateau Cos D'Estournel

This Château and its vineyards are situated in the southern part of the appellation Saint-Estephe on the left bank of the Bordeaux Area. The estate is adjacent to the world famous 1er Grand Cru Classé Château Lafite Rothschild from Pauillac and also has a beautiful history.

The estate was inherited in 1791 by Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The name “Cos” (with the S pronounced!) refers to “hill of pebbles” in old Gascon dialect and the estate does indeed consist of gravels and clay on limestine bedrock. Mr d’Estournel was a very passionate man who spent all his energy (and money) into his château. He was also filled with curiosity about the world around him. His pursuit of new markets even led to Asia and India in particular, where the English officers drank his wine as early as 1838.

The château has pagodes which remember at his time abroad and he earned the nickname “Maharaja of St. Estephe” Unfortunately, due to the large expenses, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel had been declared bankrupt and was forced to sell his beloved château to the English banker Charles Cecil Martyns, but was allowed to stay at the property until he passed away in 1852.

Just 3 years after his death, Château Cos d’Estournel was ranked as a 2nd Growth in the Official Bordeaux Classification of 1855 and placed as the number one estate of St.-Estephe. The current estate includes over 100 Ha, with 70 Ha planted with vines. The grape varieties used are: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but since 2005 they also produce some white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The second wine “Les Pagodes de Cos” was first released in 1994 and is made from the younger vines. A new winery was built in 2012 by the current owner Michel Reybier. The average production is approximately 32000 cases. Top recent vintages for Cos d’Estournel are: 1982, 1986 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2015.