Cos Labory purchased by neighbouring Cos d’Estournel

After months of speculation, it was confirmed this week that Michel Reybier and his family, owners since 2000 of St Estèphe 1855 2nd Growth Château Cos d’Estournel are the official new owners of 16ha Château Cos Labory, 1855 5th Growth. The two estates sit opposite each other just beyond the boundary that separates Pauillac from St Estèphe, with their vineyards sharing similar gravel and clay soils.

The official press release accompanying the announcement stated, ‘With a focus on heritage conservation, this acquisition aims to reconstitute the original estate and is a tribute to its founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, who first acquired it in 1847’.

This is the third St Estèphe property bought by Reybier since his purchase of Cos d’Estournel in 2000, following the purchase of the 12ha Château Pomys, which was also once part of the original Estournel estate – and in fact it also comprises a fourth château, with the acquisition at the same time of Cos Labory’s 15ha sibling estate Château Andron Blanquet .

The beautiful château building of Pomys has now been turned into hotel La Maison d’Estournel, and the vines largely included in Les Pagodes de Cos. But despite the history of a single estate under Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, and the destination of the Pomys vines, Reybier has so far confirmed that he will maintain Cos Labory as a separate property, meaning he is now the owner of two (of the five) 1855 estates within the appellation.

It’s the second high profile estate to change hands in recent years in St Estèphe. Just over a year ago, another of the five 1855 properties, Lafon Rochet, was sold by the Tesseron family to Swiss-French investor Jacky Lorenzetti.

Michel Reybier commented, “I would like to thank the Audoy family for the qualitative approach and passion it has dedicated to the wines of Cos Labory. This is what has guided my decision to perpetuate the estate’s independence while pursuing the level of excellence made possible by this great terroir of Saint-Estèphe.”

Bernard Audoy has been owner and winemaker of Cos Labory with his brothers Stéphane and Martial since 1984. The property has been in the family since 1922 when their grandfather arrived from the US to run the estate. Audoy said, “We feel proud and fortunate to be handing over the reins of Cos Labory to Michel Reybier and his family and remain confident that they will continue to manage the estate with respect and commitment while pursuing new and ambitious directions.”

The estate confirmed that the Cos d’Estournel team, under technical director Dominique Arangoits, worked on the blend of the 2022 vintage.

In my own assessment of Cos Labory, in Inside Bordeaux, I refer to it as, ‘a definite contender for the most under-the-radar (and best value) of all 1855-classified Bordeaux, and yet it keeps quietly delivering hugely drinkable and enjoyable wines… one of the few classified growths to still merit the term ‘old school’.

We can expect this description to be in need an update soon.