A Grand Crus Celebration

1986 Cos d'Estournel
Bordeaux, St. Estephe
Jen's Notes
139.99

We recommend decanting this wine for about an hour. Even with 19 years of bottle age, the Cos is a touch unapproachable at first.

The nose exhibits cedar (later, as the wine opened, it was more of a lavender scent), tobacco, cherry cordials, and a classic St. Estephe funkiness. It was garnet-hued and nearly opaque.

We decanted for approximately 20 minutes. Initially, the wine seemed monolithic; other than earthy notes and the barest hints of fruit, it was hard to tell what exactly was going on. Over the next half-hour or so, the fruit flavors really blossomed. We noted intensely plummy fruit, supported by earthy, herbal touches and still-firm tannins. The wine was super-dry, with a luxurious, slightly minty finish.

This was a spectacular wine: extraordinarily well-made and a testament to the aging power of a fine Bordeaux. It is our oldest wine so far and the highest scoring, according to the Wine Advocate. We chose it to mark our last night before we moved in together.