Pagodes de Cos 2018

Juicy, crisp, with verve and freshness; a tasty finish of fruit jelly, with tannins showing a certain bitterness.

This has some alluring fruit, with a mix of creamed plum and loganberry infused with singed woodspice and alder notes. Stylish, with a flash of dark earth on the otherwise polished finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2032. 8,330 cases made.

Ripe fig and damson fruit that could use a little more juice in between, but this has plenty of tannins and a lot of black fruit concentrated with St-Estèphe power.

Pure aromas of currants, plums, cherries and Spanish cedar lead to a full-bodied palate with super concentration of fruit, yet it remains forever polished and long. A cylinder of wonderfully ripe fruit and tannins goes on for minutes. This needs at least three or four years to soften and begin to come together. Super second wine. Try after 2027.

54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample. Dark core with a purple rim. Sweeter and spicier than the Goulée (Cos’s Médoc wine) just tasted. Bramble and mulberry fragrance. Excellent freshness and finesse in the tannins, dry, compact but lifted by the scented fruit and unusual brightness. Powerful and chalky on the finish. Very good balance already. Long and classy. (JH)

Spicy red fruits, smoke, licorice, black plums and wet earth come to the perfume with ease. Silky, fresh, soft and sweet on the palate, the wine is just great. The red berry finish lingers along with spice-box and a hint of mint. This second wine could easily be a Grand Cru Classé if another classification were to take place. Drink this young while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop.

Deep ruby with purple reflections and a subtle ochre hue on the rim. An inviting bouquet of dark wild berry confit underpinned by candied orange zest, a hint of fig and nougat. Juicy and ripe on the palate with pronounced plum and cherry fruit, ripe tannins and a touch of chocolate. Long-lasting and already drinking well, with length and definite ageing potential.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 14.51% ABV) Fresh, fruity bouquet, raspberry seeds, Amarena cherries, caramel, smoke. Aromatic, firm palate with sweet fruit, finely sandy tannins, muscular structure, bitter finish.

Pagodes de Cos 2018 is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with notes of raisin cake, prunes, and Chinese five spice, with wafts of tobacco, new leather, and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shows evolving flavors with a chewy texture and a slightly drying finish.

A delicate, complex bouquet revealing notes of cherries and roasted nuances. Juicy, silky palate with a beautiful tannic structure of very fine grain. Fruity, persistent finish. An excellent Pagodes that can already be enjoyed in its youth.

Dark, intense, purple color. A very aromatic and powerful nose with very ripe fruit, both sun-kissed and sanguine. Dense and powerful from the very first sip, highly aromatic, with a creamy texture; the wine unfolds both suave and slightly austere (woody) on the finish. Then it regains aromatic lift at the very end of the palate. Far too young.

This latest release has richness and luscious black fruits that dominate the underlying firmer tannic structure. It is a proper second wine in the sense that it will age well over the medium term, giving drinking pleasure from 2024.