Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Welcome to Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.

2012 in Bordeaux is a great memory as Sofia & I had a great 5 year anniversary trip to Italy where we were married, ending in Bordeaux. Picking Mouton Merlot for a day, lunch with the Baroness, having steak and sipping 82 Mouton. Pinch me is what I said to Sofia.

Saint Julien is the elegant region on the Left Bank. While 2012 was an ok to good vintage it will always be packed with great memories.

Branaire-Ducru in grand vintages is still a great value. Always elegant with this kind of bottle age and more.

Hour decant starting notes.

Tonight smooth, ripe, round, juicy; brambly blackberries/black raspberries, dark cherries, cherries, black plum, some strawberries, raspberries with blueberry tones. Dry tobacco with ash, leather, spice box with some heat, lightly grilled meats, volcanics, moist clay, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, light vanillin, mid berry cola, dark chocolate bar, forest floor with leaves, sandalwood, steeped black tea, bay leaf, dry thyme, mocha powder, dry caramel, crush, dry rock/limestone, dry river stone, bright red flowers mixed with dark withering flowers, nice round acidity and a balanced, smartly tensioned, elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds & lands on herbs & earth. — 6 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

1.5 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment) . An amazing deep dark ruby red color. On the nose: black fruit, stewed meat, cigar box, floral, pencil shavings. Taste: modern style and at 14 years in its drinking window. Soft, but powerful, creamy, with dark plum/cherry, cedar, cocoa, earth, graphite and a medium finish. Drinks well, and looking forward to popping more bottles over the years and see where it goes. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1990 vintage. Open (not decanted) for two hours before tasting. Respectable sediment. Cigar box and crushed violets on the nose. Light-medium body. A tad more color than expected. Grippy, clove/tobacco finish with sleek mouthfeel. Both delicate and substantial. Feel that many of the reviewers with this vintage sold it short. This specimen is just now sending out invites for the main event and tastes like it will be doing so for the next 15+ years. Not getting any better, yet not turning into plonk in 3 years. Some are saying "drink now" and you can and it will still be phenomenal but don't see this backsliding/no rush to crush anytime soon. 5.26.23. — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Mostly Petite Sirah with small amounts of Syrah, Grenache and other mixed Rhône varieties, aged 14 months in American oak, 19% new, very dark Ruby-purple with aromas of ripe dark fruits and an array of spices from cigar box to full spice cake. On the palate flavors of black cherry preserves and blackberry jam, layering in some licorice, leather, tobacco and black pepper spice. Savory grippy tannins, long finish ending with fruit, spice, oak and earthy character. A powerhouse! Decant first! — 7 months ago

David Kline

9.5

Cherry,dried and black; scribbles of graphite in a tinder box. Campfire smoke, and dark tobaccos brood in clusters of black currant. Glints of plum skin and baked raspberries. Cinnamon and cedar shavings. Dried cherry and black berries persist into the palate, with green peppercorns and dried violets dusted in graphite. Smoke snakes around black bread with currants, fig and black raisins. A phenomenal fall treat. That’ll do the trick!


#chateauCosdEstournel
#cosdestournel #saintestèphe #saintestephe #appellationsaintestèphecontrôlée #2010bordeaux #2010 #misenbouteilleálapropriété #Bordeaux #bordeauxrouge #deuxiemecru — 2 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Quite deep ruby and , garnet terracotta rim. Quite spicy nose , slightly green touches , mix of red and dark fruit . On the palate fills out quite well , good acidity , slightly gritty tannins still with mineral , tobacco notes on the finish . Ok reasonable length . This comes across a bit greener than I remember it , so not sure how representative this bottle is , fine to drink now and over the next 10 years . 91

Second bottle medium deep ruby with garnet rim . Took a bit of time to open up , but very good definition , red and dark fruits, truffle , undergrowth, cigar box and grafite. On the palate quite charming sweet red fruits, red plum, cassis , dried spices, undergrowth , elegant for las cases , grafite and tobacco stained finish . Well balanced acidity and quite gritty but ripe tannin . This is lovely now with time in the decanter and over the next 10 -15 years . Completely different from first bottle . — 2 years ago

Willem Booij

9.4

This is again a great wine, one of the better vintages of this classic Margaux estate. Such a shame it’s our last bottle. Still a powerful mid palate with dark cassis tones with the old fashioned cigar box with matches in it😉 and a great balance in this impressive wine. — 3 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

Shared by our host. Great wine in a lesser vintage. Nose of tar, black currant, cedar, cigar box. It's aged, but it's still kicking. The palate shows some acid drive, some width, some nice red and black berry notes, some really dusty tannins that are drying in the rear and a very long finish with a savoury thing in the rear. Great tasting experience. Thank you, Nicolas ! — 9 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

A dense Ruby in colour. Black currant, dark plum, mocha, dark chocolate, and cigar box. The Penfolds Cabernet DNA if you like. Dense and powerful. This wine at 20 years of age is just a pup. The “Rewards of Patience “ has a window to 2045+. I’ll probably have the next one in 10 years or so. The release price of the latest vintage is now over $600 - too expensive IMO. Apparently substantial material from the old Block 42 in the blend - planted in the 1880’s. — a year ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

Wow. Absolutely stunning tonight. So generous and giving after hardly any aeration, 2000 Angelus wafts from the glass and the decanter with explosive aromatics of blackberry jam, creme de cassis, cigar box and damp earth. It has the most perfect balance of deep fruit intensity and tertiary character, and the palate shows an incredible combination of finesse, density and lift, with a regal mouthfeel and melting tannins. Just stays with you forever. A masterful seesaw between power and elegance. For my tastes, this is in the perfect spot. Fabulous. — 3 years ago