Cos d’Estournel St-Estèphe 1990

95 points Neal Martin (Vinous): “The 1990 Cos d’Estournel is a vintage that I have not tasted for several years. I have always had a soft spot for the 1990. It does not disappoint with gorgeous scents of clove, bay leaf, and warm gravel that are almost Pomerol-like in style. The palate is fresh and lively. This 1990 is very well balanced and eschews the warmth of that summer and allows the terroir to shine. It grips the mouth and offers black truffle and sage towards the slightly grainy textured finish that lingers on the palate. What a sublime Cos d’Estournel. Well-kept bottles will be giving immense pleasure although, you can envisage this lasting another fifteen years, possibly twenty. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical at the property. Drink: 2018-2035. (Oct 2018)”

95 points Robert Parker: “The 1990 will charm tasters with its flashy display of opulent Merlot (about 40% of the blend) mixed with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. It was one of the more forward 1990s in the tasting, which no doubt accounted for its precocious showing. This super-concentrated wine possesses a roasted herb, sweet, jammy black fruit-scented nose, with noteworthy opulence and succulence. Pure and full-bodied, this concentrated wine conceals more tannin than it is presently revealing. The wine is open, flattering, and impossible to resist. (Dec 1997)”