Pagodes de Cos 2022

Juicy and sporting a fresh edge, this drives steeped red currant and cherry paste notes, injecting dried rose petal, singed alder and warm earth along the way. A late echo of game adds a final flirtation. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2036. 10,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. A little overripe on the nose? Cool finish. Interesting combo! A really cool customer! Ripe tannins. Long. (JR)

Close to equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (there's a splash of Petit Verdot), the 2022 Pagodes De Cos sports a dense purple hue as well as a rocking nose of currants, blueberries, tobacco, and sweet oak. This rich, full-bodied, opulent second wine has plenty of mid-palate depth, a fleshy, sexy mouthfeel, and a great finish.

Delicate blueberry-spicy bouquet, fresh blueberry jelly, exotic woods, chocolate pastilles, a hint of lilac and licorice. Full on the palate with a silky texture, grainy extract, good fruit drive, a supportive tannic frame and a medium body. In the focused finish, a potpourri of blackberries, verbena and dark minerality. A wonderfully successful second wine this year!

Inky colour and high spice, turmeric, cloves, white pepper, blueberry, easy to enjoy with great balance provided by bitter rosemary and fennel. Harvest September 7 to 23. Earliest since 1989. 20% new oak for ageing 3.79ph. Dominique Arangoïts technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant.

Dark, beautiful, deep colour. Intense, refined, fruity and pure nose. Precise on the attack, very aromatic through the mid-palate, with a lovely texture; the wine melts on the palate, juicy, leading into a sappy finish with present, well-coated tannins. Very good.

The bouquet could belong to a Grand Vin, if you didn’t know the second wine was in the glass: great depth, stony and floral notes combined with radiant fruit; on the palate, elegant yet also gripping, silky tannins, immensely charming, with breed and precision; impressive length. It has gained in elegance compared with previous vintages.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, ochre rim. Sweet wild berries, ripe plums, some cassis and mint, some nougat. Taut, somewhat demanding on the palate with rather dry tannins, subtle fruit on the finish, underdeveloped overall impression, vivid savouriness on the finish, still needs more bottle ageing.

Aromas of crème de cassis, blackberries and cigar wrapper introduce the 2022 Les Pagodes de Cos, a full-bodied, rich and enveloping wine with a broad attack, lively acids and a firm, chewy finish. Like the grand vin, this is quite muscular and extracted in style, but it retains good balance.

Strong and heady nose, so aromatically expressive, smells quite potent. Supple and agile, generous and friendly, juicy and sweet with a sour tang and clean stoney texture. The tannins are super fine but supportive and softly gripping in al the right places. Sensuous, but fun - so much personality and style. I love the sweet core, the brightness and vibrancy. Electric but there’s depth and concentration too with a stony undercurrent that puts you squarely in St-Estephe. Absolutely stunning - a top buy! 3.05 total acidity. 3.72pH. 83 IPT. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

The 2022 Les Pagodes de Cos is an elegant, sophisticated wine, notwithstanding its natural textural richness. Black cherry, licorice, leather, incense, chocolate and espresso all saturate the palate. Even with all of its intensity and volume, the 2022 has just enough freshness to keep things somewhat in check. This is a very serious second wine, if that term can even be used.

There is a lot to like here, especially the supple, rich, opulent, creamy-textured fruits that effortlessly across your palate. The finish adds chocolate, spices, silky tannins, freshness, and a refreshing touch of mint on the backend. This is going to be delicious just about on release, and it is going to age for at least 15 or more years with ease. The wine blends 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2040.

An aristocratic bouquet, a touch aloof, with aromas of blue and purple fruits and Chinese lacquer, along with deeper, darker notes. The attack is silky and extremely supple, with perfectly ripe, gentle, captivating fruit, while the tannins feel reassuring, with a caressing grain.