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Spotlight On: Cos-d’Estournel 2000

The 2000 vintage may be a better value than the 2005

John Siudut

Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2008

All eyes will be on Bordeaux from the highly touted 2005 vintage as the wines begin to trade on the auction market. And it should be no different for Château Cos-d’Estournel. The 2005 (98 points, $206 release) is the highest-rated wine yet for the property, which has produced a streak of bottlings, beginning with the 2000 vintage, rated in the outstanding (90 to 94 points) and classic range. The wine, however, carries the highest price tag to date for a release from the second-growth property, and the extra attention in the auction market from the 2005 vintage could push prices up even higher.

Savvy collectors might take a look at the Château Cos-d’Estournel 2000 (96 points, $95 release, $135 current) as an alternative. It should be ready to drink soon, and its price remains reasonable. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the wine reached an average price of $157, with one lot at the Sotheby’s November 30 sale coming close to $200 a bottle. However, during the first two quarters of this year, despite a few strong sales, the wine’s average price has sunk below $150. Recent sales have been in the $120 to $140 range.

Bonhams and Butterfields auction on Saturday, September 27, in San Francisco and Los Angeles has a case lot with the high estimate at $133 a bottle, and Zachys with Wally’s Fall auction on Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4, in Los Angeles features two case lots with high estimates at $150.

This data comes from the Wine Spectator Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions. This chart shows the high, low and mean auction prices of Château Cos-d'Estournel 200 from the 4th quarter of 2004 to the second quarter of 2008.

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