Château Cos d'Estournel is Saint-Estèphe's most flamboyant estate and one of the Left Bank's celebrated super seconds. A Second Growth in the 1855 classification, its wines rival the first growths in the best years. Sitting on gravel just north of Pauillac, it makes some of the most opulent, exotically spiced Cabernet-led reds in all of Bordeaux.
The Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe and his pagodas
The estate owes its character to Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel, who began buying vines around the hamlet of Cos in 1811 and shipped his wine as far as India. His fascination with the East earned him the nickname the Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe, and he crowned the château with golden pagodas, carved elephants and a sculpted door from the palace of the Sultan of Zanzibar. That taste for the exotic still runs through the wines, which have kept a spiced, perfumed richness for two centuries.
A rich, structured Cabernet style, a second wine and a white
Saint-Estèphe is the firmest of the Médoc communes, and Cos wears that structure with unusual polish. The grand vin is built around Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, often with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, giving deep blackcurrant and plum fruit layered with cedar, graphite, tobacco and a warm dusting of spice. It is powerful in youth and ages beautifully. The estate also makes a more approachable second wine, Les Pagodes de Cos, and a dry white, Cos d'Estournel Blanc, from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. If you love this profile, explore our wider Cabernet Sauvignon range and the rest of our Left Bank red wine.
Cos d'Estournel FAQ
Why is Cos d'Estournel called a super second?
It is a Second Growth from the 1855 classification, but since the 1980s its quality has often matched the first growths, which is why collectors group it among the super seconds. That standing shows in both its price and its cellaring potential.
Should I drink it now or cellar it?
Young vintages are tightly wound and reward a few hours in a decanter. A strong year will keep improving for fifteen to twenty-five years, so it pays to buy more than one bottle and follow it over time.
What food pairs with Cos d'Estournel?
Reach for roast lamb, grilled beef, duck or game, and dishes with mushroom or truffle. The tannin and freshness cut through rich, savoury cooking, much like other classed-growth Left Bank Bordeaux.