Cos d’Estournel 2ème Cru Classé, Saint-Estephe, 2010

The 2010 Cos d'Estournel is one of the great wines of the vintage across all of Bordeaux. It unfolds slowly, beginning with delicate notes of dried mulberry, stewed plum, and blackcurrant pastille, before opening into potpourri, black cherry compote, dark chocolate, dried sage, tobacco, and new leather. The palate has a rock-solid foundation of very firm, grainy tannins and lively acidity, supporting an intensity of tightly wound fruit layers that builds and builds. The finish is very long and fragrant, reaching a conclusion that is both powerful and refined. At 96 points from leading critics, it is among the finest recent expressions of this estate. A decade of development ahead, at minimum.