(Forbes) - The Bordeaux “super second” Château Cos d’Estournel on the Left Bank in the Haut-Médoc is in the most northern appellation for Grand Crus Classés wines, Saint-Estèphe. Officially classified as a second growth, it is called a super second because in some vintages it performs like a first growth, and undoubtedly, Montrose and Cos d’Estournel are the top estates of the area. But despite Cos d’Estournel having such high regard among Bordeaux wine connoisseurs, the current owner, Michel Reybier, with respect to the original founder, knew that the wines could still be so much more with the help of modern technology.

Gravity-Flow Cellar

The main criticism of Saint-Estèphe wines has always involved the texture - specifically the tannins, with the often derogatory adjective of choice being “austere”. In regards to Cos d’Estournel, an estate that managed the tannic structure of their wines better than most, hence accounting for their high placement in the 1855 classification, the tannin structure was extremely dependent on the vintage, so some years they were proclaimed very good and others they were proclaimed great. And in the world of top Bordeaux fine wine, “very good” does not cut it.