【Wine Enthusiast 92】
【Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 89-91】
【James Suckling 89-90】
ZTF943E- Chateau Cos Labory Saint Estephe 2021
Price：$295/Bottle
Special price for 3 bottles: $750 (Average $250/bottle)
Type: Red Wine
Grape Varieties: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 7%
Petit VerdotRegion / Classification: France / Bordeaux / Saint-Estèphe AOC
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 13%
Volume: 750ml
Chateau Cos-Labory, located in the Saint-Estèphe appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux, enjoys a prime location, adjacent to Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Chateau Cos d'Estournel.
The estate was originally named Cos-Gaston, after the Gaston family who lived in the area. The owner at the time was Pierre Gaston, under whose management the estate flourished. In August 1777, Pierre Gaston passed away, and the estate passed to his son, Hyacinthe. Hyacinthe managed the estate for many years thereafter. Later, he passed the winery to his only child, Marie Sany. After Marie Sany married Francois-Armand Labory, the estate passed to the Labory family. At that time, the winery was very prestigious, with an annual wine production of 81,000 liters, comparable to many of the large wineries in the Médoc at that time.
After Francois's death, none of his eight children inherited the winery. In 1847, the winery fell into the hands of Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel, the owner of Chateau Cos d'Estournel, and five years later it was acquired by the British banker Charles Cecil Martyns. During Charles's management, the winery was classified as a Fifth Growth in 1855. The winery subsequently changed hands frequently until 1922 when it was acquired by Ambrosio and Augusto Weber, ancestors of the current owners.
Château Cos-Labory currently has 18 hectares of vineyards with an average vine age of 35 years, and many vines are over 50 years old. The planting density is 8,700 vines per hectare. The vineyard soils are predominantly sandy clay, ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which account for 55% and 10% of the planted area, respectively. In addition, 33% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot are also planted. Grapes are harvested either by hand or by machine after ripening. Hand-harvested grapes are sorted in the vineyard, while machine-harvested grapes are sorted in the cellar. After destemming and pressing, they are transferred to stainless steel fermentation tanks. All the large tanks are equipped with temperature control systems, installed in 1999. The grapes undergo a short-term cryo-maceration at 10°C, followed by fermentation at 28°C with added yeast. The maceration period lasts 3-4 weeks, with two pump-overs and two treads daily, followed by malolactic fermentation at approximately 20°C–21°C. Finally, the wine is aged for 14-15 months in 40-50% new oak barrels. The estate's flagship wine has an annual production of approximately 7,000 cases, and the second label approximately 3,300 cases. The flagship wine is typically a beautiful ruby red color with exquisite aromas and oak flavors, making it very elegant.
