2019 Cos d'Estournel Pagodes de Cos Magnum

The 2019 Pagodes de Cos Magnum from Château Cos d’Estournel is the soulful, seductive second wine of this iconic Saint-Estèphe estate. Bottled in large format, it offers an ideal balance of early-drinking pleasure and serious cellar potential. Crafted from the same terroir and with the same care as the grand vin, this cuvée showcases the purity, precision and depth that made 2019 such an outstanding vintage in Bordeaux. Positioned as a more approachable expression of Cos d’Estournel, Pagodes delivers the château’s signature exotic charm in a slightly more supple, immediately enjoyable style. The 2019 vintage is a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, supported by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, giving structure, perfume and complexity. First released in the mid-1990s, Pagodes has since become one of the Left Bank’s benchmark second wines, often rivaling classified growths in quality while remaining beautifully drinkable in its youth.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2019 Pagodes de Cos shows a deep, vivid ruby-purple hue with an almost glossy sheen, reflecting both concentration and youth. Swirling reveals thick, elegant legs and a richly colored core that hints at the wine’s intensity and depth. The nose is expressive and refined, with layers of ripe blackcurrant, black cherry and plum supported by notes of crushed violets, cedar, graphite and warm spices. Subtle hints of cocoa, tobacco leaf, espresso and a touch of exotic incense recall the signature style of Cos d’Estournel. With air, more nuanced aromas of licorice, dried herbs and a faint mineral edge emerge, adding further complexity. On the palate, the 2019 is medium to full-bodied, silky and vibrant, with a plush core of dark berry fruit framed by polished, ripe tannins. Blackcurrants, mulberries and black cherries are lifted by a fresh line of acidity, giving energy and precision to the wine. The oak is beautifully integrated, offering gentle notes of vanilla, clove and fine toast without overshadowing the fruit. The finish is long, pure and lingering, with echoes of dark fruit, spice and graphite that speak clearly of Saint-Estèphe’s gravelly soils. In magnum, this wine will evolve even more gracefully than a standard bottle, maintaining freshness and complexity over a longer arc. While already approachable after a short decant, it has the structure to age comfortably for 10–15 years or more, developing additional tertiary notes of truffle, cigar box and leather with time in the cellar.

Production
Pagodes de Cos is sourced from the younger vines and selected parcels of Château Cos d’Estournel, located on the prized gravelly hilltops of Saint-Estèphe in Bordeaux’s Left Bank. Here, deep gravel over clay and limestone provides excellent drainage and forces the vines to root deeply, fostering concentration, aromatic complexity and natural balance. The vineyard benefits from a temperate maritime climate, moderated by the Gironde estuary, which helps achieve full ripeness while preserving freshness. Grapes for the 2019 vintage were carefully monitored and harvested parcel by parcel at optimal maturity, typically by hand, with rigorous sorting to ensure only healthy, perfectly ripe berries made it into the final blend. In the cellar, Pagodes is vinified with the same philosophy as the grand vin: gentle extraction to capture fine tannins and purity of fruit, followed by maturation in French oak barrels (a proportion of which is new), allowing the wine to gain texture, complexity and aromatic finesse without excessive wood influence. The result is a refined, modern Saint-Estèphe that remains true to its distinguished terroir.

Food & Serving
The 2019 Pagodes de Cos Magnum is an exceptionally versatile food wine, particularly well-suited to classic French and modern European cuisine. It shines with roasted or grilled lamb (rack of lamb with herb crust, slow-roasted shoulder), beef ribeye, duck breast, game birds and veal dishes. It also pairs beautifully with mushroom-based dishes, truffle risotto, braised short ribs, and aged hard cheeses such as Comté, aged Gouda or mature cheddar. For a more casual setting, try it alongside a well-seasoned roast chicken or gourmet burgers with caramelized onions and Gruyère. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) to highlight its elegance and aromatic complexity. Because this is a young Bordeaux in magnum format, decanting is recommended: 1–2 hours will allow the wine to open and soften, revealing its full aromatic spectrum and a more seamless, velvety texture. As the wine ages in bottle, a slightly shorter decant will suffice to remove any sediment and bring out its mature nuances.

Producer
Château Cos d’Estournel is one of the most celebrated estates in the Médoc, classified as a Second Growth (Deuxième Cru Classé) in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Located in Saint-Estèphe, just north of Pauillac, the château sits on a prominent gravel ridge overlooking the Gironde, a position that has long been recognized for its exceptional viticultural potential. Founded in the early 19th century by the visionary Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel—nicknamed the “Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe” for his exotic tastes and pioneering export efforts—the estate is instantly recognizable by its distinctive pagoda-style architecture and oriental-inspired façade. Today, under modern, quality-driven ownership, Cos d’Estournel is renowned for producing some of the most opulent yet finely structured wines of the Left Bank, deftly combining power, aromatics and a certain exotic flair. Pagodes de Cos, the estate’s second wine, was introduced to offer a more approachable, earlier-drinking expression of this great terroir while maintaining the precision and character that have made Cos d’Estournel a benchmark not just in Saint-Estèphe, but in all of Bordeaux.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.