One of the greatest wines of the Médoc and the premier château in Saint-Estèphe. Purchased from Bruno Prats by the Taillan Group, who also own GRUAUD-LAROSE, in 1998 and then by Michel Reybier in 2000, Jean-Guillaume Prats remained in charge of the property and enhanced the exceptional standards laid down by the Prats family there throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s. After a dip in the late 1990s the wine has been right back on form. Using sophisticated vinification including must concentration, malolactic in barrel and new oak for ageing, the wine is very powerful as well as opulent. It should, however, show remarkable depth and harmony with a decade or more in the cellar. The second wine was originally called MARBUZET, which is itself a Cru Bourgeois, but is now labelled Les Pagodes de Cos. Reybier’s massive investment in state-of-the-art technology has helped Prats to bring the level of this estate to new heights. However, Prats’ departure at the beginning of 2013 has shown no let up in the quality of the wines produced and the new team led by Aymeric de Gironde continues where he left off.In 2017 Aymeric de Gironde left and Michel Reybier has assumed the management of the estate himself. A white Cos d’Estournel has ben produced since 2005 although the quantities were so small that the wine was not sold commercially until the 2009 vintage. Made from around 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon, it displays great ripeness, harmony and balance. La Goulée is a Médoc wine produced since 2003 and shows remarkable roundness of fruit for its pedigree. (NB)
