History
The history of Cos d’Estournel began in 1811 when its owner Louis Gaspard Lacoste of Maniban Marquis d’Estournel, after inheriting some vineyards near the village of Cos, decided to vinify them separately. The wine of Cos d’Estournel was born. Very quickly, the wine surpasses the most prestigious wines and is exported to India. In 1855 Cos d’Estournel reached the classification of 1855 as a second classified growth. All in all, five owners were at the head of Cos d’Estournel, the last of which is Michel REYBIER, who bought the château in 2000 and undertook many changes including a brand new barrel cellar, but above all, a 100% gravity winemaking cellar: a novelty in the region.
Pagodes de Cos is the second wine of the Castle. It was named in reference to the two Pagodas of the Castle. The estate produces the Grand vin and a white wine.
Terroir & Vinification
The vineyard of Cos now covers 91 hectares. On this terroir with meager gravels on its peaks and on the southern slopes, Cabernet Sauvignon (60% of the vineyard) find their soils of choice. While the Merlots (40% of the vineyard) are found on the eastern slopes and on the coasts where the limestone basement of Saint-Estèphe is coming up. Only wines from vineyards over twenty years old will bear the name of Château Cos d’Estournel. Density from 8 to 10,000 feet per hectare. Each winemaker has the personal responsibility of 45,000 vines, which he takes care of every year. These farming methods are essentially manual. The harvest is of course also manual and the grapes are handpicked and collected in special crates, will are then carefully sorted.
At Château Cos d’Estournel, the vinification is adjusted absed on the character of the harvest to favor the expression of the terroir and this thanks to the new cellar. Precise grape sorting and pure gravity pumping using 4 lift vats as well as precise control of fermentation temperatures favor the selection of the softest tannins and the preservation of the fruit.
