1996 Château Cos Labory
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Tasting notes
Mid ruby with some age at the rim. Sweet, rusty-nail character. A little past its best on the nose. But it is still gentle and appealing with lots of fine, mature fruit and just a bit of characteristically St-Estèphe dryness on the finish. But the fruit is slowly fading. Neat finish but not that long. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
My concerns about the 1996's tannic ferocity were alleviated by its performance out of bottle. It has turned out to be a classic, dark ruby/purple-colored St.-Estephe with earthy black currant fruit, medium to full body, moderate tannin, and excellent purity. As the wine sits in the glass, blackberry jam and mineral notes emerge. This well-made, reasonably-priced wine should drink well between 2005-2018.
About the producer
Louis Gaspard d’Estournel purchased Cos Labory in 1847 and in tribute to this history, the Reybier family (owners of Cos d’Estournel today) acquired the Saint-Estèphe estate and its 35 hectares of vines in 2023.