Cos D`Estournel 2009

The 2009 Cos d’Estournel is exactly as I predict on the nose, almost overwhelming with over-ripe black plum, raisin, fig and black olive, smudged and lacking the precision and tension of the 2009 Montrose. The palate is sweet and cloying on the entry, hedonistic and voluminous, yet unequivocally bereft of tension and sense of terroir on the finish. Frankly, it is ageing exactly as I predicted when I first tasted it from barrel. Not my style yet still enjoyable. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits` Ten Year On tasting. - Neal Martin - The 2009 is a Saint-Estèphe lauded in some quarters upon release, anointed with perfect scores, albeit not from myself. From my introduction in barrel with then estate manager, Jean-Guillaume Prats, the 2009 felt over-endowed, a wine predesigned to flutter its lashes during en primeur, one that equated sheer power with quality. I last drank this vintage six years ago. It remains decadent and ostentatious on the nose, rich and almost over-generous with crème de cassis and iodine scents. It comes across more Napa than Bordeaux, and contentiously, perhaps that was the intention? Likewise, the palate is decked out with lush and slightly overripe black fruit, relatively low acidity and plenty of weight but not much in the way of finesse. Admittedly, I don't find the wine unenjoyable, and my score should reflect that. You have to admire its hedonism, and if that’s your bag, you’ll love it. But the 2009 harks back to a period when even some of the Médoc’s grandest châteaux seemed to follow a?recipe, when more was always more.